Immigrant Defenders Law Center · 1 day ago
Staff Attorney (Immigration Removal Defense)
Santa Ana, CA
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
$75K/yr - $90K/yrImmigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef) is a social justice law firm that provides legal services to immigrants. They are seeking full-time staff attorneys to offer creative and zealous representation in immigration removal defense, working collaboratively with a team to support clients facing complex legal challenges.
Law EnforcementLegalNon Profit
Responsibilities
Provide direct representation in removal proceedings to unaccompanied children, adults with mental competency issues, and detained or non-detained adults and families. Many clients face complex immigration issues, including those with juvenile or criminal histories
Provide high-quality, client-centered representation for clients facing deportation proceedings
Determine eligibility for legal relief and develop legal strategy case plans
Represent SIJS-eligible youth (under age 21) in related state court proceedings, including guardianship and custody matters, or coordinate closely with juvenile dependency and delinquency counsel to obtain SIJS predicate orders
Identify the need for post-conviction relief and collaborate with ImmDef’s Post-Conviction Relief team to pursue available remedies
File appeals, motions to reopen or reconsider, and habeas corpus petitions, as needed and as funding and program capacity permits
Coordinate with public defenders and appointed counsel for clients with ongoing criminal or juvenile delinquency proceedings
Travel to shelters for unaccompanied children, ICE detention centers, and other custodial settings to interview and prepare clients, take declarations, complete immigration benefit applications, and provide legal advice
Represent individuals in court at initial or prolonged custody redetermination hearings, master calendar hearings, individual merits hearings, and in ancillary state court proceedings
Represent clients before USCIS at asylum interviews, credible fear interviews, ICE check-ins, and other immigration-related appointments
Prepare and submit country conditions, declarations, and other supporting evidence for applications to defend clients against removal
Work with country conditions experts, expert witnesses, psychologists, and medical professionals to develop supporting evidence for immigration relief applications
Work collaboratively with colleagues and participate in weekly group case review, on-site trainings, and provide supervision for support staff’s legal work
Support ImmDef’s overall mission by working closely with colleagues and ImmDef leadership on various initiatives through community engagement, peer mentoring, and event participation
Perform other duties as assigned to support programmatic and organizational needs
Qualification
Required
Juris Doctorate degree or L.L.M. degree
Active California State Bar License or licensure from another state or U.S. jurisdiction and, if required, willingness and eligibility to 'waive into' the CA Bar via the Multi-Jurisdictional Practice Program
Strong case management, legal research, and legal writing skills
Willingness to zealously pursue new and untested legal theories
Demonstrated ability to take initiative and work under pressure
Commitment to working in a diverse professional environment
Passion for social justice for immigrants required
Preferred
Experience with any of the following forms of immigration cases is helpful: asylum/WOR/CAT, special immigrant juvenile status (child custody/family court/guardianship), cancellation, waivers, adjustment of status, immigration consequences of criminal convictions, bond, humanitarian parole, post-conviction relief, habeas petitions, BIA appeals, motions to reopen, naturalization
Experience in immigration law (non-profit or private practice) is a plus, but not required as we are ready and able to provide training
Experience working with survivors is helpful, including populations that have experienced trauma, abuse and persecution
Knowledge of best practices in working with clients with mental competency issues, including those suffering from mental health challenges and children, is a plus
Commitment to working in a diverse professional environment
DACA Recipients encouraged to apply
Spanish language proficiency is strongly preferred and is required for most removal defense attorney positions; fluency in other languages is also helpful
Benefits
13 paid holidays
1-Week paid winter break between Christmas and New Years
15 vacation days per year
15 Sick Days per year
ImmDef provides health coverage on the first of the month following 30 days on the job.
We cover 100% of premiums for our base dental and vision plans for our staff members and 75% of base plan dental and vision premiums for their dependents. ImmDef also covers 89% of the base plan medical premiums for our staff and 69% of the base plan medical premiums for their dependents.
ImmDef offers FSA plans to help offset the costs of eligible health care expenses for you, your spouse, and your eligible dependents using pre-tax dollars
We also offer Dependent Care FSA to pay for eligible dependent care services, such as preschool, summer day camp, before or after school programs, and child or adult daycare.
Eligible for Parental Leave which includes six (6) weeks of ImmDef paid leave.
ImmDef staff are eligible to enroll in our 401(k) plans upon completion of three months of employment, contributing pre-tax dollars towards their retirement goals
After three months on staff, ImmDef will match 100% of contributions up to 3% of the employee’s salary
As a 501(c)3, full-time ImmDef staff with qualifying student loans are eligible for the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness
Staff members assigned to an office without free on-site parking are eligible to receive a parking stipend of up to $105 per month in actual accrued parking or transportation costs.
Staff in all offices are eligible to receive a public transportation stipend of up to $100 per month in actual accrued public transportation costs.
ImmDef provides a $15 monthly cell phone stipend to staff members whose job duties require them to consistently work at sites outside of ImmDef offices, or travel between ImmDef worksites, and whose jobs require use of their personal cell phones or communications that cannot be accomplished with ImmDef-issued equipment.
Company
Immigrant Defenders Law Center
Immigrant Defenders Law Center provides and offers legal assistance services to immigrants.
Founded in 2015
51-200 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Immigrant Defenders Law Center has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (2)
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageTotal Funding
$0.1MKey Investors
Weingart Foundation
2023-09-01Grant· $0.1M
Recent News
2025-07-09
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