Staff Attorney, Special Immigrant Juveniles

Be part of an organization dedicated to improving our community through programs that provide equal access to legal services. The Justice & Diversity Center of The Bar Association of San Francisco (JDC of BASF) has a strong commitment to employee work-life balance and provides a stimulating work environment. JDC currently has a need for a bilingual Staff Attorney to be part of the team!

The Staff Attorney will be supporting the Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Project (SIJS), where they will be coordinating representation for immigrant children who have been abused, abandoned or neglected, to connect them to a path to legal status.

The SIJS Staff Attorney will learn the SIJS process in San Francisco and, with the support of other JDC staff, will develop a SIJS training for volunteer attorneys. The SIJS Staff Attorney will train and supervise volunteer attorneys to obtain SIJS orders for abused, abandoned and neglected children in San Francisco.

Essential Job Functions:

NOTE: To the extent possible, reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Master the SIJS process in San Francisco and review relevant immigration law to better understand the role of SIJS in immigration cases.
• Develop a training, including materials, samples and templates, for volunteer attorneys taking SIJS cases.
• Recruit volunteer attorneys to take SIJS cases.
• Train and supervise volunteer attorneys to obtain SIJS orders in San Francisco Superior Court.
• When volunteers are not available and for learning purposes, represent some juvenile clients, limited scope, for the purpose of obtaining SIJS orders.

Additional Job Functions: 

• Coordinate with the SIJS Paralegal on immigration clinics for SIJS clients. ‘

Working Conditions: 

Work is performed in an open area workstation at JDC’s office located in downtown San Francisco, during normal business hours, which are Monday through Friday, from 9:00am to 5:00pm; and at other sites in San Francisco, including San Francisco Superior Court. This position also requires heavy telephone and computer use.

Education: 

J.D., license to practice law in California, and good standing with the State Bar of California is required

Experience: 

• Two years minimum family law/custody litigation experience in California required
• Experience building a successful project or program required
• Experience obtaining SIJS orders preferred.
• Fluency in English and Spanish required. 
• Experience working with survivors of trauma and/or low-income clients is preferred

Prerequisite Skills and Requirements: 

• Excellent oral, written, and client service skills, in English and Spanish
• Ability to effectively interact with low-income clients, volunteer attorneys, judges and court staff, and coworkers
• Ability to manage multiple tasks in a fast-paced team-oriented environment
• Knowledge of MS Office (Outlook, Word, Excel)

Equal Opportunity Employer:

JDC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We conduct all employment-related activities without regard to race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation or any other classification protected by applicable Local, State or Federal employment discrimination laws. JDC welcomes diversity in the workplace.