Position Overview: The Staff Attorney is the legal lead for JFS's school-based immigration legal services program for immigrant families in San Diego K-12 schools. The programs mission is Keeping Families Together. Building on existing weekly and monthly legal clinics and workshops at central K-12 schools, the program places a dedicated attorney and support staff in schools that families already know and trust. This role assesses each family's legal situation, represents parents facing deportation proceedings, helps families make a plan for their children before a crisis, and serves as the first legal responder when a partner school reports that a parent has been detained by immigration enforcement. The position reports to the Legal Director, Directing Attorney, or Supervising Attorney.
Responsibilities:Under the supervision of the Directing Attorney, Supervising Attorney, Lead Staff Attorney, or experienced Staff Attorney, the Staff Attorney for the school-based immigration legal services program for immigrant families in San Diego K-12 schools will be responsible for the following:
- Conducts legal screenings and eligibility and risk assessments for parents, caregivers, and family members at weekly school-based clinics and family meetings; identifies possible relief and explains options in plain, trauma-informed language.
- Manages a commensurate caseload of removal defense (detained and non-detained) and affirmative matters, including family-based petitions, DACA, humanitarian relief, and naturalization, before USCIS, ICE, the Immigration Courts, and the Board of Immigration Appeals as needed. Case load number is constantly assessed, and walk-in clinics, workshops, and other responsibilities are taken into consideration.
- Serves as the first legal responder when a partner school or family reports that a parent has been detained: locates the parent, assesses custody and release options such as bond, parole, and stays of removal, appears at bond hearings, and coordinates next steps with support staff. The staff attorney will also participate in the Immigration Legal Rights Program's weekly legal review to assess possibility of that program consuming some cases when the staff attorney faces capacity constraints..
- Guides families through preparedness planning before a crisis, including identifying trusted caregivers and preparing Caregiver's Authorization Affidavits and other key documents; refers guardianship, powers of attorney, if needed, and other family law matters as appropriate.
- Presents Know Your Rights and family preparedness workshops for parents, caregivers, and school staff, including evening and weekend sessions, as needed.
- Serves as the program's legal point of contact for partner schools and trains counselors, social workers, and administrators on referral pathways, while maintaining clear boundaries that JFS represents families, not school districts.
- Directs and reviews case preparation by the program paralegal, and partners with other program support staff on safety planning and family support while protecting attorney-client confidentiality.
- Maintains regular, responsive communication with clients and accurate records of all case activity and client communications in the case management system.
- Tracks consultations, cases, and outcomes to meet program and funder reporting requirements, and helps assess expansion to additional schools and districts across San Diego County.
- Stays current on rapidly changing immigration law, enforcement practices, and school-related policies.
Skills/Experience/Abilities That Are a Must-Have:- Juris Doctor (J.D.) and an active license to practice law, in good standing, in any U.S. state; California license strongly preferred.
- One (1) year of immigration legal experience, including removal defense, preferred but not required. New attorneys with recent admission or waiting for admission to a State Bar will be considered. We will also consider a Post Bar applicant.
- Demonstrated ability to provide culturally responsive, trauma-informed legal services to immigrant families, including parents in crisis.
- Ability to explain complex legal processes clearly and calmly to clients, school staff, and community audiences.
- Proven case management, legal research, and legal writing skills.
- Strong organizational skills, with the ability to balance a full caseload with urgent detention matters.
- Ability to work independently at school sites and collaboratively within an interdisciplinary legal and social services team.
- Willingness to complete extensive immigration law-focused training and all required ethics training.
- Valid driver's license, access to a reliable vehicle, and auto insurance for travel between school sites.
- Ability to obtain the fingerprint-based background clearance and TB screening required by partner school districts, completed after a conditional offer of employment.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook), Adobe, and Zoom/Teams, and the ability to accurately maintain case and program data.
- Commitment to JFS's mission and to zealous advocacy for immigrant families.
Skills/Abilities We'd Like You to Have:- Minimum of one (1) year of immigration legal experience, including removal defense.
- Spanish fluency strongly preferred; Haitian Creole, Ukrainian, Russian, Arabic, Farsi/Dari, or Portuguese also valued.
- Experience with detained cases and bond hearings.
- Experience working with children, schools, or family-serving organizations.
- Familiarity with California family preparedness tools, such as Caregiver's Authorization Affidavits and powers of attorney, or with guardianship law.
- Experience practicing alongside social workers or case managers in an interdisciplinary model.
- Experience serving clients from diverse countries of origin and survivors of trauma.
Physical Requirements:- Evening and weekend work may be required to respond to urgent detention matters.
- Regular day travel to partner school sites across San Diego County is required, with occasional travel to immigration court, Otay Mesa Detention Center, Imperial Regional Detention Facility, and community events.
- While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to sit, talk, and listen
- Regularly required to sit, stand, and walk, including moving between offices, classrooms, and community spaces at school sites; use hands to handle documents, type, and use a mouse; and talk or hear to communicate in person, over the phone, or with others in a potentially noisy environment such as a school campus. The employee must occasionally lift, push, or pull up to 25 pounds, such as clinic materials and case files.
Other Duties:Please note that this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
Position Title: Staff Attorney
Organization: Jewish Family Service of San Diego
Department: Immigration Legal Services
Position Type: Full-Time (37.5+ hours/week), Exempt
Work Setting: Fully Onsite
Reports To: Directing Attorney
Pay Range: $74,000-$90,000/year
Total Compensation:
In addition to standard pay, compensation for this position includes:
- Comprehensive, low-cost healthcare coverage for employees
- Generous employer 401(k) contributions
- Employer-covered life insurance
Time Away from Work:Being able to take time away from work is critical in bringing your best self to work. Time off benefits for this position include:
- Paid vacation time and sick leave
- 15 paid holidays, including Federal and Jewish holidays (as long as the holiday lands on a normal scheduled work day), and floating holidays
- 2 Wellness Days to be taken any time during the year to support employees' mental wellness
