Summary

New Americans in New York State lack options for free or low cost legal services to assist them with immigration related legal issues and representation. They therefore are often forced to turn to service providers who may not have the necessary expertise in immigration law. To address this issue, the New York State Office for New Americans (ONA) will expand the availability of immigration lawyers around the state offering free and expert technical legal assistance legal clinics, direct representation, and legal seminars and workshops.New Americans in New York State lack options for free or low cost legal services to assist them with immigration related legal issues and representation. They therefore are often forced to turn to service providers who may not have the necessary expertise in immigration law. To address this issue, the New York State Office for New Americans (ONA) will expand the availability of immigration lawyers around the state offering free and expert technical legal assistance legal clinics, direct representation, and legal seminars and workshops.

Reporting to the Supervising Attorney, the ONA Staff Attorney will assist in carrying out ONA grant objectives and will work to advance the mission of Journey’s End Refugee Services. ONA Staff Attorney will provide outreach, direct immigration legal services, naturalization application review, legal clinics, legal consultation days, community information sessions, Know Your Rights presentations, referrals, and technical legal assistance to ONA Opportunity Centers and other organizations across the counties of the Southern Tier. The Southern Tier region includes Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Delaware, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga, and Tompkins Counties. This position will primarily operate out of the Southern Tier region of NYS.

The ONA Staff Attorney must exemplify Journey’s End’s core values in their work. These values include intercultural responsiveness, integrity, person-centered, empowerment, and exemplary service.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct affirmative and defensive immigration legal representation to the immigrant populations of the Southern Tier.
• Conduct review of naturalization application completion process of Department of Justice (DOJ) Accredited ONA Opportunity Centers in the Southern Tier.
• Develop, sustain, and grow meaningful partnerships with local community groups to organize and host events.
• Organize and attend legal consultation days, legal clinics, community information sessions, and Know Your Rights presentations at ONA Opportunity Centers and partner agencies across the Southern Tier.
• Respond to immigration law questions from ONA Opportunity Centers, other immigrant service providers, and individuals in need of immigration assistance in the region.
• Develop and distribute a list of resources for referrals on programs and services available to new Americans.
• Conduct widespread community outreach and coordinate with other ONA projects, including participation in monthly New York State Department of State/ONA webinars.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Applicants must:

• Be admitted and remain in good standing of the bar of the highest court of any state in the country or U.S. territory
• Be able and willing to travel extensively to all counties throughout the Southern Tier
• Be able and willing to travel to Buffalo, NY when necessary as part of client representation or as required by supervisor
• Be able and willing to travel to Journey’s End’s office in Buffalo, NY for mandatory staff training and events
• Possess ability to be part of a dedicated team of talented individuals
• Possess strong communication (written and oral) and advocacy skills

In addition to the skills above, the Asylum Staff Attorney should be creative and adaptive in meeting the needs of clients in today’s political and COVID19 environment, and should excel in his/her role as a problem solver as s/he addresses the protection needs of the immigrants we serve.

This is a full time and salaried position. Benefits and retirement package are included. Candidates that have three or more years of experience as an attorney, two or more years of immigration law experience, and the ability to communicate in a language other than English are preferred.

Apply

Send resume, cover letter, and three references to jobs@jersbuffalo.Org. Please include job title and location in subject of email.

***incomplete applications will not be considered. ***