Senior Staff or Staff Attorney, Immigrant Justice ALIT

About the role

The Southern Poverty Law Center is seeking a Senior Staff or Staff Attorney who is committed to immigrant justice. The ideal candidate will have demonstrated experience litigating complex individual, multi-plaintiff, and/or class action cases in federal, state, and administrative courts.

Responsibilities

• Lead the implementation of SPLC’s immigrant justice legal advocacy strategies, especially in the Deep South.
• Develop new cases in consultation with SPLC staff and community partners.
• Train and mentor legal staff as needed.
• Develop and maintain collaborations and partnerships with community organizations.
• Investigate, gather information, and interview clients and witnesses.
• Collaborate with team members of other ALITs in the Legal Department as well as all other members of other SPLC Departments to advance the impact goals and campaigns of SPLC.
• Research and Write legal memos and briefs on complex legal and factual questions.
• Represent SPLC in various forums, including before community groups, legislators, and state agencies.
• Respond to requests for legal assistance.
• Perform other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties in this job classification.

Requirements

• Experienced in federal court civil litigation or comparable experience post law school.
• Membership in good standing of at least one state bar in the United States, preferably Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, or Mississippi.
• J.D. degree from an ABA-accredited law school.

Qualifications

• Staff Attorney I-II: At least one (1) year of federal court civil litigation or comparable experience post law school.
• Senior Staff I-IV: At least six (6) years of federal court civil litigation or comparable experience post law school.

Skills

• Experience litigating complex individual, multi-plaintiff, and/or class action cases in federal, state, and administrative courts.
• Demonstrated experience in litigation based on the U.S. Constitution and federal statutes, including the Immigration and Nationality Act and related immigration laws.
• Experience working with community organizations, grassroots campaigns, and impacted communities, particularly in the Deep South, aimed at protecting the rights of immigrants and migrants.
• Ability to speak and write in a language commonly spoken in the Southeastern United States (e.g., Haitian Creole, Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese, Vietnamese, or Mandarin).
• Proven commitment to immigrant justice.
• Ability to synthesize complex legal and policy developments, analyze requests for legal assistance relating to immigration law, and provide technical assistance to immigrant communities and partner organizations.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct legal research and factual investigations.
• Ability to draft briefs, memos, and other documents in support of litigation, advocacy, and public education with a team and independently.
• Able and willing to communicate regularly with clients, co-counsel, and partner organizations.

Benefits

This is an exempt role, and the minimum starting salary is $78,832.00 annually. Salary is based on legal experience post law school. Staff Attorney I (1-3 years out of law school): $78,832.00 Staff Attorney II (4-5 years out of law school): $89,905.00 Senior Staff Attorney I (6 & 7 years out of law school): $102,637.00 Senior Staff Attorney II (8 & 9 years out of law school): $117,286.00 Senior Staff Attorney III (10 & 11 years out of law school): $134,129.00 Senior Staff Attorney IV (12+ years out of law school): $153,500.00 Click here to view the benefits available to SPLC staff.