MANAGING ATTORNEY
The St. Frances Cabrini Center for Immigrant Legal Assistance (Cabrini Center) has an immediate opening for a Managing Attorney with its Unaccompanied Children Program.
The Cabrini Center is the legal services arm of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. It is one of the largest non-profit immigration legal services programs in the region. Cabrini’s Unaccompanied Children Program, funded by the Vera Institute of Justice, provides legal assistance to children who come to the United States fleeing persecution, extreme violence, abuse, neglect or abandonment in their home countries. Cabrini Center provides “Know Your Rights” presentations, legal screenings and legal representation to the children while they are in ORR detention, and direct representation upon their release in the Houston area. Each year, Cabrini Center provides legal assistance to more than 5,000 unaccompanied children through this program.
The Managing Attorney is a member of the Cabrini management team and plays a critical role in shaping the vision of the program and in providing strategic leadership to advance and protect immigrant rights. The Managing Attorney manages all legal services provided by attorneys and paralegals within the Unaccompanied Children Program, providing mentorship and training to ensure high quality legal services.
He or she is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day program operations, supervising attorneys and paralegals/legal assistants in the provision of legal services, planning and delivering training, and providing legal representation to unaccompanied minors in state court and immigration proceedings. The Managing Attorney also coordinates and reviews collection of data and statistical information for internal and grant reports, represents Cabrini Center in the legal community and acts as a liaison between stakeholders to advocate for immigrant rights.
The Managing Attorney reports to the Legal Director of Cabrini Center.
The ideal candidate should have the following qualifications:
1. Holds a Juris Doctor degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association.
2. Has a minimum of 7 years of practice experience as a licensed attorney, 4 of those years should be in immigration law, experience in Texas state court family law practice a plus.
3. Licensed to practice law in the State of Texas, or is eligible to waive in within one year on staff.
4. Fluency in Spanish (writing, speaking and reading).
5. Demonstrated experience in client advocacy and litigation, experience in federal practice highly desirable.
6. Excellent legal research and writing skills.
7. Experience supervising legal staff.
8. Demonstrated community outreach and public speaking skills, including the ability to work with the media.
9. Strong organizational skills, ability to manage a large program with diverse caseload, meet deadlines and work under pressure.
10. Excellent management skills.
Visit https://catholiccharities.org/aboutus/jobs/ to submit an application. Please include a cover letter detailing your interest and experience and a current résumé. No phone calls please.