WDA’s Immigration Project seeks a full-time resource attorney with immigration or criminal defense experience to provide case assistance and training for public defenders representing non-citizen clients in Washington State. The resource attorney also will create criminal-immigration tools and resources to assist defenders in their cases as well as engage with public defender offices across the state to support and empower effective assistance of their clients. The position is based in WDA’s Seattle office and requires some travel, primarily throughout Washington. NOTE: WDA staff are working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic and no in-person training or travel will be required until COVID restrictions are lifted. Post-COVID residency in Washington State will be required; relocation to Seattle (where WDA’s office is located) is negotiable.
ob Responsibilities include:
Defender Engagement: Cultivate, maintain and evolve relationships with public defenders and defender offices throughout Washington that:
o Ensure and enhance defender practices to provide effective assistance to achieve better outcomes for noncitizen clients;
o Identify emergent issues and collaborative response strategies; and
o Build capacity to leverage defender engagement toward local, state (and national) systemic changes in the criminal and immigration laws and legal systems.
Immigration Case Consultations: Deliver high quality, timely case-specific support to high volume of assistance requests from defenders representing noncitizen clients;
Training: Provide webinar and in-person training to defenders and community partners and other justice system stakeholders;
Resources: Develop practice advisories and other tools regarding immigration consequences of criminal convictions and criminal legal system involvement;
Systems Advocacy: Support defender engagement with community partners and stakeholders to advance systems change advocacy on state and local issues regarding noncitizens who become involved in criminal legal systems; identify opportunities to integrate community partners into WDA advocacy efforts.
Race Equity Work: Participate in WDA’s internal and external work to enact Just Lead Washington’s Race Equity and Justice Initiative (REJI) commitments.
4 - 7 years’ criminal defense or removal defense experience. For candidates with public defense experience we expect a clear commitment to develop expertise in the immigration consequences of crimes. For those with experience in immigration removal defense we expect a clear commitment to develop criminal legal and public defense expertise.
Experience working with indigent clients and/or as a public defender is preferred; post-conviction experience is desirable; commitment to social justice, race equity and community engagement is essential.
Capacity to be self-directed, highly organized and work in a collaborative, energetic work environment; take leadership on priority issues; engage in strategic thinking and collaborative partnership development to further WDA and Immigration Project goals.
Excellent analytical, writing and communication abilities.
Member in good standing of the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) or another a state bar association. If present membership is out of state, membership in the WSBA is required within one year.
TO BE CONSIDERED, PLEASE SEND RESUME, COVER LETTER, AND SHORT WRITING SAMPLE TO: Scott Shoemaker, Washington Defender Association, 300 Lenora St., POB 250, Seattle, WA 98104 or [email protected].
https://defensenet.org/wda-resource-attorney-immigration-team/