Staff Attorney - Immigrants & Workers' Rights; TSAP - Legal Aid Chicago

Staff Attorney - Immigrants & Workers' Rights (TSAP)

Legal Aid Chicago
200 North LaSalle Street
Suite 1400
Chicago , IL 60601
United States

For over 50 years, Legal Aid Chicago has provided free civil legal assistance to people living in poverty in metropolitan Chicago. Each year our attorneys, volunteers, and staff help resolve civil legal problems, including domestic violence, consumer fraud, and unfair evictions. Legal Aid Chicago was founded on the philosophy that all individuals are entitled to quality civil legal representation, regardless of their income.

We work to ensure that poverty is not an impediment to justice.

Legal Aid Chicago offers a hybrid work environment. Our office, located in downtown Chicago, is ADA accessible and has convenient access to public transportation and local expressways. This position may require travel to court or other outreach events.

Position
:
Legal Aid Chicago seeks a full‑time Staff Attorney to work in the Trafficking Survivor Assistance Project (TSAP) within the Immigrants & Workers’ Rights Practice Group (IWR). IWR includes the areas of employment, immigration, migrant farm worker, and human trafficking law. IWR’s four teams work independently and in an interdisciplinary manner, when these areas of law intersect. This position works collaboratively within a supportive team of attorneys and paralegals and reports to an experienced Supervisory Attorney.

This role provides the opportunity to collaborate with survivors of human trafficking, with a focus on labor trafficking, immigration law, and victim advocacy. TSAP prides itself in trauma‑informed, client‑led, and wrap‑around advocacy; advice, brief services, full and limited scope representation to individuals and families applying for affirmative relief before U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), the U.S. Department of State, and defensive relief before the Executive Office of Immigration Review and the Board of Immigration Appeals;

and victim advocacy for survivors. Areas of primary practice include T visas and T visa‑based adjustment of status applications, however, the position also includes representation in a diversity of immigration applications and advocacy for collateral needs, such as victim representation, social work and public benefits.

Responsibilities:

• Manage a caseload and provide full and limited scope legal representation
• Interview eligible clients on a wide range of Immigration issues and provide advice and brief services for eligible immigrants with a focus on identifying trafficking
• Participate in advocacy to address systemic issues
• Participate in weekly team meetings to present new cases and reach team consensus on representation
• Represent clients in applications before USCIS, DOS, and EOIR in detained and non‑detained proceedings
• Represent and advocate for victims
• Work collaboratively with Legal Aid Chicago staff, students, and volunteers to provide comprehensive legal services
• Work with other IWR staff members in any interdisciplinary work
• Make appropriate referrals inside the organization and to external partners
• Maintain accurate case files and timely record time‑keeping in electronic case management system
• Assist with grant reporting, as appropriate and applicable
• Conduct community education outreach and build relationships with community partners
• Participate in training agencies, advocates, clients, or community groups about legal services and rights impacting vulnerable people
• Participate in other activities related to poverty law including publication, permissible legislative and administrative advocacy, media relations, and fundraising as needed
• Manage other duties as determined by the Supervisory Attorney and the Director

Legal Aid Chicago encourages applications from individuals with relevant experience, particularly those who have direct experience with communities we serve or perspectives that help us understand and serve our clients better.

• Applicants must meet one of the following criteria:
  • Licensed to practice law in Illinois;
  • Licensed to practice law in another state and eligible to waive into the Illinois bar;
  • A law school graduate who has taken or…