Senior Immigrant Rights Attorney

Position Description

The Legal Aid Justice Center is a nationally recognized, non‑profit organization that partners with low‑income clients and communities of color in Virginia to fight for racial, social, and economic justice. We understand that the harms our clients endure are inextricably linked to overarching systems of injustice. Together we are dismantling those systems through a combination of community organizing, litigation, policy advocacy, public relations, and individual legal services.

Founded in 1967, LAJC has offices in Charlottesville, Richmond, Petersburg, and Falls Church and provides services under six key program areas:
Civil Rights & Racial Justice (focuses on the criminal legal system), Housing & Consumer Justice, Youth Justice, Health Justice & Public Benefits, Immigrant Justice, and Worker Justice. Recent work includes a lawsuit and organizing against the state that forced reform of Virginia’s unemployment insurance system, advocacy that resulted in the distribution of over $1 billion in illegally withheld payments to over 160,000 Virginians, a statewide eviction moratorium and emergency pandemic protections that helped hundreds of families avoid eviction, and efforts that reduced the population of a local immigration detention center to historically low levels.

With a staff of over 90, the past few years have seen exciting growth and opportunity. LAJC has expanded both programmatic and administrative capacity, created new professional growth and leadership opportunities, engaged in ongoing race equity work, and explored changes to organizational structure to deepen its impact.
LAJC’s latest strategic plan is available at https://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below).. For more information about LAJC’s work and programs, visit .

The Legal Aid Justice Center seeks to hire a Senior Immigration Attorney for our new Norfolk office. The attorney will help develop and implement strategies to end mass detention and deportation of immigrants across Virginia, break the ties between immigration enforcement and local/state government and law enforcement, ensure that immigrant communities remain intact and protected, fight the separation of immigrant families and the exclusion of immigrant youth from state benefits such as in‑state tuition, and protect young immigrants across the Commonwealth whether they are in federal custody or in their communities.

The role also involves establishing LAJC's immigration resources in the Hampton Roads area.

This position offers a unique opportunity to build LAJC's footprint and join our new office in the Hampton Roads region. LAJC’s existing offices span Falls Church, Richmond, Charlottesville, and Petersburg, and staff work across Virginia’s Eastern Shore and Southwest. LAJC has litigated cases in Norfolk, worked with local communities on campaigns, and conducted statewide advocacy that benefits Hampton Roads residents. This will be the first permanent physical office in Norfolk, aligning with our strategic plan and engaging community members to address deeply felt regional needs.

Initially, the attorney will play a key role in establishing the office’s presence and infrastructure in collaboration with the Office Manager – Paralegal and other team members. The attorney will also collaborate with existing community groups, coalitions, and organizations to build trust and assess community needs. Over time, the attorney will work alongside the Worker Justice Program to develop and protect the rights of immigrant workers and families in the region, advancing strategic and cross‑programmatic initiatives.

Using the principles of community lawyering and interdisciplinary teamwork, the attorney will work closely with organizers, families, community members, local, state, and national partners, and other LAJC advocates to advance systemic change in immigrant rights in Virginia through individual representation, impact litigation, community outreach, and policy advocacy. This position does not include supervisory responsibilities.

Through supervision and coordination with the Legal Director of the…