Full-time Hybrid Senior Staff Attorney Or Staff Attorney – Immigration Unit

About Public Law Center

PLC, Orange County's pro bono law firm, works to increase access to justice and provides a voice to the county’s most vulnerable low-income communities. PLC provides free civil legal services through in-house staff attorneys and a vibrant pro bono network of 1,500 volunteer lawyers, paralegals and law students from throughout the county. PLC serves the community by providing counseling, individual representation, community education, and strategic litigation and advocacy in the areas of consumer law, immigration, housing and homelessness prevention, family law, health benefits, veterans’ benefits, and community-based nonprofit organizations and small businesses.

About the role

The Public Law Center (PLC)’s Immigration Unit is seeking an energetic, passionate advocate to join our team in fighting for justice for Orange County’s immigrant communities through innovative, collaborative, community-centered lawyering.

PLC’s Immigration Unit provides fearless direct legal representation to, in addition to coordinating and supervising pro bono representation for, survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual assault, persecution and other crimes (U Visas, T Visas, VAWA, asylum, and adjustment of status); children who have been abused, abandoned, or neglected (Special Immigrant Juvenile Status); young people who arrived as children (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals); lawful permanent residents seeking U.S. Citizenship (naturalization); and for immigrants in Immigration Court proceedings (both detained and non-detained removal defense).

Position Description

• Full-time, exempt position.
• Reports to co-supervising attorney.
• Subject to probationary period during first 6 months of continuous employment.
• Hybrid position. Minimum of two in-office days during probationary period, and minimum of one in-office day after probationary period.
• Travel throughout Orange County and neighboring counties for USCIS/EOIR appearances, and community presentations/events will be necessary. Participation in community presentations/events may include occasional evening or weekend work.

What you'll do

• Conduct legal screenings and consultations.
• Maintain full caseload of immigration cases, including removal defense and affirmative relief.
• Participate in collaborative advocacy efforts in coalition with other legal service providers and community partners.
• Oversee volunteer pro bono attorneys and law students through training, technical support, and general supervision.
• Participate in immigration legal clinics, workshops, and community education presentations.
• Represent PLC at legal networking and community outreach events.

Qualifications

• Active membership in the California State Bar or eligibility to practice under State Bar Multijurisdictional Practice Program.
• 1-5 years of immigration law experience, including client representation before USCIS and/or EOIR.
• Demonstrated commitment to working with immigrant communities.
• Strong written and oral communication skills, with the ability to communicate with a variety of audiences.
• Strong legal research and writing skills.
• Ability to effectively manage high volume of cases and multitask concurrent responsibilities.
• Bilingual English/Spanish or other language strongly preferred.

Salary & Benefits

• Compensation dependent on experience; range of $81,000 to $91,000
• Competitive benefits provided, and for this position include:
• • Health, Dental, Vision, Disability, and Life Insurance (100% of employee premium costs paid by PLC, and 50% of dependent health insurance premium costs paid by PLC)
  • Flexible Spending Account Program to help pay for medical expenses and childcare costs
  • 15 paid holidays per year
  • Approximately 1 paid week off during office winter closure (between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day)
  • 21 paid sick/wellness days per year, including up to 2 paid wellness days per month to promote mental wellness and general wellbeing
  • 15 paid vacation days per year
  • Birthday paid time off (2 hours of paid time off during birthday month)
  • 403b retirement plan (after 6 months of employment PLC provides a matching contribution equaling 100% of salary deferral up to a maximum of 3-4%, depending on length of employment)
  • State Bar and Orange County Bar Association dues paid by PLC
  • Monthly $55 stipend for Wi-Fi and cell phone use
  • Bilingual Pay Premium upon successful completion of an oral and/or written test ($50 for oral premium and $50 for written premium per pay period)
  • Opportunities for growth and advancement

Public Law Center is dedicated to building a diverse team and fostering a fair and welcoming work environment. To view our complete DEI statement, please click here .

Public Law Center is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, please contact Public Law Center.

PLC will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with all legal requirements.

PLC regrets that it is unable to sponsor employment Visas or consider individuals on time-limited Visa status for this position.