The Legal Director will provide immigration representation to survivors of labor trafficking who need legal services in New York. The Legal Director will work with the outreach and advocacy staff to develop the program services. The Legal Director will lead, manage, and support staff who provide direct client representation and serve as lead counsel or co-counsel for all the Coalition clients. In addition, the Legal Director will be responsible for developing, maintaining, and disseminating legal information (e.g., cases, statutes, and regulations) to support the legal team and assure staff knowledge remains up-to-date. The Legal Director will work closely with and report to the Executive Director.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Handle individual caseload of trafficking clients and represent clients before USCIS, DOJ-EOIR, and ICE
• Advocate with law enforcement for trafficking clients, including attending interviews, court proceedings, and other client interactions with law enforcement; follow up to law enforcement regarding requests for cooperation from clients, requests to law enforcement for immigration support including applications for continued presence and visa endorsements
• Coordinate with outreach staff to screen potential victims of human trafficking; make legal determination whether potential clients qualify as trafficked under the law
• Coordinate with social services / case management staff to ensure wrap-around services for mutual clients, pursuant to release of information signed by clients
• Plan & present trainings concerning human trafficking & legal options for trafficking victims both within New York and on a national basis
• Provide technical assistance concerning immigration representation of trafficking victims to attorneys in New York state and nationally upon request
• Participates in the agency Steering/Management Team with the Executive Director and functions as Acting Director when the Executive Director is absent or otherwise unavailable
• Advises the agency on legal decisions and reviews contracts and other legal documents

on behalf of the agency

• Participates in annual development of our areas of work with the Steering Committee, establishes program benchmarks and recommends improvements; develops standards for reporting, accountability, and measuring success; and makes program development recommendations to the Executive Director
• Develops and implements innovative methods that maximize the strength of agency resources and successfully addresses agency mission and grant requirements.
• With the Management Team, makes innovative recommendations for fiscal and human resource policy to the Executive Director
• Participates in planning and applying for agency fund diversification including supporting grant writing and other fund development activities
• Meets with auditors to review case files
• Day-to-day leadership and oversight of the agency’s legal work and legal team members
• Regular leadership and oversight of the agency’s advocacy work
• Participates in regular case reviews
• Engages in legal work on behalf of clients and the agency
• Conducts annual job performance reviews and assists with the development of professional development plans with team members
• Works with the Executive Director to recruit and hire legal team members
• Oversees orientation and training of new team members
• Reviews and responds to complaints regarding intake and case services
• Provides quality assurance monitoring of agency programs
• Community Involvement and participates in systemic Advocacy
• Participates in local, state, and national councils, boards, committees, etc. to address identified program issues and concerns
• Cultivates and maintains collaborative working relationships with other agencies and organizations
• Collaborates with the Outreach team as needed to develop content for newsletter articles, social media, annual report, and other publications as well as live and recorded video and audio content
• Performs related tasks consistent with skills and abilities and general responsibilities as assigned by the Executive Director
• Other tasks as needed

Preferred Qualifications:

• KNOWLEDGE & ABILITIES: The Legal Director will have excellent writing and spoken abilities, be flexible, able to multitask, and be organized. The Legal Director will also have a sincere desire to work with low income trafficking survivors, their families, law enforcement, and other stakeholder agencies.
• EDUCATION / EXPERIENCE: JD or LLM degree and admission to practice law with at least ten years experience in immigration law and providing services to human trafficking survivors.
• COMPUTER SKILLS: Must have prior knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite programs (Word, Excel, Access, Publisher, Outlook); legal research software (Lexis, Westlaw, AILA Link). Familiar with basic office technology such as faxing, emailing, and copying.
• WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those the employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• This job is to be performed primarily in a remote environment. The employee is regularly required to work on the computer which may require a lot of “screen time.” The employee is also regularly required to travel both locally and within all of New York State to meet with stakeholders, potential victims, and to represent clients, to attend training, or as needed. Valid driver’s license and access to a vehicle are required.
• PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• While performing the essential functions of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit for long periods of time, or to travel by car.

The Western New York Coalition of Farmworker Serving Agencies is a 501(C)(3) organization and was organized to allow agencies to collaborate and provide various services to migrant and seasonal farmworkers in Western New York. We come together to coordinate services, to identify gaps, to share common problems and to assist farmworkers by taking joint action on mutual concerns according to the consensus of the group.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $65,000.00 - $80,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• Weekends as needed

License/Certification:

• Bar (Required)

Ability to Commute:

• Rochester, NY 14614 (Required)

Ability to Relocate:

• Rochester, NY 14614: Relocate before starting work (Preferred)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Rochester, NY 14614