Staff Attorney, Immigration & Human Rights Clinic - Grant Funded

St. Mary's University School of Law's Immigration and Human Rights Clinic (IHRC) provides legal representation to income-limited individuals, while educating students enrolled in the IHRC in immigration law and lawyering skills. The duties and responsibilities of the IHRC Staff Attorney are described as follows, with variation based on the needs of the IHRC.

The position is a full-time position. This position is funded in whole or in part, by an external grant and is subject to immediate termination if the grant funding ceases. No employee who is in such a position may file a grievance over the termination of the position. While continued funding will require a renewal application, the funding for this position currently continues through August 2025.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Represents clinic clients in cases accepted by the clinic
• Analyzes evidence and conducts legal and factual research; interviews clients; drafts and files briefs, motions, applications, and other legal documents; engages and works with expert witnesses; prepares clients for and represents clients in administrative and court proceedings
• Conducts Interviews, intakes, accepts, and/or refers potential clients and cases.
• Conducts community outreach and education and pro se assistance events as directed by clinic faculty
• Teaches in the clinic seminar, and may lead other legal trainings alone or with other clinic faculty or attorneys. May conduct case or class activities such as mock hearings or simulations upon request.
• Assists in the supervision of clinic paralegal, research assistants, and clinic students in office-related tasks and in representation of clinic cases under the direction of clinic faculty
• Provides administrative supervision to Clinic students on office-related tasks such as time-keeping and file maintenance
• Assists in supervising the management of the Clinic case docket, including calendaring, closing, storage, and record-keeping
• Performs other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• D. degree from an ABA accredited law school required.
• Must be licensed to practice law in Texas or seek licensure in Texas upon being hired
• Must be an active member of a state bar in good standing;
• Three (3) or more years of immigration law practice preferred
• Must clear and maintain a favorable background investigation and clearance
• Must have a valid driver's license, motor vehicle liability insurance, and personal injury insurance, or have a self-reliant source of transportation to conduct business on a daily basis
• Must not be a "relative" including a former or current spouse, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, first cousin, nephew, niece, in-law, step relative, domestic partner (persons whose lives are interdependent and who share a common residence), or domestic partner's daughter or son of a member of the University Board of Trustees, CLSJ Executive positions, University or Law School Finance Executive positions, University Human Resources Executive positions or comparable positions within the University with different working titles yet performing substantially similar functions
• Must have the ability to demonstrate intermediate level skills in MS Office (Word, Excel, Teams, Outlook and PowerPoint) including experience with virtual platforms such as Zoom, and applicable case management software
• Must be able to work some nights, weekends, travel, and attend special events as needed.
• Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills; strong public relations and customer service skills with an ability to implement diplomacy and discretion at all times; ability to work effectively with communities across the university
• Must have high ethical standards and a strong sense of confidentiality; ability to prioritize and manage multiple deadlines; thrive in a complex work environment; display solid problem solving and interpersonal skills; work well independently and as part of a team
• Must have ability to demonstrate attention to detail and be able to organize workflow, coordinate activities, balance simultaneous projects without loss of efficiency in a multi-tasked environment, and manage multiple priorities to meet deadlines
• Bilingual Preferred (English/Spanish with the ability to understand and to make one's self understood to Spanish speaking individuals)
• Experience representing clients seeking asylum, VAWA, U, T, and SIJS status, and in detained removal proceedings preferred
• Experience supervising law student activity preferred
• Experience teaching/mentoring in a clinic-like setting preferred
• Experience working with marginalized communities preferred
• Demonstrated ability to work in a law office setting with a diverse group of faculty, staff, and students

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Working conditions are in an office environment and university campus setting. Must be able to move across the university campus to conduct day to day business.
• While performing this role, the employee will be regularly required to sit, walk, and stand; talk and hear, both in person and by telephone; and use hands repetitively to operate standard office equipment; and occasionally required to lift up to 25 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Frequently communicates with others using approved technological resources; must be able to exchange accurate information through designated systems within a timely manner.
• Constantly operates a computer and other office productivity machinery.

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.

St. Mary's University is a Hispanic-Serving Institution and an Equal Opportunity Employer.