Removal Defense Attorney

REMOVAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY (SAN FRANCISCO, CA) A little about us! Our vision is to live in a world where people have the right to move and resettle across borders with dignity and respect.
We work towards this vision through our mission: defending immigrants against deportation, promoting community education and empowerment, and engaging in policy advocacy.
We also work towards this vision internally by building a horizontal, consensus-based organization.
Our team: We started in 2013 with a team of 1.
5 and now are 21 (4 based in San Jose and 16 in San Francisco).
Our majority POC staff and board of directors are diverse in their migration backgrounds, and extremely supportive of each other.
What brings us together is our dedication to our work, each other, and the larger movement for immigrants’ rights.
Our work: We operate on three levels: direct legal representation, policy advocacy, and community empowerment and education.
Attorneys at Pangea participate in traditional lawyering – zealously representing immigrants in their removal proceedings and appeals.
Attorneys also act as movement lawyers – working with clients, their families, grassroots organizers, legislators, and media to create systemic change.
Our goal for representation is not only to achieve positive legal outcomes for each client, but also to provide our clients with opportunities for politicization and social transformation, thus advancing the larger movement for immigrant justice.
Our offices: Pangea’s main office is located in downtown San Francisco, near key immigration offices, including the detained and non-detained immigration courts, ICE, USCIS, and the asylum office.
Our San Francisco office is also within a few blocks of muni and BART.
Pangea’s Santa Clara County office is located in the San José Unified School District office, allowing us to partner with and serve parents, teachers, and students.
We work in our physical offices 2 days per week.
Our internal work: Pangea is more than a job; it’s an opportunity to become a director and share ownership in an organization that reflects the values we want to see in the world.
Over the last 10 years, we have built an organization where everyone receives equal pay, authority is delegated by consensus, and everyone’s responsibilities are equally important regardless of organizational role.
All employees serve on 1-2 organizational “hubs” that help run, build, and strengthen our organization.
After 9 months of employment, new employees are voted on to become co-directors of the organization and voting members of at least one hub.
We are committed to continuing to develop our organizational model guided by our social justice ideals, and we invest significant time in its upkeep and growth.
We are hiring an immigration attorney to primarily represent immigrants in removal proceedings.
Job Title: Immigration Attorney Primary Responsibilities Represent immigrants in removal proceedings Represent clients in I-765, I-730, I-485, and other asylum-adjacent filings Create opportunities for clients to share their stories, participate in community empowerment activities, collaborate with organizers and public campaigns, and join the larger movement for immigrant rights Help to maintain and grow Pangea as a democratically-run organization, and actively participate in 1-2 organizational “hubs” Review colleagues’ written materials on an on-going and as needed basis Required Skills and Experience License to practice law in the United States Spanish language proficiency Excellent written communication skills Attention to detail, while still able to see the big picture 2+ years of removal defense experience Bonus Skills and Experience Spanish language fluency, proficiency in other languages Experience in movement-building / community organizing Experience working with survivors of trauma Excellent verbal communication skills Ability to wear multiple hats and juggle various responsibilities/roles Alignment with Pangea’s Points of Unity We are looking for someone who can relate to and embody our Points of Unity.
These are the internal organizational principles that our team created together in 2015, and we frequently turn to them when creating new policies or making difficult decisions.
We believe that all people are equal in rights and should be free to move.
We dream of a world without borders.
We were created to fill a gap in free and low fee deportation defense services.
We recognize that education, legal empowerment, and policy advocacy are essential to changing perspectives around migration and migrants’ rights.
We believe in the oneness of all people and we embrace the common humanity of every person; our interactions are guided by love.
We treat every person we meet as an individual with a unique story.
We are committed to excellence and providing high quality services.
The law is a living document.
Its flaws do not constrict us.
We use it strategically to ask boldly for the best for our community.
We are positive and solution oriented.
We value fresh attitudes, innovation, and creativity.
We challenge conventional thinking in order to redefine what is possible.
We practice humility.
We listen, learn, reflect, evaluate, and grow.
We value our team’s individual and collective well-being.
We create mechanisms to support well-roundedness and our team’s mental, physical, and spiritual health.
We recognize a tension between serving as many people in need as possible, taking challenging, legally complex cases, and valuing our own health and well-being.
We strive to maintain a balance between these three goals.
We are committed to equity regarding compensation, responsibilities, and shared ownership.
We strive to create an organization that is both financially sustainable and autonomous.
All about benefits and compensation.
First 9 months: The first 9 months at Pangea are considered a “sponge” period.
During this time, an employee receives and absorbs significant training and orientation around our horizontal model.
During the sponge period, an employee is a non-voting member of the team, and receives the same salary as all other teammates (currently $75,900/year).
After 9 months: After successfully completing the sponge period, an employee is voted on as a full member of the team.
Their title is updated to that of Co-Director, and they get voting rights.
In terms of benefits: Staff have a 4 day work week (Mon-Thurs) and our physical office is closed Fridays.
We offer health insurance through Kaiser (Silver Plan) at no cost to staff, and cover 50% of dependent premiums.
We offer up to $1,400 in health reimbursements for things like glasses, therapy, or co-pays.
We offer up to $3,000 in childcare reimbursements.
We have a Simple IRA plan with an automatic 2% employer contribution.
We pay for professional membership fees, trainings, coaching, and staff development.
Our vacation benefits start at 15 days in the first year and increase with tenure up to 25 days per year.
We close our office for 16 holidays a year, which are aligned with school closures.
Application Instructions.
The start date of this position is flexible.
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.
We will start evaluating applications on January 22, 2024, on a rolling basis.
Please submit a cover letter, resume, and three references to jobs@pangealegal.
org.
In your cover letter, please answer the following two questions: 1) How has your personal background or experiences, professional or otherwise, prepared you for the kind of immigration work Pangea does? 2) What experiences do you have with collectively run organizations, or what draws you to a non-hierarchical organization? Please indicate “Immigration Attorney Application” in the subject line of your email.
We encourage immigrants and those directly impacted by Pangea’s work to apply.
Pangea is an equal opportunity employer.
We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.