Staff Attorney - RRLC

Organization Overview

UnLocal is a community-centered non-profit organization that provides direct immigration legal representation and community education to New York City's immigrant communities. As a proud member of the Rapid Response Legal Collaborative (RRLC), UnLocal works in coalition with partner organizations to provide coordinated legal support and advocacy for people detained or at imminent risk of detention in urgent postures, including those with final orders of removal.

Position Summary

UnLocal, Inc. is hiring a Staff Attorney for a full-time, exempt position within the Legal Department to support its work in the Rapid Response Legal Collaborative (RRLC). The Staff Attorney will manage a smaller, but quicker-moving docket focused on emergency and post-order defense work, supporting immigrants at risk of imminent deportation, handling motions and stays of removal, and advocating for release from ICE detention.

The attorney will work closely with RRLC partner organizations, providing coordinated representation, sharing resources, and responding quickly to emerging legal and community needs. This role requires flexibility, strong collaboration skills, and a commitment to trauma-informed, client-centered lawyering.

This is a full-time exempt position and reports to a Supervising Attorney.

Key Responsibilities

Rapid Response & Legal Defense

• Respond to urgent referrals of individuals at risk of imminent removal, including intakes, consultations, and preparing and filing emergency motions, stays of removal, and appeals.
• Provide representation before Immigration Courts, the Board of Immigration Appeals, and, where necessary, in federal court, particularly in time-sensitive contexts.
• Advocate for clients in ICE detention, including bond hearings, parole requests, and release advocacy.

Collaborative Advocacy

Community Education

Professional Qualifications

Preferred Skills

Salary & Benefits

To Apply

If you are passionate about making a difference and possess the required skills, please submit your resume and cover letter to Adrian Espana at Adrian@unlocal.org. We look forward to welcoming a dedicated Staff Attorney (RRLC) to add to our team.

This position primarily involves sedentary work, including extended periods of sitting, use of a computer, and communication via phone and video conferencing. Travel will be required for funder outreach or partner meetings. Position frequently moves items of up to 10 pounds across the office or into off-site locations. Occasional weekend availability is required. Reasonable accommodations will be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

As an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer, UnLocal, Inc. prohibits discriminatory employment actions against and treatment of its employees and applicants for employment based on actual or perceived race or color, size (including bone structure, body size, height, shape, and weight), religion or creed, alienage or citizenship status, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity (one's internal deeply-held sense of one's gender which may be the same or different from one's sex assigned at birth); gender expression (the representation of gender as expressed through, for example, one's name, choice of pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, or body characteristics; gender expression may not conform to traditional gender-based stereotypes assigned to specific gender identities), disability, marital status, relationship and family structure (including domestic partnerships, polyamorous families and individuals, chosen family, platonic co-parents, and multigenerational families), genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, arrest or pre-employment conviction record, credit history, unemployment status, caregiver status, salary history, or any other characteristic protected by law.

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

UnLocal, Inc. is committed to a work culture of zealous advocacy, respect, diversity and inclusion, client-oriented defense, access to justice and excellent representation. We are dedicated to building a strong professional relationship with each of our clients (people), to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us and our ability to build strong relationships with our colleagues. Every member of our community is expected to continuously learn about the dynamic, evolving, and emerging field of knowledge of identity, bias, and systemic forms of oppression and participate in productive efforts to dismantling bias in all forms.

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