Position Opening: UCLA Immigrant Family Legal Clinic

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

 The UCLA Immigrant Family Legal Clinic (ImmFam) seeks a Senior Staff Attorney to begin in Fall 2026. The position is intended for a bilingual attorney with several years of practice experience. The position is a two-year contract, with the possibility of extension. 

 ImmFam is a unique partnership between the UCLA School of Law and the Los Angeles Unified School District. Located on the campus of the Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools (RFK) in Koreatown/Pico Union, the clinic serves immigrant students at the six public schools on the RFK campus, as well as their family members. ImmFam provides individual representation in cases involving immigration relief, particularly removal defense. It also offers legal consultations involving a wider range of legal topics, including workers’ rights, housing, public benefits, and criminal justice. In addition, ImmFam organizes programming and enrichment opportunities related to social justice and legal rights for teachers, students, and families in the RFK community, and develops policy advocacy and research projects responsive to needs identified by the community.

 The Senior Staff Attorney is based at ImmFam’s office on the campus of RFK Community Schools (701 S Catalina). This position is at the core of the Clinic’s community-based lawyering practice. As such, the Senior Staff Attorney will have the following responsibilities, in order of priority: 

 1.     Legal Consultations and Limited Scope Services - The Senior Staff Attorney will provide one-time, free and confidential legal consultations to RFK students and family members, and coordinate and supervise law students on these consultations.  The majority of the Clinic’s consultations involve immigration matters, but a sizable number respond to other related legal problems facing immigrant families, including workers’ rights, housing, access to public benefits, and encounters with law enforcement.  Some of these consultations will involve limited scope representation and/or preparing warm referrals to partner organizations.

 2.     Docket Management and Case Supervision – The Senior Staff Attorney will be responsible for the Clinic's docket.  They will work closely with the Clinic Director in selecting cases for full representation, organizing the waitlist, and assisting with the legal needs of the Clinic's existing clients after the law students have wrapped up. They will supervise advanced law students and the Fellow/Junior Staff Attorney’s work on individual cases. Depending on interest/capacity, they may also take a select number of cases to provide full representation. 

 3.      RFK Outreach and Community Education - The Senior Staff Attorney will work with the rest of the RFK school-based staff on outreach and community education events and workshops, both in school classrooms and for parents and community members.  They will meet regularly with a range of community partners to develop shared initiatives and referral networks. They will also work closely with the Clinic Director to develop policy research and advocacy initiatives responsive to the needs and interests of the RFK community.

 In carrying out these responsibilities, the Senior Staff Attorney will work closely with the rest of the Clinic's RFK-based staff, including the Office Manager, Legal Assistant, Staff Attorney/Fellow, Director of Social Work, and undergraduate legal assistants.  Along with the Clinic Director, they will ensure that the office is a collaborative and nurturing workspace for the Clinic's staff, students, clients, and school-based partners.

 Qualifications

• JD and admitted to practice law in California 
• Fluency in Spanish
• Minimum three years of legal practice experience, five years preferred 
• Ability to commute to both office locations, at RFK Community School (primary workplace) and UCLA Law (at most once per week), and as-needed to other offsite locations for program meetings and events
• Demonstrated experience with or substantive knowledge of immigration law 
• Familiarity with other legal areas of importance to RFK community members, including some or all of the following: workers’ rights, housing, public benefits, crim-imm.
• Demonstrated experience and interest in working with low-wage workers, immigrants, refugees, and/or other vulnerable populations 
• Ability to work flexibly with changing priorities and deadlines 
• Ability to work in a busy and dynamic office setting shared by numerous people 
• Demonstrated skill in working independently, organizing work flow, establishing productive work environment, and following through on assignments with minimal direct supervision 
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively to individuals and groups from a variety of social contexts, including members of immigrant communities 
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to work effectively under conditions of heavy workload, frequent distractions, and deadlines 
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to exchange ideas, information, and opinions with others to arrive jointly at decisions, conclusions, or solutions 
• Strong communication skills, with particular sensitivity to cultural differences 

 Salary: $90,000-$110,000 (depending on experience) plus benefits through UCLA

 To apply: Please submit a resume, cover letter, and references through the UCLA career system HERE (if the link does not take you directly to the job posting, the requisition number is # 11156).  Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis, so applicants are encouraged to send in materials as soon as possible.  If you have any questions about the position, please contact Nina Rabin, [email protected].