Immigration Attorney
IMMIGRATION LAW OFFICE OF MOISES L
- Aurora, IL
- Permanent
- Full-time
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Bonus based on performance
- Company parties
- Competitive salary
- Flexible schedule
- Free food & snacks
- Health insurance
- Opportunity for advancement
- Paid time off
- Tuition assistance
- Leading client consultations, screening for legal issues, and signing client contracts;
- Handling existing client appointments and taking care of any issues that arise throughout the duration of the case;
- Conducting legal research and drafting legal motions and briefs;
- Reviewing paralegal work product of compiled applications to submit to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and/or the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR);
- Preparing clients for interviews and hearings, including: USCIS interviews, consular processing interviews, Master Calendar Hearings, and Individual Hearings;
- Attending client interviews and hearings, including: USCIS interviews and Master Calendar Hearings;
- Preparing and submitting relevant motions and court filings;
- Working with Legal Assistants to be aware of the Court Case calendar and ensuring that the Firm and clients are prepared for all court deadlines;
- Managing any EOIR-related deadlines, such as I-589 submissions within the one-year deadline, submitting well-written court documents (including but not limited to motions and Pre-Hearing Statements) at least one month before the court deadlines for said documents;
- Meeting with clients to prepare all applications related to removal defense cases, including but not limited to: Asylum (I-589), Cancellation of Removal, etc.;
- Overseeing the drafting and editing of clients’ personal statements to include only relevant information and remove irrelevant information;
- Reviewing client forms for applications: making sure forms are filled correctly, without errors, and submitted on time to meet any and all deadlines;
- Managing incoming documents: communicating with clients and Legal Team to ensure that clients submit all requested documents on time and according to guidelines;
- Preparing all court cases and documents for individual hearings, including but not limited to:
- Reviewing Legal Assistant’s drafts of Pre-Hearing Statements (PHS), including reviewing the chronology of events to ensure it is relevant and concise, reviewing exhibits to ensure that they are fully organized, and adding legal arguments to support the claims;
- Managing the Legal Assistant’s timely completion of all tasks in advance of deadlines;
- Attending individual hearings and providing robust representation to the Firm's clients, with minimal supervision;
- Assigning any necessary follow-up to legal assistants related to the court hearings after they have taken place;
- Answering client questions about case status or other issues;
- Managing time to be as efficient as possible for the benefit of the client’s case, focusing on tasks that need to be handled by the attorney, and delegating tasks that can be handled by legal assistants and remote assistants, such as phone calls to fill out forms or gather information;
- Staying up to date on changing EOIR policies, practices, and procedures;
- Coordinating with affirmative paralegals on affirmative (USCIS) applications that may benefit EOIR clients;
- Conducting legal research on EOIR policies, procedures, and controlling case law;
- Ethically using all technological resources available, including but not limited to legal research tools, software, and artificial intelligence, for the benefit of EOIR clients;
- Personal initiative is expected. Ideas to improve functionality and efficiency are welcome.
- Any applicant must currently hold a valid attorney license and be in good standing.
- Bilingual in Spanish and English required.
- Dedication to the mission of our law firm, which is “To Give Immigrants the Greatest Chance of Success”.
- Five or more years (ideally ten or more years) experience working as an immigration attorney (in removal defense, asylum court cases and affirmative immigration cases).
- Honest, self-motivated, reliable, and flexible.
- Ability to work independently but cohesively as part of a small office team.
- Good rapport with clients.
- Willing to accept correction and implement changes as needed.
- Poised and relaxed under stress, ability to work well with deadlines.
- Skilled in organization and attentive to detail.
- Excellent communication skills, both written and interpersonal.
- Cover letter in English and Spanish specifically addressing the following points:
- Why you wish to work for the Immigration Law Office of Moises L. Barraza, LLC;
- How you would be a good fit for the position and for our law office specifically;
- Provide a specific example of a difficult situation that you have handled well;
- Why you have long-term staying power;
- Include a list of all immigration case types you are confident handling independently;
- Include number of Individual Hearings that you have handled before Immigration Court and how many of those Individual Hearings have received an approval.
- Resume.
- Writing sample: original motion and/or brief demonstrating your capability to argue immigration cases and address legal issues.
- At least two references: one professional, one personal.