Immigration Legal Services Practice Director

Are you a visionary leader passionate about advancing justice and empowering immigrant communities? The New Mexico Immigrant Law Center (NMILC) is seeking an inspiring Immigration Legal Services Practice Director to guide and elevate our dynamic legal services team. In this pivotal role, you’ll shape strategy, champion innovation, and ensure our programs deliver life-changing support to those who need it most. If you thrive in a collaborative environment and are ready to make a lasting impact, we invite you to lead our mission-driven team into the future.  

Responsibilities: 

• Provide legal supervision and support of NMILC’s managing attorney staff, managing DOJ accredited representatives, and managing paralegals. 

• Responsible for overseeing and ensuring that the legal case management manual is up-to-date, reflective of current practices and relied on by legal teams to ensure uniformity. 

• Collaborate and supervise the Pro Bono Managing Attorney and Pro Bono Engagement, Internships, and Donor Relations Manager, to support their supervision of pro bono attorneys, interns, and volunteers’ caseloads and on immigration-related matters; 

• Plan, monitor, and evaluate effectiveness across NMILC’s direct legal services teams, implementing best practices and working with the Director of Quality Program Assurance, Learning, and Compliance to ensure legal team’s timely completion of required deliverables, case management and case file protocols, data tracking and other legal team quality improvement processes; 

• Provide oversight of and support to legal clinic programs; 

• Monitor changes to immigration law, regulations, and policy; prepare for significant changes in immigration law and their impact on program development and client services; 

• Assist managing attorneys in identifying and participating in relevant trainings and professional development opportunities for themselves and their teams; 

• Oversee data collection and recording, ensuring legal program staff are keeping accurate and thorough client records; 

• Oversee and provide leadership support to teams during the annual case audit review process;  

• Ensure compliance by all legal (and legal adjacent) staff with ethical rules and all applicable regulations 

• Support coverage planning and leave plan document generation for managing attorneys to take leave and promote their self-care and well-being, including providing backup coverage and/or supporting contract hiring for managing attorneys when they are on leave; 

• In collaboration with the Director of Policy and Coalition Partnerships, support the development of and maintain relationships with legal services partner organizations and coalitions; 

• Serve as part of the Director-level team that assists the Deputy of Operations and Executive Director with growth and development of the organization, including through leadership in supporting organizational priorities, which includes working closely with the Human Resources Manager on recruitment, hiring, and other personnel issues; and 

• Partner and collaborate with the Deputy of Operations, Director of Program Quality Assurance, Director of Finance, Director of Grants, and Director of Development and other colleagues to ensure program budgetary compliance, program revenue and expenses, and program grants and contracts are on track for implementation and overall compliance. 

Qualifications: 

The applicant must share New Mexico Immigrant Law Center’s mission and vision.  

• J.D., admitted and in good standing with the New Mexico bar; 

• Fluency in Spanish required; 

• Minimum of 7 years of relevant experience in immigrant law or direct legal services; 

• Minimum of 4 years supervising and mentoring others, including supervision of supervisors; 

• Knowledge and practice of community and movement lawyering principles;  

• Excellent legal writing, legal research, analytical, and verbal communication skills; 

• A demonstrated commitment to immigrant rights and public interest law; 

• A strong commitment to fostering a work environment of community, inclusion, feedback, and learning; 

• A strong commitment to management and supervision principles that are human centered; 

• Familiarity in working with clients and supporting managers and supervisors who work with clients in crisis or who are trauma survivors; and 

• Strong ability to work cooperatively on projects with lawyers, paralegals, legal assistants, case workers, social workers, and other workers at NMILC, and diverse community organizations, stakeholders, and policymakers. 

• Valid Drivers License and ability to drive with in New Mexico 

Compensation and Benefits: 

This is a full-time, hybrid position based in Albuquerque that will require at-least quarterly travel to NMILC offices in Santa Fe and Las Cruces. Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience starting at  $100,360.  

NMILC currently offers a generous benefits package, including:

•    100% of Individual Employee Health Premium paid by NMILC for the Base Plan and 50% for dependents. Buy-up Plan also available.
•  Access to a 401K plan and discretionary employer match up to 10% of base salary (determined each fiscal year based on funding projections);
•  Optional Flexible Spending Account for pre-tax funds for medical and/or dependent care cost.

Benefits may be subject to change at any time based on changes to the organization’s budget.

NMILC also recognizes the value of creating an environment of positive work/life balance, acknowledging that investing in staff’s ability to take care of themselves and their families enables them to do their best work. The plan currently includes:

•  Flexible work schedule and hybrid remote work options.
• 15 paid vacation days (3 weeks) annually.
•  1 earned sick leave hour for every 30 hours worked.
• Company-paid federal holidays in addition to 2 weeks of winter break, 1 week for spring break, and 1 week for summer break, and other days as established in coordination with the local public-school schedule.