Staff Attorney - MRS

Promote and support the mission of Catholic Charities by providing competent and reliable legal advice and counsel to immigrants in our service area.
Essential Functions:

Benefits:

• Health Insurance starting your first day
• 401k plan including employer match
• Competitive Time Off Benefits
• Pay range: $56,849.15 - $69,000.00 annually 

Staff Attorney Responsibilities:
- Ensure that the activities of this position and relevant programs are consistent with the mission, vision and values of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Cleveland.
- Interview and screen clients for legal services and provide brief advice and legal counsel when appropriate.
- Prepare cases for submission to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
- Represent clients in Immigration Court, before USIS District Office and Asylum Officers, and the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA).
- Assist in the development of a variety of grant-funded programs and fee-based legal initiatives.
- Work collaboratively with community agencies and attorneys in serving the needs of immigrants.
- Assist with public education in the community and in collaborating with other partner agencies.
- Assist volunteers working in the immigration program.
- Keep up-to-date client files (both paper files and electronic files in the case management system) for the submission of monthly and annual statistical and grant reports.
- Participate in meetings with immigration legal service community-based organizations as required.
- Assist in the development and expansion of services and resources for immigration program.
- Maintain an environment of confidentiality regarding clients and related paperwork and/or electronic files.
- Maintain current knowledge about legal, regulatory, policy, and procedure requirements as it relates to immigration law.
- Continue to foster relationships with volunteers, clients, community agencies, related Catholic Charities organizations and fellow employees of Catholic Charities.
- Assist with special projects as assigned or as needed.
- Travel to the detention facilities, parishes, community groups and other locations as required in order to meet with clients and members of the community.
- Perform other duties as assigned to accomplish objectives.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands:
- Normal office environment;
- Travel throughout service area required;
- Frequent sitting, talking, listening/hearing;
- Reading, writing and finger dexterity to manage correspondence, faxing, copying, answering phones, forms/documents, computer and client files required on a frequent basis;
- Tasks require visual perception and discrimination;
- Organizing and coordinating schedules;
- Analyzing and interpreting data;
- Communicating with the public;
- Frequent use of computer and telephone/cell phone.

Requirements:
- Graduate of accredited law school (JD).
- Must be at least 21 years of age at the time of hire.
- Fluency in a foreign language strongly preferred.
- Experience working in immigration law preferred (law school experience will be considered).
- Experience working cross-culturally. Must be comfortable working with language barriers.
- Maintain an active status law license in the State of Ohio in good standing or have taken the July, 2015 Ohio bar exam with admission pending.
- Must be admitted to the Ohio State Bar in good standing during the first 90 days of employment.
- Must have strong organizational skills and the ability to organize and manage multiple projects.
- Must have excellent oral, written and interpersonal communication skills. Must be able to present verbal and written complex data in an understandable format.
- Must be self-directed and self-motivated and be able to work independently.
- Must be willing to work a flexible schedule that includes evenings, holidays and weekends.
- Ability to effectively and productively work with people of very diverse economic, cultural and administrative backgrounds, both professional and volunteers, as well as organizations and systems of service.
- Must have a valid Ohio Driver’s License, provide copy of driver’s license, and are subject to a Moving Vehicle Report (MVR) check through the Department of Motor Vehicles annually.
- Must have a good working knowledge of computers and familiarity with Microsoft Office software.
- Final applicant is required to be fingerprinted to complete background check.

Salary

• $56,849.15 - $69,000/year