Legal Director

OUR ORGANIZATION

The Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM) is Minnesota's premier provider of comprehensive immigration legal services to low-income clients of all nationalities. ILCM is a 37-person office with five locations in the State of Minnesota (including two Saint Paul offices and offices in Moorhead, Worthington, Austin), and an office in Fargo, North Dakota. ILCM has been in operation for over 28 years, and is funded through individual, law firm, corporate, United Way, foundation, and local, state, and federal government support. ILCM's annual budget is currently $3.7 million.

OUR MISSION

The mission of ILCM is to enhance opportunities for immigrants and refugees through legal representation for low-income individuals, and through education and advocacy with diverse communities. Our goals are to:

•  Remedy legal problems by providing quality immigration legal services to low-income immigrants and refugees of all nationalities.
•  Prevent legal problems by providing law-related education to immigrants and refugees of all nationalities.
•  Raise public awareness of immigration issues to encourage sound public policy that protects the universal human rights of immigrants and is both compassionate and practical. OUR VALUES

ILCM's values are grounded in respect for and partnership with our immigrant and refugee clients. Our values include:
•  We bring our full legal passion, dedicated attention and highest quality service to our low-income immigrant and refugee clients and their families.
•  We value relationships with the communities we serve and seek to express their full potential and contributions through our work together.
•  We work with excellence and integrity.
•  We believe in taking action to make immigration systems work for all. THE ROLE

Job Title: Legal Director

Location: Flexible work environment with remote, hybrid, and in-office options; based out of Twin Cities Metro Area.

Type: Full-time/37.5 hours per week

Overview: The Legal Director is responsible for the legal work of ILCM. The Legal Director will provide leadership and mentoring in legal matters to legal supervisors, staff attorneys, accredited representatives, legal assistants, law clerks, students, and interns. Specifically, the Legal Director is responsible for directly overseeing the Community Defense Supervising Attorney, the New Beginnings Supervising Attorney, the Greater Minnesota Supervising Attorney, the Pro Bono Manager, and the North Dakota legal team.

The Legal Director is responsible for providing supervision, information, technical assistance, outreach and training, and ensuring high-quality representation in immigration matters to income-eligible persons of all nationalities. The Legal Director will oversee grants and monitor grant outcome progress. This position is part of ILCM's Leadership Team and will provide leadership and support for all additional services, mission, and work in the community to benefit and strengthen the immigrant community and ILCM's role and responsibility to it.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

•   Provide overall guidance and input regarding the provision of legal services. a. Serve as part of the leadership team to provide overall guidance and input to carry out the mission of ILCM.

b. Maintain legal protocols that assure professionalism, efficiency, effectiveness, and adherence to best practices in legal services.

c. Maintain case priority system for all matters consistent with ILCM funding and mission.

d. Maintain regular professional development on best practices in immigration law, ethics, and immigration legal practice supervision.

e. Provide supervision, training, leadership, and mentoring to all legal staff, interns, and volunteers. Answer legal questions and lead monthly legal meetings.

f. Implement clear legal supervision plan that includes regular case file reviews, administrative training and monitoring, continuing education planning, employee development, among others; assure consistency in caseload distribution.

g. Set yearly intake strategy and adjust to meet all funded objectives as necessary. Work with intake supervisor to maintain professional intake procedures with "client-first" criteria and case priorities that reflect funding priorities.

h. Monitor amount and type of intake at least quarterly and lead all potential client case reviews and coordinate assignment of cases.

i. Review and update ILCM Case Management Manual on an annual basis.

j. Maintain membership roster with ASISTA and CLINIC and ensure annual membership fees are paid.

k. Oversee and update user rosters for MGA and FastVisa.

l. File EOIR-56 Form with EOIR every 3 years to remain on EOIR Pro Bono List.

•   Coach and support legal supervisors. a. Support the work planning process identifying activities and performance metrics for each supervisee.

b. Conduct regular check-in meetings with supervisees including timely feedback, support, and professional development planning.

c. Lead bi-monthly legal supervisors' meetings.

•   Review and participate in prospective grant proposals and grant reporting. Work closely with the Director of Finance and Administration, Director of Development, and the Grant Officer to assure progress on grant objectives. a. Review and approve monthly and quarterly invoices for all major grants.

b. Monitor grant spenddowns and update case handlers and legal supervisors about spenddowns on a regular basis.

c. Help create action plans to address over or underspending.

d. Monitor grant outcomes and update case handlers and legal supervisors about grant progress on a regular basis.

•   Coordinate outreach efforts to immigrant and refugee communities, professionals working with immigrants and refugees, and general communities regarding our immigration issues. a. Engage in outreach efforts to immigrant and refugee communities regarding our legal services in coordination with New Americans Immigration Hub.

b. Attend stakeholder meetings and liaise with government agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security.

c. Provide individual information and group presentations about immigration law to agencies that work with immigrant and refugee communities.

d. Monitor and advise about immigration-related policy and practices to refugee and immigrants.

e. Provide community outreach and educational sessions to refugees and immigrants.

f. Coordinate regional on-site intake for difficult-to-reach rural populations.

g. Build and participate in collaborative efforts with partnering agencies especially the New Americans Immigration Hub.

•   Serve as the Accreditation and Recognition Program Authorized Officer. a. Prepare and file initial and renewal applications for partial accreditation with DOJ.

b. Respond to DOJ requests for additional information.

c. Prepare and file applications to maintain ILCM office recognition.

•   Oversee the maintenance of client records in compliance with organization protocols, governmental contracts, grant requirements, and best practices. a. Maintain LegalServer and FastVisa databases and request updates/changes as needed.

b. Arrange regular LegalServer and FastVisa trainings for the legal team.

•   Serve as ILCM LEP Liaison and Coordinator. a. Review and update ILCM LEP Policy on an annual basis.

b. Review LEP policy with staff at annual staff meeting (typically in August or September).

SECONDARY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Complete bi-weekly time records for financial management, grant reporting, and recordkeeping purposes.

2. Participate in monthly staff meetings.

3. Participate in weekly leadership team meetings.

4. Participate in training and development opportunities.

5. Manage miscellaneous projects and complete various tasks as needed by leadership.

6. Assist in planning for back-up in different areas as needed such as legal, reception, or intake.

7. Assist with intake questions and unscheduled walk-ins as needed.

QUALIFICATIONS KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES
•  J.D. degree and admission to the Minnesota State Bar.
•  Minimum of five years of experience in immigration representation.
•  Minimum of three years in a supervisory role.
•  Experience in working with diverse populations.
•  Experience in advocating on behalf of immigrants.
•  Proficient in all Microsoft programs such as Word, Excel, and Outlook, and must be coachable to other computer programs.
•  Strong oral and written communication skills.
•  Detail-oriented, service-oriented, organized and able to meet deadlines.
•  Dedicated, reliable and able to handle a high volume of assignments.
•  Positive attitude and flexibility-always willing to change work tasks and assist attorneys and paralegals throughout the organization.
•  Able to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
•  Experience with office equipment, including copiers, and telephone systems.
•  Excellent interpersonal communication and superior customer service skills.
•  Ability to plan, prioritize, coordinate, and manage own work.
•  Able to work unsupervised and solve routine problems independently, effectively and creatively click apply for full job details