Staff Attorney, Immigration (School Based K-12)

Position Overview

The Staff Attorney is the legal lead for JFS’s school-based immigration legal services program for immigrant families in San Diego K-12 schools. Building on weekly legal clinics at two elementary schools and a monthly high school workshop, the program places a dedicated attorney, paralegal, social worker, and administrative specialist in schools that families already know and trust. This role assesses each family’s legal situation, represents parents facing removal, helps families make a plan for their children before a crisis, and serves as the first legal responder when a partner school reports that a parent has been detained.

The position reports to the Directing Attorney and up to The Gess Family Foundation Executive Director of Immigration and Refugee Services.

Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Directing Attorney, Supervising Attorney, Lead Staff Attorney, or experienced Staff Attorney, the Staff Attorney for the Higher Education Legal Services program will be responsible for the following:

Conducts legal screenings and eligibility and risk assessments for parents, caregivers, and family members at weekly school-based clinics and family meetings; identifies possible relief and explains options in plain, trauma-informed language.

Manages a full caseload of removal defense (detained and non-detained) and affirmative matters, including family-based petitions, DACA, humanitarian relief, and naturalization, before USCIS, ICE, the Immigration Courts, and the Board of Immigration Appeals as needed.

Serves as the first legal responder when a partner school or family reports that a parent has been detained: locates the parent, assesses custody and release options such as bond, parole, and stays of removal, appears at bond hearings, and coordinates next steps with the program social worker and the family.

Guides families through preparedness planning before a crisis, including identifying trusted caregivers and preparing Caregiver’s Authorization Affidavits, powers of attorney, and other key documents; refers guardianship and other family law matters as appropriate.

Presents Know Your Rights and family preparedness workshops for parents, caregivers, and school staff, including evening and weekend sessions.

Serves as the program’s legal point of contact for partner schools and trains counselors, social workers, and administrators on referral pathways, while maintaining clear boundaries that JFS represents families, not school districts.

Directs and reviews case preparation by the program paralegal, and partners with the program social worker on safety planning and family support while protecting attorney-client confidentiality.

Maintains regular, responsive communication with clients and accurate records of all case activity and client communications in the case management system.

Tracks consultations, cases, and outcomes to meet program and funder reporting requirements, and helps assess expansion to additional schools and districts across San Diego County.

Stays current on rapidly changing immigration law, enforcement practices, and school-related policies.

Skills/Experience/Abilities That Are a Must-Have

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) and an active license to practice law, in good standing, in any U.S. state; California license strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to provide culturally responsive, trauma-informed legal services to immigrant families, including parents in crisis.
• Ability to explain complex legal processes clearly and calmly to clients, school staff, and community audiences.
• Proven case management, legal research, and legal writing skills.
• Strong organizational skills, with the ability to balance a full caseload with urgent detention matters.
• Ability to work independently at school sites and collaboratively within an interdisciplinary legal and social services team.
• Willingness to complete extensive immigration law–focused training and all required ethics training.
• Valid driver’s license, access to a reliable vehicle, and auto insurance for travel between school sites.
• Ability to obtain the fingerprint-based background clearance and TB screening required by partner school districts, completed after a conditional offer of employment.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook), Adobe, and Zoom/Teams, and the ability to accurately maintain case and program data.
• Commitment to JFS’s mission and to zealous advocacy for immigrant families.

Skills/Abilities We’d Like You to Have

• Minimum of one (1) year of immigration legal experience, including removal defense.
• Spanish fluency strongly preferred; Haitian Creole, Ukrainian, Russian, Arabic, Farsi/Dari, or Portuguese also valued.
• Experience with detained cases and bond hearings.
• Experience working with children, schools, or family-serving organizations.
• Familiarity with California family preparedness tools, such as Caregiver’s Authorization Affidavits and powers of attorney, or with guardianship law.
• Experience practicing alongside social workers or case managers in an interdisciplinary model.
• Experience serving clients from diverse countries of origin and survivors of trauma.

Physical Requirements

• Evening and weekend work will be required when we conduct workshops
• Travel may be required for conferences, outreach meetings, or community events
• While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to sit, talk, and listen
• The employee frequently needs to stand, walk, use hands and fingers to operate a keyboard, handle documents, and reach for the telephone or other office equipment
• The work environment has a moderate noise level, requiring the ability to concentrate and maintain good auditory perception
• The employee must have the ability to lift, push, or pull up to 25 pounds as needed

Other Duties

Please note that this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Position Title: Staff Attorney

Organization: Jewish Family Service of San Diego

Department: Immigration Legal Services

Position Type: Full-Time (37.5+ hours/week), Exempt

Work Setting: Fully Onsite

Reports To: Directing Attorney

Pay Range: $74,000-$85,000/year

Total Compensation

• In addition to standard pay, compensation for this position includes:
• Comprehensive, low-cost healthcare coverage for employees
• Generous employer 401(k) contributions
• Employer-covered life insurance

Time Away from Work

Being able to take time away from work is critical in bringing your best self to work. Time off benefits for this position include:

Paid vacation time and sick leave

15 paid holidays, including Federal and Jewish holidays (as long as the holiday lands on a normal scheduled work day), and floating holidays

2 Wellness Days to be taken any time during the year to support employees’ mental wellness

About Jewish Family Service of San Diego

Jewish Family Service of San Diego is a client-centered, impact-driven organization working to build a stronger, more resilient community. For over 100 years, Jewish Family Service has been a trusted resource for the entire community, offering an array of services that are always life-changing, and often life-saving. At Jewish Family Service, we believe our employees are the backbone of our Agency. We strive to ensure that each employee is treated with dignity and respect. Our goal is your success. Come work at JFS and be our partner in Moving Forward Together. To learn more about JFS, please visit jfssd.org.

*Jewish Family Service is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.