Managing Appeals Attorney, Detained Adult Program

Who We Are:

The Amica Center for Immigrant Rights fights for the rights, safety, and unity of immigrant communities, standing with those trapped in our nation’s fundamentally flawed immigration system. We engage in unwavering legal defense and strategic litigation for immigrant children and adults facing detention and deportation in the Capital Region and beyond, because everyone has the right to be free, safe, and supported. 

Our Work Environment:

Amica Center’s Programs provide trauma-informed, person-centered legal services to adults and children impacted by immigration detention across the Capital Region and beyond. Serving hundreds of detained adults each year and offering legal orientation, screening, and representation to detained and formerly detained children, our work centers client autonomy, dignity, and holistic support within a fundamentally unjust system. Both programs operate in deeply collaborative environments that emphasize interconnectivity across teams, professional growth, mentorship, and adaptability. Staff bring deep expertise to a complex and evolving immigration system, working together through shared learning, innovation, and advocacy to advance the rights and wellbeing of the people we serve. 

Position Summary:

This role focuses on appellate litigation and leadership of the Amica Center Appeals Squad, a team of Detained Adult Program (DAP) attorneys who work on appeals before the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) and Federal Circuit Courts of Appeals. The role will involve leading the Appeals Squad and overseeing the DAP Appeals caseload, guiding attorneys in their appellate briefing and argument, and liaising with internal and external stakeholders to develop novel areas of appellate litigation in furtherance of justice for immigrants and refugees. The Managing Appeals Attorney will oversee appeals in DAP and also have the opportunity to directly represent or co-counsel on a caseload of appellate matters. 

The Managing Appeals Attorney will monitor and coordinate internal appeals referrals with managing attorneys in DAP, the managing attorney for pro bono, and the Appeals Squad. 

This position may be remote or based in our Baltimore, Maryland or Washington, DC office. This position may also require in-person attendance in immigration court and circuit courts of appeal, as needed. 

General Duties and Responsibilities:

Direct Representation

• Take on direct legal representation or co-counseling a caseload of detained clients’ appeals before the Board of Immigration Appeals and relevant circuit courts. 

Mentorship and Supervision:

• Mentor or co-counsel appeals cases with DAP attorneys for in-house DAP clients.
• Provide expert mentoring to outside attorneys representing detained immigrants on a pro bono basis. 
• Supervise senior appeals paralegal & DOJ accredited representative. 
• Dependent on program needs, provide direct supervision to senior or staff attorneys and other staff. 

Leadership and Support

• Lead and expand the Amica Center appellate program. 
• Create or make available substantive trainings on appeals. 
• Prioritize development of program structure encompassing both BIA appeals and Petitions for Review (PFRs), including support of direct representation and pro bono mentoring. 
• Work directly with the Deputy/Program Director(s) to solicit feedback on processes and programs. 
• Create agendas for and facilitate regular appeals squad meetings.
• When new appeals squad members join, implement training requirements, support new members in their case assignments, and provide feedback on those assignments. 
• Support appeals squad members in becoming growing case mentors and supervisors themselves. 
• Attend weekly case distribution meetings and assist in placing appeals cases across DAP. 
• Strategize how to monitor appeals as DAP’s appellate program expands. 
• Attend various stakeholder meetings related to BIA and circuit court work. 

Relationship with Immigration Impact Lab

• Conduct regular meetings with Amica Center’s Immigration Impact Lab to assess priorities for impact litigation relating to DAP’s appellate work. 
• Update Lab as different issues in removal defense and detention arise in appeals and help inform any necessary revision of Lab priorities. 

Relationship with DAP Teams

• Coordinate closely with the Managing Attorney for Federal Litigation, the Managing Attorney for Legal Training, and other internal stakeholders to ensure high-quality representation on all appeals, determine litigation strategy, and create litigation tools. 
• Work directly with DAP attorneys and their supervisors, co-counseling or mentoring them on appeals cases. 
• Support oversight of internal appeals cases depending on trial level outcomes, contract goals, and merits. 
• Monitor trends in decisions at the agency and circuit court levels. 
• Create and update PFR and BIA appeal templates and information, including for pro se litigants. 
• Data tracking and systems development 
• Maintain a database of appeal briefs that is searchable by topic or issue and accessible to all of Amica Center. 
• Ensure equity in how work is spread across DAP and reinforce equity for staff and senior attorneys to have access to support and resources as skills develop 
• Support attorneys in determining whether to represent on appeals and track that development.
• Track pending appeals, including monitoring timelines, court deadlines and issues raised. 
• Manage appeals data on LegalServer and run reports, as needed. 
• Develop systems for recruiting and selecting new appeal squad members. 
• Ensure knowledge is not held by a few, but that there is growth for all. 

Organizational Services:

• Work with DAP management to set long-term program plans including those for appeals. 
• Interface with leadership of other Amica Center programs to ensure effective cross-program collaboration and partake in forming organizational legal strategy.
• Ensure the inputting and accuracy of data and case information into shared databases in a timely fashion.
• Take part in stakeholder relationship activities, including in-person and telephonic meetings with community groups, governmental bodies and representatives, and other legal service providers, as needed. 
• Assist other program staff during high-work/low-bandwidth periods. 

Program-Specific Duties and Responsibilities:

• Members of the Detained Adult program, in addition to the responsibilities above, also: 
• Coordinate with all internal DAP teams to ensure all programs are kept abreast of developments and clients. 
• Ensure Equity & Inclusion is a key component of practice and professional development. 

[1] This list is illustrative and not intended to be a complete classification of all job functions or tasks. 

Qualifications Required:

• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to coordinate across programs 
• JD and relevant experience for 5-7 years as an immigration attorney required 
• Strong candidates will have a minimum of 3-5 years’ experience in appellate work, including work at both the BIA and circuit court levels. 
• Strong candidates will have 1-3 years’ experience in detained removal defense. 
• Strong candidates will have 1-2 years supervisory experience. 
• Written and oral Spanish fluency or proficiency preferred. 
• Must be licensed to practice law and in good standing with a state bar. 

Competencies Required:

Legal Proficiency

The employee demonstrates a mastery of the law and legal procedure and can deploy innovative and thoughtful approaches to assisting clients. The employee stays abreast of developments in the law and ensures that their supervisees are trained in new developments. 

Client and Programmatic Proficiency

The employee proficiently helps to manage all of the program’s in-jail, client, and in-office programmatic obligations. The employee proficiently manages their caseloads and the caseloads of the staff they supervise. The employee skillfully supervises their staff and ensures that staff are in a position to grow professionally. 

Administrative

The employee ensures that all administrative aspects of their position (and their staffs’ positions), attendant to the provision of services to clients, are carried out without managerial intervention, including timekeeping, file upkeep, database upkeep, etc. 

Salary: $100,000 - $110,000 commensurate with experience

Position Type: Full-time, exempt position

Reports To: Deputy Program Director 

Supervisory Responsibility:

• Senior Appeals Paralegal & DOJ Accredited Representative 
• Senior or staff attorneys and other staff, dependent on program needs 

Location and/or Travel Requirements: This position will be based at the Washington, D.C. or Baltimore, M.D. Office. Travel to the area when needed for hearings, jail visits, and programmatic meetings is required. 

Telework: Amica Center operates a hybrid work environment where staff are required to work at least one day per week in-office, but some roles require more office/on-site attendance or travel. 

Benefits: Amica Center offers a competitive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, flexible spending account, life insurance and pre-tax commuter benefits for those living in the DMV. 

Paid Time Off: Amica Center provides personal, sick and volunteer time off, federal holidays, winter break closure and parental leave. 

EEO Statement: Amica Center for Immigrant Rights is an equal opportunity employer. In accordance with anti-discrimination law, it is the purpose of this policy to effectuate these principles and mandates. Amica Center prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Amica Center conforms to the spirit as well as to the letter of all applicable laws and regulations. 

Our Anti-Racism Statement: To learn more about our anti-racism statement- https://amicacenter.org/becoming-anti-racist/

COVID-19 Vaccination: All employees are required to be fully vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19. To be fully vaccinated means having completed the full dosages required for the type of vaccine obtained as designated by the CDC. If boosters are subsequently recommended by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) then employees will be required to receive the booster within thirty (30) days of their eligibility to access the boosters. 

How to Apply: Submit your resume, cover letter and writing sample that explains your interest in this role with your Paylocity submission. Please refrain from sending application materials separately via email.