Staff Attorney (Immigrant Rights) Job Description
Job Title: Staff Attorney (Immigrant Rights)
Employment Status: Full-Time
Supervisory Role: Individual Contributor
Organization Level: Mid-level
Organization Department: Legal
Reports to Position: Legal Director
FLSA/Union Classification: Exempt– CBA
Salary Range: Category D ($93,870 - $116,622)

The Staff Attorney will be responsible for providing high quality, equity centered legal services and impact advocacy to protect the civil rights and liberties of immigrant communities in Maryland. The staff Attorney docket of civil rights litigation primarily focused on immigration but may impact any area of priority as noted in the strategic plan. This role advances the ACLU of Maryland’s strategic priorities through litigation and legal advocacy.

They will work closely with Communications and Policy Departments in accomplishing their objectives.

The Staff Attorney role lives within the Legal Department team and is supervised by the Legal Director.

Essential Functions

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

Direct Representation & Case Management

• Develop and initiate creative litigation strategies in federal and state courts at trial and appellate levels and before administrative bodies in conjunction with clients, community partners, and cooperating counsel with a primary focus on immigrants’ rights
• Partner with colleagues in formulating legal team vision, plans, and priorities.
• Serve as staff counsel with junior ACLU lawyers and work collaboratively with outside pro bono counsel and serve as lead on ACLU-MD immigrants’ rights litigation as designated by the Legal Director.
• Research, investigate, and develop impact litigation and advocacy informed by local community voices and needs on immigrants’ rights matters, working collaboratively with clients, community partners, and cooperating counsel.
• Direct and perform follow up with individuals who submit complaints to the ACLU of Maryland primarily focused on immigration-related or otherwise have experienced civil rights violations, including conducting interviews, gathering affidavits and conducting research to determine whether further action by the ACLU of Maryland is warranted.
• Direct, lead and complete filing of public records requests, administrative complaints and amicus briefs in support of litigation and legal advocacy, with a focus on immigrants’ rights.
• Lead in the development and strengthening of relationships and communications with allied organizations, especially groups and coalitions representing detained and non-detained immigrants, border communities, and other targeted populations. This includes representing ACLU of Maryland in key coalitions.
• Devise, prepare, coordinate, and facilitate trainings relating to immigrant rights and broader issues, including training others in the community to conduct these trainings.
• Serve as spokesperson and articulate ACLU of Maryland’s views primarily on immigrants’ rights issues, with the availability based on organizational need, to shift to other areas of focus in line with our strategic plan to a variety of audiences, through public speaking, traditional and social media, and other means.
• Collaborate with ACLU of Maryland’s Policy and Communications teams to advance the ACLU of Maryland’s goals on immigration and border issues.
• Provide legal analysis and support to designated legislative, policy, organizing, communications, or development work as needed on immigrants’ rights matters or other matter as assigned related to strategic priorities.
• Work closely with ACLU of Maryland’s pro bono and volunteer attorneys serving as co-counsel in civil rights litigation.
• May assist in recruitment and mentoring of legal interns, directing work of interns in support of legal priorities as assigned by the Legal Director.
• Coordinate and collaborate with other ACLU OF Maryland’s departments in carrying out the “integrated advocacy” approach.
• May organize and respond to elevated requests for assistance (RFA), as directed by the Legal Director.

Education and Experience

Desired qualifications are described below.

• J.D. degree, admission to the bar, and minimum of four years of post-admission litigation experience; Relevant expertise on immigration, detention, national security.
• Member of the Maryland State Bar
• Commitment to advancing the ACLU’s values, mission, goals and programs. Preference will be given to applicants with an understanding of issues facing communities directly impacted by the criminal justice system, police violence, economic injustice and immigration policies, either through personal lived experience or prior work experience.
• Commitment to race and other forms of equity, both internally in our organization and externally in the communities that we serve.
• Awareness of, and willingness to engage in, the difficult and transformative work of challenging systems of oppression, institutional and structural racism, and implicit bias.
• Self-motivated and able to work and litigate independently and under pressure.
• Excellent legal research, writing, and analytical ability.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct complex legal analysis and fact finding.
• Experience managing cases and demonstrated ability to engage in complex legal analysis and fact-finding.
• Ability to participate in, create and sustain inclusive and engaging spaces for all races, ethnicities, genders, ages, classes and geographies.
• Commitment to and familiarity with immigrant rights, racial and social justice, and civil liberties issues.
• Experience working with diverse communities and cultures.
• Ability to work cooperatively on a variety of projects with lawyers, other staff members, and diverse community organizations and coalitions.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including an ability to navigate and resolve conflict in a manner that values and respects relationships with colleagues inside and outside of the ACLU-NM.
• Able to work occasional overtime or irregular hours, including some weekends.

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional proficiency in Spanish (both written and oral), preferred.

Competencies

• Collaborative Leadership: Demonstrated ability to work effectively and inclusively with staff, leadership, partners, and diverse stakeholders at all levels to achieve shared policy and advocacy goals.
• Strategic Judgment: Proven capacity to balance competing priorities, values, and imperatives while ensuring the efficient and mission-aligned use of organizational resources.
• Project and Time Management: Exceptional ability to manage multiple complex initiatives simultaneously, maintaining focus, accuracy, and accountability in a fast-paced environment.
• Communication Excellence: Outstanding oral and written communication skills, with the ability to translate complex legal and policy concepts into clear, persuasive messages tailored to diverse audiences and levels of expertise.
• Technical Proficiency: Strong command of digital and productivity tools, including Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and online communication platforms, to support policy, legal, and advocacy work.
• Adaptability and Resilience: Ability to anticipate and adapt quickly to shifting external conditions, adjusting priorities and strategies while maintaining effectiveness and focus on long-term objectives.
• Anti-Racist / Anti-Oppression Analysis: Capacity to think strategically and conceptually, applying a race equity lens to ensure both internal and external policies, practices, and approaches of the organization work to active design inclusive and just policy solutions.
• Community Accountability: Commitment to centering the voices and direction of directly impacted communities, contributing legal and policy expertise to empower grassroots leadership and ensure civil liberties protections are accessible, relevant, and effective for disenfranchised communities.

Work Environment

• The Organization currently operates as a hybrid work environment.
• Maryland residency required
• On-site environment is a professional office

Physical Demands

• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.

Travel Required

• Occasional travel and flexibility to work as needed to accomplish organizational goals may be required and may include evenings and weekends.

Work Authorization/Security Clearance Requirements

• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

Diversity & Equal Opportunity Statement

The ACLU of Maryland is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to maximizing our team's diversity and want to involve all those who can contribute to our inclusive culture. We support all qualified individuals within our workforce without regard to race, color, gender, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity and expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, record of arrest or conviction and any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We encourage persons with disabilities and those persons that are differently abled to request reasonable accommodations through our office of People and Culture.

Other Duties

Performs other duties as assigned that are consistent with the role’s responsibilities and decision-making authority.

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