Senior Supervising Attorney, Immigrant Justice

The Southern Poverty Law Center is seeking a Senior Supervising Attorney who has a passion for and commitment to protecting and vindicating the rights of immigrants and migrants.

The Senior Supervising Attorney (SSA) will be part of the Immigrant Justice Advocacy and Litigation Impact Team (IJ or IJ ALIT). The SSA will develop, litigate, and supervise cases raising constitutional and statutory claims in federal, state, and administrative courts. The SSA will also develop and lead multi-strategy advocacy campaigns advancing immigrants’ and migrants’ rights.  The SSA will supervise staff attorneys and legal support staff. 

The Immigrant Justice ALIT pursues impact litigation and systemic reform related to immigration and immigrant rights by (1) fighting against state practices that funnel people into the deportation machine; (2) freeing immigrants from detention through impactful individual representation and systemic reform; (3) changing immigration and enforcement systems so they operate fairly and sensibly; (4) enforcing laws protecting migrants from mistreatment by governments or employers; (5) supporting immigrant communities as they demand respect for their dignity and humanity; and (6) ending all forms of discrimination against immigrants, including discrimination based on immigration status or national origin. 

Who You Are

Experienced. Demonstrated experience leading and litigating complex individual, multi-plaintiff, and/or class action cases in federal, state, and administrative courts. Demonstrated experience in litigation based on the U.S. Constitution and federal statutes, including the Immigration and Nationality Act and related immigration laws. 

People Manager. Experienced manager with proven success in supervising and developing legal teams. Clear communicator of goals and priorities, organizational policies, and processes. 

Effective leader. Established leadership in creating work plans, project management, setting annual goals, and supporting and tracking staff performance towards achieving the goals. 

Advocate. Experience working with community organizations, grassroots campaigns, and impacted communities, particularly in the South, aimed at protecting the rights of immigrants and migrants.

Creative. Ability to create vision, think innovatively, and account for capacity and risks in investigating matters, developing cases, and executing strategies to move litigation and other advocacy forward.

Collaborative. Demonstrated ability to work with other ALITs: Democracy: Education & Youth, Democracy: Voting Rights, Criminal Legal Systems Reform, Economic Justice, and Inclusion & Anti-Extremism, as well as other Departments, external organizations, co-counsel, and stakeholders to execute specific strategies to advance the work of the IJ ALIT and SPLC.

Communicative. Exceptional communication skills. Ability to communicate persuasively to a variety of audiences through writing and speaking.

Mission, Vision & Culture Alignment. Demonstrated understanding and commitment to SPLC’s mission, vision and values.

What You'll Do

Lead the implementation of SPLC’s immigrant justice legal advocacy strategies, especially in the South.

Develop, lead, supervise, consult, and advise on complex civil rights impact cases in federal and state courts and administrative entities.

Supervise and manage litigation teams within the ALIT and the Legal Department that include SPLC attorneys, paralegals, analysts and investigators, fellows, legal interns, and others from within SPLC, providing mentoring and coaching.

Collaborate with the Deputy Legal Director and the Policy Department to identify and support the advancement of SPLC’s state, local, and federal policy priorities; and the Communications Department to develop communication strategies around cases and campaigns.

Collaborate with team members of other ALITs in the Legal Department as well as all other members of other SPLC Departments to advance the impact goals and campaigns of SPLC.

Serve as a public thought leader on issues confronting the communities the SPLC serves, and represent SPLC in the media, at conferences, and in other public venues as assigned and/or approved.

Develop and maintain relationships with community partners, coalition members, and legal allies to maintain open communication and collaboration with directly impacted people and communities.

Hire, mentor, train, and monitor staff performance and development, and conduct performance reviews.

Perform other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties in this job classification.

Uphold our JEDI principles by seeking diverse collaborators and partners that can deliver genuine, authentic and impactful work while ensuring their contributions are directed towards the shared mission, vision and values of the Center and Legal Department’s goals.

Minimum Qualifications 

We are committed to equitable hiring practices, therefore you must meet the minimum qualifications to be considered for the role.

• At least eight (8) years of federal court civil litigation or comparable legal experience;
• At least two (2) years of supervisor experience managing legal professionals;
• Membership in good standing of at least one state bar in the United States, preferably Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, or Washington, D.C.; and
• J.D. degree from an ABA-accredited law school.

Compensation & Benefits

This is an exempt role, and the minimum starting salary is $164,864.00 annually. Salary is commensurate with experience.

Click here to view the benefits available to SPLC staff.

Where & How You'll Work 

This role has the following work designations options:

• Local Remote: Will work remotely but is expected to attend work-related activities that occur at the SPLC offices or in the states in which the SPLC operates.
• Telework: Will work at an SPLC office at least three days per week and may work two days per week from an alternative work location.
• This position will report to the Deputy Legal Director, Immigrant Justice ALIT.

Other Special Considerations 

This job is performed under general office conditions and is not subject to any strenuous physical demands or dangerous conditions.

Disclaimer:

The statements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the employee in this position. These statements are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of a person in this position.

An Equal-Opportunity Employer with a Commitment to Diversity

Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and as an organization committed to diversity and the perspective of all voices, we consider applicants equally without regard to age, caregiver status, color, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, gender identity, marital status, national origin, on the basis of genetic information, political affiliation, pregnancy, or veteran status.