Description:
The attorney will be primarily responsible for the immigration project's Legal Orientation Program (LOP) at the federal detention facility in Batavia where the Department of Homeland Security holds approximately 600 noncitizen men in removal proceedings before the Immigration Court. S/he is expected to conduct "Know Your
Rights" presentations at the facility one or two times per week; give pro se workshops to prepare detainees to better represent themselves; provide individual orientations and consultations; and any other obligation required by the program, including attendance at an annual conferences and other trainings. S/he will also handle a case load of immigration cases before the court.

Qualifications:
This is an entry level position under the supervision of the immigration project's Supervising Attorney, Sophie Feal, and VLP's Managing Attorney, Bob Elardo. The ideal candidate will be admitted to the New York bar and will have two years of experience as a attorney, preferably in immigration law. We seek someone who is dynamic and creative about effectively implementing our LOP program, as well as developing VLP's growing immigration project. S/he must be able to work well independently while at the facility and be willing to litigate all types of cases before the immigration court. Strong oral skills are essential. A fluent knowledge of Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin or other language spoken by the detainee population is highly desirable.

Salary:
Salary is based on experience. VLP is a non-profit agency with
excellent fringe benefits including fully paid health insurance, a cafeteria plan for dependent care and parking costs, generous leave time and all federal holidays off.

Application:
Please send a resume and a cover letter explaining your interest in this position to :

Robert Elardo, Esq.
Volunteer Lawyers Project, Inc.
237 Main St, Suite 1000
Buffalo, NY 14203

Sophie Feal
Supervising Immigration Attorney
Erie County Bar Association
Volunteer Lawyers Project, Inc.
237 Main Street, Suite 1000
Buffalo, NY 14203
716-847-0662 ext. 314
fax: 716-847-0307

For more information on our LOP project see,
http://www.vera.org/publication_pdf/477_877.pdf

For information on VLP, see www.ecbavlp.org.