Career Opportunity

8173-Legal Assistant

Recruitment: RTF0159394-01158580

Published: September 05, 2025

Apply using SmartRecruiters, the City and County of San Francisco's application portal.

About:

Application Opening: Friday, September 5, 2025

Application Deadline: by 11:45pm on Friday, September 26, 2025

The Immigration Defense Unit at the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office provides legal representation for immigrants, detained and non-detained and facing deportation in California’s immigration courts. Our Immigration Unit is among the largest deportation defense unit housed at a public defender’s office west of New York City. Launched in 2017, the unit provides legal representation for noncitizens facing deportation in federal immigration courts who are unable to afford a lawyer. Noncitizens have a five-fold increased chance of winning their cases if they have legal representation in removal proceedings. Our Immigration Unit has been at the cutting edge in defending the rights of immigrants in removal proceedings and in challenging unjust detention and deportation policies.

Role description

8173- Legal Assistant - Immigration Unit

Appointment Type: Temporary Exempt Category 18- Grant Position for 3 years. 

Public Defender Paralegals in the immigration unit provide attorneys with support in every aspect of our zealous representation of non-citizens facing criminal charges and those facing removal proceedings. Those tasks specifically include filing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to various federal agencies, record requests, translations and interpretations, client interviews, preparing declarations and letters of support from clients and witnesses, assistance in case workup, preparing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) applications, assembling filings, country conditions reports, criminal record charts, assistance seeking requisite state court orders for Special Immigration Juvenile status, preparing social histories; assisting in the preparation of legal documents and instruments; creating trial binders and exhibits; creating PowerPoint presentations and taking notes during trial; and other tasks as required by the role.

Essential Job Duties:

According to Civil Service Commission Rule 109, the duties specified below are representative of the range of duties assigned to this job code/class and are not intended to be an inclusive list.

1. Investigates, collects and compiles case materials and documentary evidence in contract and personal injury litigation.

2. Drafts Complaints, Affidavits, Motions, Interrogatories and other pleadings connected with trial preparation and discovery; interviews witnesses and assists the attorney at trial or at depositions.

3. Performs legal research and assists in the preparation of contracts, leases, briefs and legal opinions; may perform statistical research required for litigation.

4. Assists in the preparation of legislation, including research of existing statutes and regulations, review of existing legislation for possible conflicts with proposed legislation and analysis or digesting of proposed legislation.

5. As assigned, maintains a tracking system for adjusting claims against the City, coordinates investigation and departmental review of claims and communicates with members of the public and departmental representatives relative to claims against the City.

6. Corresponds and communicates with attorneys, representatives of other governmental agencies and the general public.

7. As assigned, analyzes depositions, exhibits, and pleadings to extract facts pertinent to issues argued on brief; may assemble exhibits, affidavits and other legal documents for use in preparing a trial.

8. Interviews citizens with complaints and obtains information for appropriate City legal department; may observe a variety of legal conferences and proceedings; when assigned, attends and observes court room activities.

How to qualify

Applicants must fully meet the minimum qualifications by the final filing deadline unless otherwise stated:

Education:

Certificate of completion of a paralegal program approved by the American Bar Association.

Substitution:

The required education may be substituted by other qualifying combinations of education and experience as described in the California Business and Professions Code Section 6450 for Paralegals.

Desirable Qualifications:

• ​​​​​​​Skilled in conducting legal interviews, drafting declarations and preparing legal materials for immigration court, including with monolingual Spanish- speaking clients
• Proficient in communicating clearly, concisely, and professionally both oral and in writing formats;
• Capable of exercising sound judgment and making independent decisions within established guidelines;
• Effective at managing time and meeting deadlines and deliverables in a fast-paced environment;
• Experienced in drafting correspondences, spreadsheets, reports, and memos;
• Knowledgeable in requesting and obtaining government records, including immigration, criminal, health, and court documents;
• Adept at reviewing, organizing and summarizing large volumes of immigration, court, and police records;
• Familiar with interpreting criminal background “rap” sheets from local (San Francisco), Statewide (CII) and federal (FBI) sources;
• Ability to handle highly sensitive information with discretion and maintain strict confidentiality;
• Well-versed in navigating immigration court procedures and rules for federal courts including district and Ninth Circuit courts;
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Access, and Outlook).
• Adaptable to organizational changes in alignment with the PDR’s mission.
• Demonstrates initiative and independence while contributing effectively as a collaborative team member.
• Demonstrates commitment to immigration rights and criminal defense;
• Prior experience in immigration law preferred;
• Advanced Spanish language proficiency required

What else should I know?

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

• Information About the Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview
• Equal Employment Opportunity
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Veterans Preference
• Seniority Credit in Promotional Exams [required for Combined, Promotive, Entrance (CPE) Exams only]
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

HOW TO APPLY

Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit https://careers.smartrecruiters.com/CityAndCountyOfSanFrancisco1/ and begin the application process.

• Select the “I’m Interested” button and follow instructions on the screen

Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.