Career Opportunity

8177-Attorney (Civil/Criminal)

Recruitment: RTF0139348-01154798

Published: October 10, 2023

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

About:

Specific Information Regarding this Recruitment Process

Classification: 8177 - Attorney

Status: Full-Time

Appointment Type: Temporary Exempt (TEX)

Application Opening: October 10, 2023

Application Deadline: Apply by 11:59pm on October 31, 1023

Hourly Compensation: $142,168 - $249,080/Annually

Recruitment ID: RTF0139348- 01154798

The San Francisco Public Defender’s Office invites candidates to apply for attorney positions in its trailblazing Immigration Unit!

About the Organization:

What started as an office of only one attorney over 100 years ago, our Office now proudly employs 112 dedicated and dynamic attorneys and 114 integral non-attorney staff members, and provides zealous, compassionate, and client-centered legal representation to over 20,000 people per year who do not have the financial means to retain their own counsel. We aspire to provide the highest level of legal advocacy. Our Office has been recognized state and nationwide as a model of public defense, winning awards from the American Bar Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the National Legal Aid and Defenders Association, and the California Public Defenders Association. 

We are seeking candidates with an ardent passion for and commitment to our mission of fiercely defending individuals in criminal cases with love, compassion, courage, and excellence. Successful candidates will have a keen interest in aggressive and skilled courtroom litigation, strong interpersonal and communication skills, and a deep empathy for our clients and their loved ones. Our clients are uniformly low-income and are disproportionately Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), and therefore, a firm dedication to racial justice and using the law to fight for marginalized individuals and communities is required.

About the SF Public Defender Immigration Unit:

Our Immigration Unit is the largest deportation defense unit housed at a public defender’s office west of New York City. Launched on May 23, 2017 shortly after the 2016 presidential election, 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, and has provided representation for nearly 1,000 people in immigration detention since its inception.

Position Summary: Deputy Public Defender (Immigration Unit)

We are seeking full-time attorneys to represent noncitizens in removal proceedings, who also have experience litigating before the Board of Immigration Appeals and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Preferred candidates will have experience litigating habeas petitions before the federal district courts. Candidates should also have experience navigating issues related to the intersection of immigration and criminal law. Open to members in good standing with the California Bar Association. Applicants must indicate competency in Spanish for consideration. 

Role description

The 8177 duties specified below are representative of the range of duties assigned to this job, 8177- Attorney, in our Office and are not intended to be an inclusive list:

• Fiercely and creatively represents individuals facing deportation at all stages of removal and bond proceedings.  
• Demonstrates excellent written and oral communication and advocacy skills, and connects with and works effectively on behalf of a diverse client population.
• Meets with clients and advises them on their rights and legal proceedings, identifies and understands complex legal concepts and issues, conducts legal research, and keeps up with rapidly-evolving decisional and statutory law.
• Maintains effective client relationships to ensure that clients’ needs are thoroughly identified and handled in a manner consistent with the principles and practices of the Public Defender’s Office.
• Handles appeals before the Board of Immigration Appeals and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
• Handles immigration related civil litigation in the federal district courts. 
• Litigates post-conviction relief remedies as needed in San Francisco and other counties.
• Provides specialized immigration related legal advice to Public Defenders pursuant to Padilla v. Kentucky, as well as relevant state law.
• Travels to and from detention facilities as needed.
• Directs and works successfully with Public Defender staff, including paralegals, social workers, legal process clerks, and investigators.
• Performs other related duties as required.

How to qualify

License and Certification:

Active membership in good standing with the State Bar of California.

Desirable Qualifications:

The stated desirable qualifications may be used to identify job finalists at the end of the selection process when candidates are referred for hiring.

• Demonstrated commitment to immigrant rights and criminal defense.
• Minimum of two years of immigration law or trial experience strongly preferred
• Juris Doctorate from an accredited law school
• Ability to communicate in Spanish effectively, orally and in writing, especially with monolingual Spanish-speakers.

What else should I know?

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

• 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

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.