Job Overview
Location
New York City, NY
Job Type
Full-time
Category
Software Engineering
Date Posted
October 16, 2025
Full Job Description
đź“‹ Description
- • Serve as the front-line defender of unaccompanied and separated children who are forcibly displaced, providing zealous, trauma-informed legal representation in removal proceedings and humanitarian immigration cases such as asylum, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, U visas, and T visas.
- • Conduct weekly visits to local immigration detention facilities to perform or supervise high-quality intakes and legal orientations, ensuring every detained child understands their rights and potential forms of relief.
- • Review and approve legal screenings completed by paralegals, rapidly identifying preliminary eligibility for immigration relief and determining next steps for each child’s unique circumstances.
- • Make “friend-of-the-court” appearances on the juvenile detained docket in Immigration Court, advocating for release, alternative placements, or continuances to prevent children from “aging out” of ORR care or facing prolonged detention.
- • Carry a focused docket of cases for children who lack viable reunification options and must remain in detention longer, ensuring no child is left without counsel at critical junctures.
- • Upon release, transition seamlessly into direct representation in removal proceedings and affirmative applications, guiding children and their sponsors through every stage—from initial filings to final hearings—while maintaining a child-centered, culturally responsive approach.
- • Strategically place additional cases with pro bono attorneys from top-tier law firms, bar associations, and corporate legal departments; cultivate and sustain these relationships to expand KIND’s reach and impact.
- • Provide robust consultation and technical assistance to pro bono counsel, including case strategy sessions, sample pleadings, mock hearings, and emergency troubleshooting, ensuring consistent quality across all representations.
- • Collaborate with KIND’s Training & Technical Assistance Team to design and deliver dynamic local training curriculum, toolkits, and CLE-eligible workshops that build the capacity of pro bono attorneys and community partners.
- • Supervise Senior Paralegals, Paralegals, interns, and non-attorney staff through structured onboarding, skills training, daily coaching, quality-assurance reviews, and formal performance evaluations, fostering a culture of excellence and professional growth.
- • Maintain meticulous, timely, and detailed case records in KIND’s case-management systems, generating accurate data for grant reporting, impact measurement, and continuous program improvement.
- • Participate actively in field-office and organization-wide calls, committees, and strategic initiatives—contributing subject-matter expertise to policy advocacy, media outreach, and funder engagement efforts.
- • Champion KIND’s wellness culture by modeling healthy work-life boundaries, utilizing mindfulness and resilience resources, and supporting colleagues in high-stress, trauma-exposed environments.
- • Engage in limited but strategic litigation or amicus work, partnering with KIND’s Global Legal Representation, Assistance, and Litigation team to advance systemic reforms that benefit unaccompanied children regionally and globally.
🎯 Requirements
- • J.D. and active membership in good standing of the New York State Bar (or eligibility to sit for the NY bar exam within 6 months and admission within 1 year of hire)
- • Fluency in English and Spanish (written and spoken) for direct client communication and caregiver engagement
- • Minimum 1 year of experience practicing immigration law with a focus on humanitarian claims (asylum, SIJS, U/T visas)
- • Minimum 1 year of experience working with children—ideally immigrant, refugee, or otherwise vulnerable youth—or with survivors of trauma, abuse, or human trafficking
- • Demonstrated cultural competence, cross-cultural communication skills, and ability to work sensitively with diverse populations
- • Ability to travel weekly to local immigration detention facilities and work in a hybrid model that balances remote collaboration with in-person advocacy
🏖️ Benefits
- • 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance premiums for employee-only coverage on one of three medical plan options
- • Pre-tax flexible spending accounts (FSA) for medical and dependent care expenses, plus pre-tax transit and parking spending accounts
- • Employer-paid life, accidental death & dismemberment, short-term, and long-term disability insurance
- • Robust wellness ecosystem: mindfulness and resilience trainings, Employee Assistance Program, wellness platforms, and scheduled office wellness activities
- • Generous time-off policies and commitment to work-life balance, supporting staff exposed to trauma and high caseloads
Skills & Technologies
Senior
Remote
About Kids In Need of Defense
Kids In Need of Defense (KIND) is a non-profit organization founded in 2008 by Microsoft and Angelina Jolie to provide pro bono legal representation for unaccompanied immigrant and refugee children in the United States. The organization partners with law firms, corporations, bar associations, and law schools to ensure that no child faces immigration proceedings alone. KIND also advocates for systemic policy changes that protect children's rights and safety while promoting due process and child welfare standards in immigration law.
