Immigration Institute of the Bay Area

Immigration Institute of the Bay Area

Pro Bono Director     

Title: Pro Bono Director                                           

Reports to: Legal Director 

Department and Location: San Francisco, with flexibility to work from another office as needed.

Full-time

The Immigration Institute of the Bay Area was founded in 1918, and its mission is to welcome, educate and serve immigrants, refugees and their families as they join and contribute to the community. IIBA provides immigration legal services, English and civic education, and other services throughout the Bay Area, as well as through its collaborative efforts with local and regional service providers. IIBA offers a team-oriented, collegial and collaborative work environment.  We pride ourselves on providing excellent service to our clients, and we know our organization runs on the hard work and dedication of our passionate employees.

At IIBA, we have a clear vision: to be the place where a diverse mix of talented people want to come, to stay, and to do their best work. IIBA’s dedication to promoting diversity, multiculturalism, and inclusion is reflected in the work that we do.  We are committed to equity and believe deeply in the value of diversity of race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, ethnicity, national origin and all the other wonderful characteristics that make us human.

Job Summary:

The Pro Bono Director will work in collaboration with the Executive Director, the Legal Director, and the Development Director to implement and expand on the strategic plan to strengthen and expand pro bono support from lawyers, non-lawyers, private law firms, corporations, educational institutions, and other partners. This is a key position for the organization in advancing our goals around building IIBA’s capacity.

The Pro Bono Director of the Immigration Institute of the Bay Area (IIBA) has primary responsibility for:

  • Expanding and fostering our current relationships with law firms and corporations to help build our pro bono clinic model with a current focus on Citizenship and DACA.
  • Cultivate relationships with pro bono partners to support IIBA’s fundraising efforts.
  • Maintain and expand the internship program within IIBA with a focus of recruiting and placing law student interns, law graduate volunteers with IIBA, and Harvard and Stanford undergraduate fellows.
  • Recruiting and placement of legal fellows (e.g. Skadden, Equal Justice Works law graduates with funding)
  • Acting as a “clearinghouse” for other legal volunteers to support at legal clinics or in IIBA local offices    
  • Works with the Executive Director to identify potential Board candidates
  • Explore ways to expand the network of law firms IIBA engages with and to expand opportunities for engagement with IIBA (i.e. Case placement)

Essential Functions: 

· Develop relationships and act as liaison between IIBA and law firms, in house legal departments, and educational institutions in order to recruit pro bono volunteers, law clerks, legal fellows, and other legal volunteers. 

· Coordinate and manage pro bono clinics with law firms, in-house legal departments and educational institutions. 

· Increase IIBA’s capacity to host law firms through case placement, ensuring that adequate mentorship and other legal staff support is in place.

· Respond to inquiries for pro bono opportunities or information from individual attorneys, law firms, in-house legal departments, and educational institutions. 

· Recruit, screen, and coordinate pro bono attorneys, law students, law graduates, etc. Conduct trainings and thank you events for volunteers.

· Attend and participate in strategy meetings with other pro-bono coordinators/managers for non-profit legal service providers in the Bay Area. 

· Devise and implement outreach plan to market to new pro bono attorneys. Work with IIBA’s communication team to create IIBA pro bono informational materials.

· Work with IIBA’s Development Director to advance IIBA’s fundraising goals

· Develop legal expertise and legal best practices for IIBA’s naturalization and DACA workshops. Act as point-person for legal questions that arise out of IIBA’s naturalization and DACA workshops.

· Supervise IIBA’s naturalization and DACA workshops, including strategic decision-making with respect to workshop logistics, content of training materials for pro bono attorneys and other clinic volunteers, and content of materials provided to clients.

· Support IIBA’s pro se asylum workshops, including tracking Pro Bono Participating, and providing technical assistance as needed.

· Supervise the IIBA Pro Bono team.

· Coordinate recruitment and onboarding of law clerks, legal fellows, and undergraduates for placement at IIBA offices.  

· Work with IIBA’s Grant Director to help fund the program. 

· Ensure the tracking of pro bono program data to demonstrate impact.

Qualifications:

  • Admitted and in good standing with any U.S. State Bar or graduated from an accredited law school and pending bar results.
  • Commitment to serve immigrants and sensitivity to the needs of the low-income, culturally diverse newcomer community. 
  • Excellent interpersonal and public speaking skills as well as the ability to work with diverse audiences required.
  • Ability to work well independently and demonstrated experience as a self-starter.
  • Strong oral and written skills with the ability to convey a message in a concise, clear and persuasive manner.
  • Exceptional organizational, planning and time management skills.
  • Experience building and maintaining professional relationships.
  • Proficiency in a Windows/PC environment, and able to quickly become proficient in the use of IIBA’s volunteer and client databases.
  • Experience in immigration law.
  • Fluent in written and spoken Spanish preferred.
  • Access to transportation and willingness to travel to at least one of IIBA’s offices and eventually to various offices and other sites for in person clinics, trainings, and other events.
  • Position requires participation in occasional weekend and evening events and clinics.

Salary and Benefits:

In the spirit of pay transparency, we are excited to share the base salary range for this position is $81,000 to $110,000 excluding fringe benefits and potential bonuses. If you are hired at IIBA, your final base salary compensation will be determined based on factors such as skills, education, and/or experience. In addition to those factors, we believe in the importance of pay equity and consider internal equity of our current team members as part of any final offer.

IIBA offers a generous cafeteria-style benefits package, elements of which include, but are not limited to:

  • Employer matching 403(B) retirement plan: up to 6% employer contribution
  • Insurance: Health, dental, life, vision, chiropractic & acupuncture. Medical and dependent care pre-tax reimbursement accounts.
  • Transportation reimbursement account.
  • Vacation: three weeks (15 days) of accrued vacation per year with an increase each year.
  • Sick Leave including paid family sick time
  • Holidays: 15 paid Holidays per year, including 2 floating holidays
  • Paid Parental Leave
  • Eligible for Sabbatical Leave after 5 years and 10 years of continued employment. 

New employees are required to work in the office 4 days a week for the first three months of their employment with IIBA. This period is crucial for onboarding, training, and integration into IIBA’s culture. After the initial three-month period, new employees may be eligible to transition to a hybrid work schedule, subject to approval by their supervisor, the needs of the office, and in accordance with IIBA policies.

How to Apply:

Please send a cover letter and resume to iibayareahire@iibayarea.org and include the job title in the subject line. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Applicants for employment in the United States must have work authorizationthat does not currently or in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the United States.

For more information on IIBA, see our website: www.iibayarea.org. Position opened until filled. This description intends to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. It is not intended to include all duties and responsibilities.

The order in which duties and responsibilities are listed is not significant. Because of a need to remain responsive to the needs of our clients and our Agency’s operations, responsibilities may be modified at any time.

IIBA recruits, employs, trains, compensates and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law. Persons receiving services in our programs are entitled to freedom from harassment, retaliation, and reasonable accommodation for qualified disabilities.