Internship Attorney Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Founded in 1979, the National Immigration Law Center (NILC) is a leading non‑profit organization (501(c)(3)) dedicated to defending and advancing the rights of low‑income immigrants and their loved ones. NILC’s mission is grounded in the belief that everyone living in the U.S. regardless of race, gender, immigration status, or economic status should have equal access to justice, resources, and opportunities that enable them to achieve their full human potential. Together with the affiliated NILC Immigrant Justice Fund (IJF), a 501(c)(4) organization, NILC works to advocate for federal immigration reform policies and advance its mission through a racial, economic, and gender justice and equity orientation.

The Staff Attorney is a litigator who will initiate and support the identification, development, and litigation of precedent‑setting cases to advance the rights of low‑income immigrants and their families, primarily in the federal court system. The Staff Attorney will mentor law fellows and interns, empower immigrant communities through impact litigation, policy analysis, advocacy, and strategic communications, and may also participate in or lead legal advocacy in administrative and legislative arenas.

• Conduct impact litigation on a range of issues in collaboration with litigation teams of other Staff Attorneys, Senior Attorneys, Deputy Directors, Paralegals, and other Program staff.
• Identify and develop litigation in federal and state courts with supervision and support from Senior Attorneys and/or Deputy Directors, including preparing pleadings, motions, and briefs; conducting discovery; presenting oral arguments; and handling appeals.
• Develop and maintain a significant litigation case load in state and/or federal court, typically in partnership with an internal case team and external co‑counsel.
• Strategically, creatively, and boldly use plaintiff‑driven, community‑grounded impact litigation in partnership with NILC’s other core strategies of policy research and analysis, strategic partnerships and advocacy, communications, and movement power building to advance NILC’s vision and mission.
• Advance NILC’s administrative and legislative advocacy by providing legal analysis and technical assistance to colleagues in NILC’s other departments, government officials and staff, the media, and advocates nationwide.
• Develop community education materials, co‑create webinars, and provide Know Your Rights presentations.
• Mentor and teach legal interns, legal fellows, and more junior attorneys in all aspects of case investigation, development, and litigation, as well as in other legal work.
• Collaborate with staff across the organization via Program workgroups to support ongoing programmatic work.
• Represent NILC with coalition partners on litigation and other areas of legal experience or expertise.
• Engage with the media about relevant legal work and litigation in coordination with the Strategic Communications department.
• Proactively, constructively, and consistently report to relevant staff and leadership about programmatic developments, administrative needs and broader institutional concerns, opportunities, and needs.
• Work with legal team staff on responding to requests for assistance, case development, and provision of legal representation.
• Successfully engage in and support policy advocacy, campaigns, and community outreach to advance NILC’s mission.
• Support and strengthen internal protocols and communication; foster a collaborative work environment and contribute positively to team dynamics; and reflect NILC’s and the Legal Department’s values inside and outside the organization.
• May be part of a larger cross‑functional project using the MOCHA framework/methodology.

• May oversee temporary legal interns or law fellows as needed.

• Champions NILC & IJF’s mission of advancing the rights of immigrants with low income by demonstrating a commitment to human rights, racial, economic, and social justice.
• Attends and actively participates in NILC meetings at the organization, department, project, and individual levels.
• Develops relationships and supports NILC and IJF colleagues across all teams, recognizing that each individual brings a unique background and perspective to the work and assumes good intent from each other.
• Follows through on commitments, acting with a clear sense of ownership individually and collectively by taking personal responsibility for decisions, actions, and failures, establishing clear responsibilities and processes for monitoring work and measuring results, and designing feedback loops into work.
• Learns quickly when facing new situations by experimenting to find fresh solutions, taking on the challenge of unfamiliar tasks, and extracting lessons learned from failures and mistakes.
• Acts with integrity by following through on commitments, being direct and truthful, keeping confidences, and showing consistency between words and actions.
• Commits to centering NILC’s values of racial justice & equity, valuing diversity, fostering partnerships & collaboration, encouraging respect & personal well‑being, and striving for transparency, integrity, and honesty in all decisions and actions.

In recognition of the fluidity of the work and ecosystem that NILC operates in, other duties may be assigned depending on organizational need.

• JD degree and active member in good standing of a State Bar Association required.
• 2-6+ years of litigation experience.
• Demonstrated experience in the investigation and development of impact litigation.
• Proficiency with in‑office and virtual environments and software such as MS Office, internet research, and virtual collaboration tools.

• Civil litigation experience in federal court preferred.
• Expertise in immigrants’ rights or other public interest impact litigation strongly preferred.
• Proficiency in non‑English languages spoken by Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander, African, Caribbean, and Arab communities preferred. Fluency in more than one language desirable.

At NILC, we know that talented people may have different backgrounds or experiences, and if your education and experience doesn’t exactly align with the above, that’s okay! NILC believes that diversity in all dimensions of the organization supports and bolsters the innovative thinking essential to its success and is committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all qualified applicants. NILC’s goal is for our people to reflect the communities in which we live and serve and to ensure representation of people of color, women, veterans, and individuals with disabilities in our organization.

NILC’s offices are located in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles, California. Travel for litigation will be required on a case‑by‑case basis. For this role, up to 30% of overnight interstate travel may be required; generally, travel is quarterly to the NILC Washington, D.C. office or another location within the US for 3-5 nights at a time.

Salary range: $86,726 - $108,459.

Remote work locations include Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Georgia, Maryland, Montana, North Carolina, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Applicants must live in one of these locations to be considered.

NILC’s benefits package includes medical, dental, vision, life and AD&D, STD, and LTD insurance; healthcare and dependent care FSA; stipends and/or reimbursements for wellness, phone, and internet; generous paid time off; a robust holiday schedule; an employee assistance program (EAP); and additional voluntary insurance packages.

• Remaining in a stationary position, often standing, or sitting for prolonged periods.
• Communicating with others to exchange information.
• Repeating motions, such as typing or answering a phone, that may involve the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.