Job Description

Community Defense Immigration Attorney (Full-Time)

Location: Chicago’s Southwest Suburbs (Hybrid/In-Person)

Salary Range: $80,000–$95,000, commensurate with experience

Reports to: Executive Director 

About SSIP

The Southwest Suburban Immigrant Project (SSIP) is a community-based, grassroots organization that exists to dismantle barriers, build power, advance justice, and cultivate a sense of belonging for all immigrants in Chicago’s southwest suburbs. Our work is driven by a bold vision: a future where immigrant communities live unafraid, organized, and rooted in their collective power — honoring the wins of those who came before us, while building the world we need for future generations.

Position Summary

SSIP is seeking a committed, movement-aligned Community Defense Immigration Attorney to expand our removal defense work and support a growing base of directly impacted individuals navigating deportation and detention. This role will be part of our Community Defense Team, working hand-in-hand with organizers, rapid response volunteers, and impacted families to respond to immigration enforcement, provide deportation defense, and support systems of collective care and resistance.

This is not a traditional legal services role. You will lead with a community lawyering approach, integrating legal strategy with organizing, advocacy, storytelling, and policy change — ensuring that legal defense strengthens grassroots power and immigrant self-determination in suburban Illinois.

Key Responsibilities

1. Provide direct representation in removal proceedings, bond hearings, and related defensive immigration cases (e.g., stay-of-removal, cancellation of removal, motions to reopen).
2. Conduct legal consultations and intakes for individuals at risk of deportation or facing ICE contact.
3. Collaborate with the SSIP Rapid Response Network and community organizers to respond to immigration enforcement and support impacted families.
4. Work closely with SSIP’s organizing team to integrate legal strategy with campaigns, base-building, and popular education.
5. Facilitate Know Your Rights trainings, deportation defense workshops, and community legal education events.
6. Support community members in building pro se skills, engaging in advocacy, and navigating the legal system.
7. Assist in training and mentoring staff, interns, and directly impacted leaders interested in the legal field.
8. Develop declarations, gather evidence, and collect narratives that support legal filings and broader storytelling strategies.
9. Stay up-to-date on legal developments in immigration and removal defense; participate in coalition spaces, legal advocacy efforts, and regional response networks.

What We’re Looking For

Required:

1. J.D. from an accredited law school and licensed to practice law in any U.S. state (Illinois preferred).
2. Fluency in Spanish and English — spoken and written.
3. 2–4+ years of experience practicing immigration law, with a focus on removal defense.
4. Strong understanding of the immigration enforcement system, detention, and deportation pipeline.
5. Demonstrated alignment with racial justice, abolitionist values, and the dismantling of white supremacy.
6. Experience working in or alongside grassroots movements, community organizing, or immigrant-led advocacy.
7. Comfort working in nontraditional legal settings, including homes, community spaces, and churches.
8. Reliable transportation and ability to travel across Will, DuPage, and nearby counties.

Preferred:

· Experience working with detained clients or families impacted by ICE enforcement.

· Familiarity with movement lawyering, trauma-informed advocacy, or legal observing.

· Comfort working with media or helping amplify community stories in narrative campaigns.

Core Competencies & Values

1. Movement-Oriented: Understands legal work as one tool in a broader strategy for liberation.
2. Collaborative: Brings humility and openness to working across disciplines with organizers, clients, and partners.
3. Responsive: Able to handle urgent legal issues, respond to enforcement activity, and adapt quickly to changing conditions.
4. Empathetic & Grounded: Listens deeply to clients and communities and resists saviorism in legal practice.
5. Community-Centered: Believes that directly impacted people are their own best advocates and practices centering them into any decision making process.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary: $80,000–$90,000, depending on experience

Benefits

· Employer-sponsored health and dental coverage

· Short-term disability and life insurance

· 20+ paid holidays and generous PTO/sick time

· Professional development opportunities

· Flexible hybrid work schedule

· Retirement savings plan access

Work Environment & Physical Requirements

This is a full-time, exempt position averaging 40–45 hours per week, with a hybrid schedule. Evening or weekend work may be required occasionally to accommodate community workshops or rapid response needs.

Legal services, training, and team meetings may take place in person or virtually. PPE and health safety measures will be provided for in-person work. Candidates should be able to adapt to a variety of settings, including office, community spaces, and remote platforms.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

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