Job Openings

ABOUT LEGAL SERVICES FOR CHILDREN

Founded in 1975, Legal Services for Children (“LSC”) is one of the country’s first non-profit law firms dedicated to providing free legal representation and social work services to children. Our mission is to ensure that all children in the San Francisco Bay Area are raised in a safe environment with equal access to a meaningful education and other services that are necessary to thrive and grow. We believe that youth deserve positive alternatives to unnecessary placement in foster care, juvenile justice facilities, and immigration detention.

LSC started the interdisciplinary approach that is considered a best practice in juvenile law today. We deploy attorney-social worker teams to assist Bay Area children who need to access the legal system to stabilize or improve their lives. LSC’s attorneys represent children in legal matters that involve guardianship, dependency, school discipline, immigration, and other civil legal matters. Our social workers provide crisis intervention, case management, counseling, and psychosocial assessments. LSC staff also engage in policy and advocacy projects aimed at advancing the rights of children.

To promote social justice and best serve our clients, LSC is committed to maintaining a diverse staff and providing services with cultural humility. We are committed to fostering, cultivating and preserving a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion and ensuring a workplace where staff can flourish and grow professionally and well beyond. We strongly encourage candidates from traditionally underrepresented communities and historically oppressed groups including People of Color and LGBTQ individuals to apply. Bilingual/bicultural candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Below you will find a list of LSC’s current open positions. Click on the job title(s) to take you to their job description on this page:


IMMIGRATION STAFF ATTORNEY (BILINGUAL)

 

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Review of candidates will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

ABOUT THE POSITION 

LSC seeks an immigration attorney who is bilingual in English and Spanish to represent children in immigration proceedings. Our immigration clients are primarily monolingual Spanish speakers, and also include Central American and Mexican indigenous youth as well as youth of African descent. Applicants awaiting bar results or planning to take the July 2023 California bar exam will be considered.

Key areas of responsibilities include: 

  • Conducting legal screenings, client interviews, and factual and legal investigations, counseling clients, developing case strategies and case plans, and engaging in oral and written advocacy as part of representing children in immigration matters (primarily Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, Asylum, T and U visa cases)
  • Representing non-detained youth in Immigration Court proceedings and related state court matters (probate guardianship and dependency as needed), as well as applications before U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) and cases before Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA)
  • Engaging in advocacy efforts on behalf of children, including conducting community presentations for children, families, schools, and community organizations
  • Representing LSC in local and national coalitions and collaboratives as needed

Required Qualifications: 

  • Fluency in English and Spanish required
  • Excellent research, analytical, writing and verbal communication skills
  • A strong commitment to the rights of youth
  • Ability to respond quickly and efficiently to the demands and deadlines of a fast-paced caseload
  • Well-organized, motivated, creative, and independent, yet also able to work cooperatively in an interdisciplinary team-oriented environment
  • Commitment to providing services with cultural humility and with an approach that values all individuals and respects differences regarding race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, ability, socio-economic circumstance, immigration status, and record of arrest or conviction
  • Must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, including at least one booster

Desired Qualifications:

  • Current bar membership in good standing preferred. Applicants awaiting bar results or planning to take the July 2023 California bar exam will be considered.
  • Prior experience in the practice of immigration law
  • Experience working with children who have experienced trauma
  • Ability to work efficiently and effectively under pressure and in crisis situations

This position will be eligible for a “hybrid” model in which the person can work some of the time outside of the office. This position is based in San Francisco and requires presence in the area with the ability to come to the office and other locations in the Bay Area.

This position is in a bargaining unit represented by IFPTE Local 20.

SALARY & BENEFITS

Salary is commensurate with experience, ranging from $71,500-79,500 (Staff Attorney, 0-4 years) or $86,500-96,500 (Senior Staff Attorney, 5-10 years). A one-time signing bonus after hire is available for this position. Benefits include fully paid health insurance for employees and majority paid for child dependents (medical, dental, and vision) or a stipend for staff with existing insurance coverage, retirement contribution, and generous paid leave (vacation, sick, holidays, and sabbatical every 4 years). LSC also offers a monthly tech reimbursement, a flexible spending account for qualified health and dependent care expenditures, and a pre-tax commuter and parking program.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Please send cover letter, resume and contact information for three references to jobs@lsc-sf.org with “Immigration Staff Attorney” in the subject line. In your cover letter, please address the following in order for your application to be considered:

LSC’s clientele is extremely diverse, and the majority of our clients are low income youth of color. To ensure that our agency is best serving these children, LSC strives to promote an evolving set of behaviors and attitudes amongst our staff, as well as policies that enable us to work effectively in all cross-cultural situations, with clients, with our coworkers, and with the community. We see this as a commitment to enhance the provision of our services to all clients; to raise the level of positive client outcomes; and to create an inclusive and respectful workplace in which differences are acknowledged and valued. How do you think your personal background or experiences, professional or otherwise, have prepared you to contribute to our commitment to cultural humility and diversity amongst our staff? Feel free to think broadly about your response to this question, applying various aspects of your life and personal experiences.


SOCIAL WORKER (BILINGUAL)

 

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Review of candidates will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

ABOUT THE POSITION 

LSC seeks a social worker with an MSW who is bilingual in English and Spanish to work with children in our Detained Immigrant Children’s Project (DICP), which serves children who are unaccompanied and in the custody of Office and Refugee Resettlement (ORR). Our clients are resilient young people fleeing poverty, intrafamilial and community violence in their countries of origin seeking safety in the United States. Students who will obtain their MSW in May or June of this year are eligible to apply.

This social worker will:

  • Provide social work services to children and youth immigrants detained in Northern California by ORR and/or formerly detained, as part of our DICP team.
  • Provide culturally appropriate and trauma-informed services as part of our attorney-social worker interdisciplinary team.
  • Provide Know Your Rights (KYR) presentations and legal screenings to children and youth in ORR detention and legal referrals to children upon release.
  • Weekly data entry tracking the provision of services.

LCSW clinical supervision will be provided.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: 

  • MSW from an accredited school of social work.
  • Fluency in English and Spanish. Candidates who are not able to read, write and speak fluently in both English and Spanish will not be considered.
  • Valid California Driver’s License – weekly (potentially bi-weekly) travel to ORR facilities is required. This position will primarily require travel to Fairfield, CA (Solano County).
  • Must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, including at least one booster.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Experience serving immigrant communities and individuals who are survivors of abuse, human trafficking, and systemic oppression. Ability to work collaboratively with co-workers, government agencies, social service providers and other stakeholders.
  • Lived experience with the systems that impact our clients.
  • Strong clinical skills and a commitment to providing culturally competent services.
  • Ability to handle multiple tasks and prioritize workload in a fast-paced environment.
  • Experience and comfort with speaking to youth in both individual and group settings.
  • Experience with MS Office applications, including Excel and Word.
  • Energy, optimism and passion for the issues affecting youth in detention and child immigrants.

This position will be eligible for a “hybrid” model in which the person can work some of the time outside of the office. This position is based in San Francisco and requires presence in the area with the ability to come to the office and other locations in the Bay Area. Primarily, this position requires in-person facility visits, in particular near Fairfield, California, 1-2 days per week, which can be balanced by working from home or in the office. Zip Car and/or mileage reimbursement is provided for travel to facilities.

This position is in a bargaining unit represented by IFPTE Local 20.

SALARY & BENEFITS

This is a full-time, exempt position. Salary is commensurate with experience, ranging from $71,500-79,500 (0-4 years experience working with an MSW). Benefits include fully paid health insurance for employees and majority paid for child dependents (medical, dental, and vision) or a stipend for staff with existing insurance coverage, retirement contribution, and generous paid leave (vacation, sick, holidays, and sabbatical every 4 years). LSC also offers a monthly tech reimbursement, a flexible spending account for qualified health and dependent care expenditures, and a pre-tax commuter and parking program.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Please send cover letter, resume and contact information for three references to jobs@lsc-sf.org, with “Social Worker” in the subject line. In your cover letter, please address the following in order for your application to be considered:

LSC’s clientele is extremely diverse, and the majority of our clients are low-income youth of color. To ensure that our agency is best serving these children, LSC strives to promote an evolving set of behaviors and attitudes amongst our staff, as well as policies that enable us to work effectively in all cross-cultural situations, with clients, with our coworkers, and with the community. We see this as a commitment to enhance the provision of our services to all clients; to raise the level of positive client outcomes; and to create an inclusive and respectful workplace in which differences are acknowledged and valued. How do you think your personal background or experiences, professional or otherwise, have prepared you to contribute to our commitment to cultural humility and diversity amongst our staff? Feel free to think broadly about your response to this question, applying various aspects of your life and personal experiences.