Immigration lawyer jobs

Overview of role

The UK Casework Lead is responsible both for a personal caseload and for the supervision, output, quality and revenue performance of RLS's UK legal team of three frontline caseworkers. We are looking for a qualified solicitor who is also IAAS accredited at Supervising Senior Caseworker level, qualifying ideally to supervise both the Immigration and Asylum and the Public Law contracts. The post holder will also hold the role of authorised litigator.

The postholder will be expected to generate legal aid income at a level that covers their own gross salary cost, and to lead the team's growth in legal aid billings against an agreed annual target. 

We are looking for someone with a positive, can-do approach and a strategic, ambitious, big-picture view of the team and the work. We want someone who will set direction for the UK team, grow the LAA contract in line with RLS’ strategic objectives, and support caseworkers and operational colleagues to become confident, self-supporting practitioners on a day-to-day basis, working in a trusting collegiate environment. 

Why work for RLS 

You will have autonomy to shape the UK casework team’s direction and grow the LAA contract.

We also offer: 

• Generous annual leave (28 days) plus bank holidays and a Christmas shutdown period, so you can properly switch off
• The chance to work in a small, dynamic team with an international footprint -  operating across the UK, northern France and Greece.
• Flexible working 
• Fantastic offices in London Fields, with free Climpson’s coffee

Key responsibilities 

Legal aid income generation 

• Lead the growth of RLS's legal aid income and maintain a personal legal aid caseload sized to generate billings covering the postholder's own gross salary costs. 

• Design and oversee caseload allocation across the team so that caseworkers develop skills and expertise, progressing swiftly in their professional development, legal aid revenue grows in line with the strategic target of 10–15% year-on-year, while preserving quality of advice and client care. 

Personal casework 

• Carry a legal aid caseload in immigration and asylum / public law, including controlled and licensed work as appropriate. 

• Provide high-quality legal advice and representation to clients throughout the application procedure, on appeal and in related judicial review claims where applicable. 

• Maintain client files and records to LAA, SQM, and SRA standards, and in line with GDPR and RLS's internal procedures. 

Supervision and team leadership 

• Supervise three frontline caseworkers (currently covering refugee family reunion and asylum) - including regulatory compliance, file reviews, technical supervision, casework allocation, performance managementand professional development. 

• Set and keep under quarterly review, ambitious-but-achievable case targets across the team in consultation with caseworkers, and monitor progress against them. 

• Help to supervise pro bono volunteer lawyers and trainees through three established pro bono partnerships

• Deliver internal and external training

• Foster a supportive, learning-oriented team culture 

Legal aid contract and regulatory compliance 

• Act as the LAA Supervisor for both RLS Immigration & Asylum and Public Law legal aid contracts 

• Manage the LAA contract end-to-end: compliance with the contract specification, oversight of controlled and licensed billing, exceptional case funding applications and billing of ECF files, and audit (LAA, SQM)readiness. 

• Act as the LAA authorised Litigator, the RLS's Quality Representative for the Specialist Quality Mark (SQM); manage Peer Review readiness and oversee actions arising from LAA and SQM audits, reviews or visits. 

• Ensure full compliance with IAA, SRA (where applicable) and SQM standards and record keeping across the UK casework team. 

• Maintain accurate financial records and information as required. 

• Provide half yearly reports to the RLS ED and Trustee Board on RLS audit readiness, and confirmation of progress to monthly and annual record keeping being up to date.

Monitoring, evaluation and reporting 

• Lead monitoring and evaluation of the legal team's outputs: case numbers, client outcomes, billing performance and quality indicators. 

• Report against targets internally (to the ED) and to funders where required. 

• Use case management system data and other evidence to inform team development, fundraising proposals and external impact reporting. 

General duties 

• Keep abreast of developments in immigration and asylum law and practice 

• Deliver training internally for caseworkers, trainees and pro bono volunteers 

• Adhere to all RLS policies and procedures, including safeguarding. 

• Undertake other duties within the scope of the post as agreed with the Executive Director. 

Person specification 

Essential criteria 

Candidates must meet all the following: 

• Qualification and accreditation: Solicitor qualified in England & Wales and IAAS accredited at Supervising Senior Caseworker level, qualified ideally to supervise both the Immigration and Asylum and the Public Law contracts. If only currently qualified to supervise the Immigration and Asylum contract, willing to work towards eligibility to supervise the Public Law contract as swiftly as possible.

• Casework experience: At least five years' (or equivalent) experience of running a caseload of complex asylum, immigration and human rights cases in a legal aid environment (including appeals and judicial review). 

• Billing track record: Demonstrable experience of meeting personal and/or team legal aid billing targets, and a clear understanding of how cost-billable work is generated and managed in practice. 

• Supervision experience: Experience of supervising caseworkers working in an LAA environment, including SQM and Immigration Specification compliance, file review, technical supervision and performance management. 

• LAA contract knowledge: Comprehensive understanding of LAA contract and specification provisions in the immigration and asylum, and public law categories, including controlled and licensed work, exceptional case funding,

• Tribunal experience: Experience of litigation in the Immigration Tribunals and the Administrative Court.

• Working style: Strong organisational skills; able to prioritise and meet deadlines; comfortable working autonomously in a small team and balancing personal casework with supervisory responsibility (anticipatedratio 75:25) 

• Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; able to deal effectively with clients, colleagues, commercial pro bono partners and external stakeholders. 

• Values: A strong commitment to the protection of the rights of people who migrate, and to access to justice through high-quality, client-centred legal services. 

• Right to work: Right to reside and work in the UK. Successful candidate will be required to obtain an enhanced DBS certificate (RLS covers the cost). 

Desirable criteria

• Lived experience of migration systems. 

• Experience of working in a small charity or non-profit legal services setting. 

• Experience of working on pro bono partnerships with commercial law firms. 

• Experience of training and supervising trainees, volunteers or paralegals. 

• Knowledge of languages other than English relevant to RLS's client base (e.g. Arabic, Farsi/Dari, Tigrinya, Pashto). 

Terms and conditions 

• Salary: c. £50,000 per year, depending on experience. Pay scales are reviewed annually. 

• Hours: 37.5 hours per week (1.0 FTE). Flexible working arrangements considered. 

• Annual leave: 28 days per year plus bank holidays and Christmas shutdown period.

• Pension: Employer pension contribution of 5% (postholder contribution 3%). 

• Location: Hybrid working from London. Minimum two days per week in-person, including for confidential client meetings and team gatherings. 

• Probation: Six months. 

• DBS: Successful candidate will be required to obtain an enhanced DBS certificate. RLS covers the cost. 

We will be conducting rolling interviews as applications are submitted. 

We are proud to be a member of the Experts by Experience Employment Network. The initiative supports inclusive recruitment of people with lived experience of the UK asylum or immigration system. If this is your experience, you can find useful resources on their website.

This is a pivotal moment to join Public Law Project. As part of our five-year strategy, we are deepening our commitment to centring the voices and experiences of marginalised communities — and this new role is at the heart of that work.

As Community Network Manager, you will establish and lead our new Community Knowledge Exchange, bringing together people with lived experience of marginalisation, frontline partners, lawyers, researchers and others to share knowledge, build collective power and shape fairer systems. You will build and sustain the relationships and infrastructure that ensure community insight drives our litigation strategy, policy influence and advocacy — working in ways that are ethical, equitable and genuinely co-productive.

This is a rare opportunity to shape something from the start. You will develop the networks, tools and approaches that help PLP engage meaningfully with communities, while also acting as an internal champion — building our organisational capacity to work in partnership with lived experience in non-extractive ways.

If you are an experienced community organiser or network coordinator who is passionate about putting lived experience at the centre of social change, we would love to hear from you. As part of our commitment to recruit fairly we use anonymised-selection processes until interview, offer additional interview opportunities to the highest-scoring candidates from under-represented communities, and use ‘tie-breaker’ provisions at all stages of our selection process. This work is made possible by The National Lottery Community Fund's Solidarity Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, Public Law Project has received more than £3.5 million over five years from The National Lottery Community Fund. The funding will be used for strategic legal action, co-produced research and communications to challenge unfair decisions and shape fairer systems.

Job purpose

The Community Network Manager will establish and lead PLP's Community Knowledge Exchange — a new network bringing together people and organisations with lived experience of marginalisation, frontline partners, lawyers, researchers and others to share knowledge and shape fairer systems.

At the heart of the role is a commitment to centring lived experience in PLP's work in ways that are ethical, equitable and non-extractive. The post holder will translate community insight into policy influence, strategic litigation and advocacy, while also strengthening PLP's internal capacity to engage in co-production and lived experience partnership working effectively.

They will develop and help to steward PLP's relationship with The National Lottery Community Fund and engage with the wider cohort of funded organisations, identifying opportunities for collaboration and collective endeavour. Internally, they will act as a champion and adviser, developing tools, guidance and approaches that help colleagues across PLP engage meaningfully with communities and frontline partners.

Key relationships

Reports to the Communications & Engagement Director, works closely with the wider Communications & Engagement team and is a member of the SMT1. Collaborates across PLP with colleagues including from events, public affairs, research and casework teams and advise the Senior Leadership Team. Externally, represents PLP within the Community Knowledge Exchange network and The National Lottery Community Fund cohort, and facilitates and maintains relationships with community partners, frontline organisations and other stakeholders relevant to PLP's strategic priorities.

Primary duties and responsibilities

The following is an illustrative but not exclusive list of the primary duties and responsibilities of the role

Network development and coordination

• Establish, coordinate and grow the Community Knowledge Exchange – a network of people and organisations with lived and living experience of marginalisation, working with colleagues and frontline partners such as advice organisations and campaign groups.
• Manage relationships, communications and logistics for network members and meetings.
• Develop peer resource hubs and strong feedback loops between community insight and organisational delivery.
• Engage with the cohort of National Lottery funded organisations, making the most of connections and insights to shape the Community Knowledge Exchange and activities such as events.
• Connect PLP with communities and partners relevant to our strategic priorities. Uphold and promote PLP’s safeguarding policy, recognising and responding appropriately to concerns and escalating them through agreed procedures.

Knowledge exchange, influencing and storytelling

• Shape and develop network resources, working in collaboration with colleagues across the Communications & Engagement, Research and Casework teams and SLT.
• Work with the events team (which is part of the Communications & Engagement team) to develop and deliver convenings, meetings and trainings for the Community Knowledge Exchange and feed into PLP’s overall programme of events.
• Work with research and public affairs colleagues to support the co-production of research, policy and influencing work.
• Work with strategic communications colleagues to support and enable people with lived experience to share their stories publicly in ways that are ethical, empowering and on their own terms.
• Coordinate internal staff contributions to network delivery.

Funder relationship and programme development

• Play a lead role in developing PLP's relationship with The National Lottery Community Fund, acting as the primary point of contact for the development of the programme and support regular, high-quality communication and reporting.
• Represent PLP within the wider cohort of funded organisations, building relationships and identifying opportunities for collaboration, joint working and shared learning.
• Ensure that senior colleagues and the wider staff team are informed of developments in the programme, including emerging opportunities, funder priorities and cohort-wide initiatives.
• Shape the development of KPIs, in collaboration with others, and lead on tracking and reporting for PLP and sharing learnings internally and externally
• Contribute to and coordinate PLP's input into any collective communications, advocacy or other joint work across the cohort.
• Ensure PLP is well-positioned to respond to opportunities the funder makes available, including around communications support or additional resourcing.

Building capacity for lived experience partnership

• Advise colleagues on approaches to co-production and lived experience partnership working that are ethical, equitable and non-extractive.
• Shape and develop internal tools, guidance and resources to build organisational capacity in this area.
• Support teams across PLP to engage meaningfully with communities and frontline partners in their work.
• Act as an internal champion for centring lived experience across PLP's work, including casework, research, public affairs, strategic comms and events.

Management responsibilities and organisational contribution

• Contribute proactively as part of SMT to PLP’s strategy and goals.
• Role-model and embed PLP’s values and culture framework in day-to-day leadership and team development.
• Assist with management of the Communications & Engagement team e.g providing input on planning, chairing team meetings as appropriate, and assisting with recruitment, induction and training as required.
• Draw on network insight to contribute to organisational planning and strategy, including advising on emerging trends, risks and opportunities relevant to PLP’s priorities.

General duties

• Contribute to PLP’s general development, including improvement of systems, processes and ways of working.
• Ensure work is carried out in accordance with PLP policies, procedures, and relevant legal and regulatory requirements.
• Participate in PLP’s day-to-day operations, including accounting and financial reporting (including to funders).
• Work with other internal teams as required from time to time, beyond the areas set out above.
• Support fundraising activities as required, including contributing to grant applications and reporting.
• Attend meetings and other fora and represent PLP as required.
• Manage your own administrative tasks, correspondence and document preparation efficiently.
• Assist others with gathering data for monitoring and evaluation, both internal for SLT/Board and external for funders and stakeholders, including the Legal Aid Agency.
• Attend occasional evening meetings. These and other events may also result in the post holder having to be away from home overnight. However, PLP recognises that post holders may have caring and other commitments and seeks to be as flexible as possible in this regard. In addition, reasonable notice will be given of such commitments outside normal working hours where possible, and time off in lieu may be taken by arrangement.
• Undertake other tasks appropriate to the role as required

Contract: Full Time (35 hours per week), Permanent​

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Hours: 35 hours per week​

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Location: Manchester​

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Starting salary:  £34,220 per annum​​

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Closing date: 16.08.2026​

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Expected date of interviews: w/c 31.08.2026​

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Job ref: VA795​

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We have an exciting opportunity for a welfare advisor based within our Legal Advice and Welfare Services (LAWS) team. ​​

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About the role​

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Do you want to use your extensive welfare benefits and/or asylum support experience to help torture survivors realise their welfare rights and entitlements? ​

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Freedom from Torture is a human rights organisation that provides rehabilitation to survivors of torture. We are looking for someone who shares our passion for human rights to join our team in Manchester. ​

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The Welfare Advisor works within the holistic rehabilitation model of Freedom from Torture and provides welfare advice and advocacy to our clients, forming part of a multi-disciplinary team. You will receive, process and manage welfare referrals, and act as a point of contact on welfare issues primarily for the Manchester centre, and to a smaller degree, the​​ Scotland Centre.

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This role requires careful and sensitive delivery of complex welfare information and advice, often to very vulnerable clients. You must have in- depth knowledge of the welfare rights and benefits available to asylum seekers and/or refugees. This may include completing Section 4 applications, or appealing negative benefits decisions on health or vulnerability grounds. ​

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About you​

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The ideal candidate for the role will have the following:​

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​Experience of working within a similar role providing advocacy on a range of welfare issues to include housing, welfare benefits and Asylum Support

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​Extensive experience of working within the benefits system, including the application, assessment and appeals procedures

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​Experience working with refugees and asylum seekers and an understanding of the needs of this group and the associated support services and mechanisms available

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​Experience of liaising with external agencies and government bodies to ensure that service users are given access to their available welfare rights and entitlements.​​

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At interview you will need to demonstrate your ability to identify welfare needs and provide appropriate advice and recommendations. You will be given a case study to work through and you will be asked to share your analysis and plan with us. ​

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In return, we offer a competitive package, with a generous 30-day annual leave entitlement, and 6% employer pension contribution (minimum 1% employee contribution).​

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Freedom from Torture is committed to showing the salary for all advertised roles and not negotiating salaries for roles, in light of evidence that this contributes to structural inequality. ​

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Our policy is that all appointments will be at the start of the salary range but successful candidates will have the opportunity to move up the scale over time. The progression up the salary range is reviewed on an annual basis and subject to affordability. For this role, the salary range is £34,220 - £39,696.​

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To view the Job Description and Person Specification, please kindly see the attached file.​

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Please note a CV and a cover letter addressing the job description and person specification of the role are mandatory to be considered for the position.​

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Freedom from Torture is dedicated to healing and protecting people who have survived torture. We provide therapies to improve physical and mental health, we medically document torture, and we provide legal and welfare help. We expose torture globally, we fight to hold torturing states to account and we campaign for fairer treatment of torture survivors in the UK.​

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We campaign for national and global change, using evidence from our services and survivor voices to protect and promote survivors' rights and hold torturing states to account. We are proud to play a significant role in the global anti-torture movement. Survivors, active and empowered, are at the centre of all of our work.​

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Freedom from Torture is committed to its responsibilities under safeguarding and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is subject to a satisfactory DBS disclosure, as well as a need for full employment history and up to date employment references.​

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Freedom from Torture is an equal opportunity employer. People with lived experience of torture or asylum, from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQIA+ individuals and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.​

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We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications.​

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No agencies please.