Archives for February 2026

In response, On Call Counsel deployed more than 300 immigration attorneys, supervising attorneys, and legal support staff with proficiency in the languages spoken by the asylee population. We also scheduled and managed staff using our GPS enabled mobile app, which ensured all staff were onsite when clocking in and out.

Originally planned as a six-week project at a single location, the initiative rapidly expanded in scope due to its success, extending over eighteen months and growing to encompass five different locations. Our comprehensive approach went beyond facilitating asylum applications: it also covered temporary protective status and work authorization processes.

What was needed was a single contract that all agencies could use, one that would remove the need for separate RFPs, create consistent bill rates, set clear experience requirements, centralize reporting, and simplify billing. The goal was to move away from dozens of disconnected procurements toward a unified process that still allowed each agency to make its own hiring decisions.

This City’s Law Department introduced a master legal staffing contract that any City agency could access. This allowed agencies to bring on qualified attorneys and legal support professionals without having to run their own RFPs. The process became faster and far more consistent, with standardized bill rates and experience requirements, citywide reporting, and a single set of billing procedures.

This shared agreement also made it possible for the City to respond quickly to new and urgent legal needs. Projects that would have taken months to staff under the old system could now be launched in a fraction of the time, without sacrificing quality or compliance. 

In 2014, the Agency partnered with On Call Counsel to provide project-based attorneys at scale, and that partnership has continued to this day. Over the years, OCC has built a program that not only delivers attorneys when needed but also ensures those attorneys are prepared, supported, and able to succeed in the Agency’s environment.

While it may seem straightforward, simply supplying more attorneys, the reality required a tailored approach. OCC designed custom recruitment, screening, and support systems to meet the Agency’s unique requirements and to keep attorneys engaged through a lengthy hiring process.

The first challenge to address was the size of the talent pool. Limiting recruitment to one city wasn’t sustainable, so OCC expanded its search nationally. This allowed them to attract attorneys from regions where public sector compensation was more competitive, ensuring a steady pipeline of qualified candidates.

From there, OCC focused on building the right systems to make the program work. They introduced technology-driven tools such as a chatbot-based pre-screening system that validates bar admission, availability, remote readiness, and compliance with hiring policies, filtering out unqualified applicants early. To prepare candidates for the Agency’s virtual systems, OCC created a PC Literacy Tech Check with real-world scenarios, reducing onboarding delays and ensuring productivity from day one.

Because the hiring process could stretch for months, OCC kept candidates engaged through ongoing communication and regular updates, ensuring strong attorneys remained interested until placement. At the same time, OCC’s recruitment engine ran continuously so the Agency always had qualified candidates ready to move forward as soon as new openings were approved.