crImmigration jobs

Announcements of job openings related to the wonderful world of crImmigration law. I simply repost announcements sent to me or that I see on listserves. I make no representations about the position or organization. I only post information about paid positions. If anyone would like an announcement added or removed, email me at ccgarciahernandez@gmail.com. Updates to this page are announced on Twitter under the name @crImmigration.

June 22, 2015

Immigration Clinic Fellow: Boston College Law School (Newton, MA)

The Boston College Immigration Clinic seeks a full-time attorney for a one-year fellowship, with a possibility of renewal for a second year depending on availability of funding. The fellow will work as a staff attorney in the Boston College Immigration Clinic and will supervise students enrolled in the Boston College Law School Immigration Clinic in Newton, Massachusetts, together with Professor Mary Holper. Preferred start date August 1, 2015.

Principal Responsibilities:

• Represent abused, abandoned, or neglected noncitizen children in petitions for special immigration findings before Massachusetts Juvenile Courts and Probate and Family Courts;
• Represent noncitizens before the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in applications for immigration status, including special immigrant juvenile status, petitions under the Violence Against Women Act, asylum, U visas, and adjustment of status;
• Represent noncitizens in removal proceedings before the Boston Immigration Court in cases involving asylum, withholding of removal, relief under the Convention Against Torture, cancellation of removal, waivers of inadmissibility, and adjustment of status;
• Supervise students enrolled in the Immigration Clinic in the direct representation of clients in removal proceedings and applications for status before the USCIS;
• Participate in regular weekly meetings of the Immigration Clinic; and
• Screen cases for representation by the Immigration Clinic.

Qualifications and Skills:

• J.D. from ABA-accredited law school;
• Membership in good standing in any U.S. state bar;
• Demonstrated commitment and experience in immigration law, preferably in removal, detention, or special immigrant juvenile status (law school clinics included);
• Excellent research, writing, and interpersonal skills;
• Strong organizational abilities and ability to “multi-task;” and
• Proficiency in Spanish preferred.

Application: Please submit cover letter and résumé to Susie Shabanian, Center for Experiential Learning, 885 Centre Street, Newton, MA, 02459 or by email to susie.shabanian@bc.edu. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Boston College Is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer

June 18, 2015

Van Der Hout, Brigagliano & Nightingale, llp is seeking a Litigation Research Fellow

Van Der Hout, Brigagliano & Nightingale, llp is a nationally renowned, full-service immigration and nationality law firm in San Francisco.  The firm was founded in 1980 and represents a wide range of clients.

We are seeking a licensed attorney with one to three years of experience or a recent law graduate (or current 3L) to serve as a Litigation Research Fellow. The position is initially one year with the possibility of a second year.  The fellow will work directly with partners and associate attorneys on a wide range of immigration cases, including deportation defense, federal court litigation, family, asylum, naturalization, and a variety of cases involving the intersection of criminal and immigration law.  Cases involve representing clients before the Immigration Courts, the Board of Immigration Appeals, CIS, ICE, CBP, and the federal courts. Fellow will work closely with attorneys in the firm, handling primarily legal research and writing in support of litigation and other advocacy in a cutting edge, diverse and complex immigration law practice.

Qualifications:

• Experience in/ Knowledge of immigration law strongly preferred.
• Excellent legal research and writing skills.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Ability and interest in taking on complex and difficult immigration cases.
• Spoken and written Spanish helpful.
• Interest in fast-paced, energetic work environment.
• Admission in a State Bar Preferred.
• Start date expected to be September 2015, with some flexibility

Salary will be commensurate with experience.

Please send your resume, short writing sample and cover letter to:

George Phillips, Office Administrator

Van Der Hout, Brigagliano & Nightingale, llp

via e-mail to attyjobs@vblaw.com or Facsimile to (415) 981-3003.

No telephone calls please.

April 14, 2015

DAPA/Expanded DACA Equal Justice Works Fellowships: Multiple Cities

• conducting outreach to underserved populations to locate individuals eligible for DAPA or DACA relief;
• providing direct legal representation to assist with DAPA and DACA applications;
• creating and conducting culturally competent “know your rights” sessions;
• training and managing pro bono attorneys to expand DAPA and DACA services;
• preparing written brochures and/or manuals on DAPA and DACA issues for widespread distribution; and
• collaborating with other legal or non-legal service providers in the community to share information and run trainings.

• Denver
• Los Angeles*
• New Orleans
• Oakland
• Sacramento
• San Francisco

February 26, 2015

ProBAR: Legal Orientation Program for Custodians Coordinator (Harlingen, Texas)

ProBAR is seeking a Spanish-speaking attorney to fill the LOPC coordinator position in ProBAR’s Children’s Office, located near the border in Harlingen, Texas.

The LOPC (Legal Orientation Program for Custodians) Coordinator will be an attorney who is responsible for providing telephonic information to the sponsors (usually parents or other relatives) of children after they have been released from detention. The LOPC coordinator will work with the LOPC associate to provide this information by telephone to sponsors who are across the country as well as some who are in the local Harlingen area. In addition, the LOPC Coordinator will help children enroll in public school when they encounter problems enrolling. The LOPC Coordinator will supervise the LOPC Associate as well as a part-time administrative assistant.

The LOPC Coordinator will spend 80 percent of his or her time conducting LOPC work, and the remaining 20 percent will be for direct representation work in ProBAR’s Children’s Project. This includes representing children seeking Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and other forms of relief.

If you have any questions, please contact kimi.jackson@abaprobar.org. The application is available here:

https://www.recruitingcenter.net/Clients/abanet/PublicJobs/controller.cfm?jbaction=JobProfile&job_id=11355

February 25, 2015

Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project: Staff Attorney

The Organization

The Florence Project was founded in 1989 to respond to a representation crisis for indigent non-citizens detained at the rural Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Detention Center in Florence, Arizona. Through our programs today, we provide services to the more than 3,500 men, women, and children that are detained in Arizona on any given day. The Florence Project is nationally known for its legal service delivery systems which ensure that detained people are empowered and have access to justice. The Florence Project provides high quality legal services and supports initiatives for national changes in immigration law and policy.

The Staff Attorney Position

The Florence Project has an opening for a staff attorney, serving detainees in Florence, Arizona. The staff attorney provides pro bono legal services to men in ICE custody and works in three detention centers in Florence. The staff attorney will be based in Florence, but will also provide legal services to detained men and women in Eloy, as needed. The staff attorney will work on a team of three (two staff attorneys and one legal assistant) providing group “know your rights” presentations, individual intakes, group and individual court counseling and prep sessions, and pro se services to immigrants facing removal proceedings before the Immigration Court. The staff attorney will also fully represent detainees in merits proceedings before the Immigration Court and Board of Immigration Appeals, especially detainees with mental health issues. The staff attorney will also supervise law student interns and other volunteers, refer cases to the Florence Project’s pro bono and social services program, and participate in related advocacy and outreach projects.

This is an immediate opening. The position is based out of the Florence Project’s main office in Florence, a prison town approximately one hour south of Phoenix and one and a half hours north of Tucson. This position may be able to work out of Tucson or Phoenix offices 1 day a week. Starting salary is $40,000. Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance, as well as generous vacation and leave policies.

Requirements

Fluency in Spanish is required. The applicant must be licensed to practice law in any state, waiting on bar results, or have registered to sit for the next bar exam. We seek applicants who have a demonstrated commitment to immigration issues and public interest law, who enjoy working in a collaborative, high volume, and energetic work environment, and who are flexible team players. Prior advocacy, practice, or clinical experience in immigration or criminal law and experience working with indigent clients is preferred. Prior advocacy work in immigrant rights, human rights, LGBTQ rights, criminal justice, mental health advocacy, or experience working with trauma survivors is a plus.

Application Process

To apply, please email a resume, letter of interest, three references, and writing sample to jobs@firrp.org. The Florence Project recognizes the value of diversity in the workplace and strongly encourages applications from people of color, LGBTQ individuals, persons with disabilities, and members of under-represented or disadvantaged communities. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and candidates are encouraged to apply early. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

February 19, 2015

Immigrant Justice Corps: Supervising Attorney

The Immigrant Justice Corps (IJC) seeks a supervising attorney to join our start-up team.

IJC is the country’s first fellowship program dedicated to meeting the need for high-quality legal assistance for immigrants seeking citizenship, other affirmative applications, and fighting deportation. Inspired by Chief Judge Robert Katzmann of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, IJC brings together the country’s most talented advocates, connects them to New York City’s best legal and community institutions, leverages the latest technologies, and fosters a culture of creative thinking that will produce new strategies to reduce the justice gap for immigrant families, ensuring that immigration status is no longer a barrier to social and economic opportunity.

The supervising attorney will help supervise IJC’s Community Fellows, Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) accredited representatives working around New York City. Community Fellows conduct outreach and legal intake with non-citizens through placements at various agencies serving low-income New Yorkers.

More information is available on the full job posting at Idealist.org.

February 18, 2015

Legal Services Manager, Immigration Advocates Network

The Immigration Advocates Network (IAN) is an innovative collaboration of 12 leading immigration advocacy and legal support providers and Pro Bono Net, its fiscal sponsor and anchor organization. IAN seeks a Legal Services Manager to help develop and support new technology-based models of service delivery to increase access to justice for low and moderate-income immigrants. The position requires experience in nonprofit project management, legal services, strategic partnerships, writing and communications, and a strong commitment to innovations in legal service delivery. This is a newly-created, immediately available, full time position with excellent benefits, including 4 weeks paid vacation. It is based at Pro Bono Net’s New York City office.

Responsibilities:
● Work with senior staff to develop a comprehensive strategy to implement and support a new online immigration legal services delivery platform;
● Conduct outreach and develop strategic partnerships with nonprofit legal providers, law firms, in-house legal departments, and community partners to facilitate adoption of the platform;
● Help to design workflows to deliver legal services that incorporate technology, including mobile devices, tablets and laptop computers;
● Help partners implement innovative legal service delivery models, including remote service delivery, drop-in centers, kiosks, technology-based group workshops, and assisted pro se delivery models with non-legal community navigators;
● Coordinate closely with field and customer support staff to successfully rollout and support the platform;
● Draft and update plain language legal content for new and existing platforms;
● Work with national, regional and local stakeholders to learn about concerns, common issues and challenges, and to share new developments and best practices;
● Assist senior staff with grant reports and funding proposals.

Qualifications:
● Law degree, with a license to practice in any state;
● Experience in immigration law (including naturalization and DACA) preferred;
● Minimum three years coordinating/managing legal programs or projects;
● A high level of comfort with technology and problem-solving;
● A commitment to innovation in the field of law, and a strong interest in the practical, ethical and other challenges to delivering legal services online;
● Strong writing skills and ability to create plain language legal content;
● Experience creating and sustaining strong partnerships;
● Ability to travel several times a year;
● Fluency in Spanish or another language preferred.
Why Work With Us?
● We’re a mission-driven organization that works closely with nonprofit, private sector, and government partners to deploy effective technology to make the legal system more accessible to low-income immigrants;
● We’re a dedicated and passionate team that cares deeply about social justice, the effective use of technology, and the success of our projects;
● We work collaboratively in a supportive environment that encourages staff develop a diverse skillset and the flexibility to pursue new ideas.

To Apply:

Send a resume, a cover-letter and 3 references to IAN associate director, Pat Malone, at pmalone@immigrationadvocates.org. No telephone calls please. Identified candidates will be contacted directly. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. We are an equal opportunity employer.

To learn more about IAN, our projects and our partners, visit http://www.immigrationadvocates.org.

February 9, 2015

Senior Attorney: Safe Passage Project (New York City)

The Safe Passage Project, housed at New York Law School, works with volunteer attorneys and law students to provide pro bono legal representation for unaccompanied minors in the immigration process. Safe Passage provides training, resources, and mentoring to volunteer attorneys regarding Special Immigrant Juvenile (“SIJ”) status as well as other possible immigration alternatives for children.

The SPP is looking for a senior attorney who can manage their legal services team and direct their training and pro bono coordination. Here is a link to the full job description.

January 26, 2015

Immigration Special Projects Coordinator: Catholic Charities (New York)

Catholic Charities, NY, is hiring an Immigration Special Projects Coordinator to develop and implement outreach strategies in the Archdiocese of New York under the President’s Executive Action (DAPA and DACA) programs. Coverage would include New York City and the Lower Hudson Valley. Bachelor’s Degree and a minimum of one year’s relevant experience required.

A further description follows below. For further information or to submit a resume and statement of interest, please contact Human Resources as Miguel.diaz@archny.org.

Immigration/Executive Action Special Projects Coordinator

Summary

Serve as coordinator and point of contact for Catholic Charities multi-faceted and multi-staged activities to outreach and service individuals and families having new opportunities under Executive Action and other initiatives.

Develop and coordinate the implementation of a plan of advocacy, outreach, partnering, and services for the Archdiocese.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Develop and disseminate resources for Archdiocese and CCNY (and appropriate state-wide, eg Hotline) to lead and coordinate informational, outreach, and services implementation strategies.
2. In conjunction with the Division Director and Legal Services Director, develop and coordinate an internal (and regional) program response, including developing informational, presentation/seminar, outreach, hotline, legal services, registration, and other protocols
3. Develop and ensure the proper data and resources for sharing and marketing information on Executive Action and CC programs exist, including the development of new tools to do this (in conjunction with the Marketing and Communications department);
4. Develop plan for identifying and recruiting volunteers within the Division and regional offices and develop appropriate opportunities to support the work of staff (in conjunction with the Director of Volunteer Services);
5. Work with the Office of Social and Community Development to develop specific parish and a related outreach strategy for enhancing services and communication, and serve as primary contact person for Pastors and parishes.
6. Develop and implement, as appropriate, electronic informational communication/distribution system joined with a registration/tracking system (in conjunction with Marketing and Communications department);
7. Actively work with the Senior Management team to explore opportunities for local, state and federal funding to support expanded services resulting from Executive Action.
8. Coordinate any Special Projects as appropriate and approved by the Executive Director of Catholic Charities, including workshops, press events and meetings.
9. Participate in outreach events, including making presentations about specifics of Executive Action proposal and CCNY response plans.
10. Coordinate with the Justice for Immigrants Campaign of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, CLINIC and neighboring dioceses on Executive Action planning, and outreach activities.
11. In conjunction with the Division Director and other Directors, as appropriate, develop and coordinate internal and external communication/outreach strategies on other issues and initiatives, as they occur, including, but not limited to, for example, Municipal ID, Unaccompanied Minors, Hotline expansion, etc.

January 15, 2015

Michael Maggio Immigrants’ Rights Summer Fellowship Program

Since its inception in 2009, the Michael Maggio Immigrants’ Rights Summer Fellowship Program has awarded a dedicated law school student each year the opportunity to engage in a self-initiated project that strengthens their commitment for advocacy and promotes justice and equality for vulnerable immigrant groups.

The Fellowship was established by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law (CHRCL), and the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild (NIP/NLG), to commemorate the life and legal contributions of Michael Maggio and to continue his pursuit for equality and peace.

The Fellowship is a wonderful opportunity for any law school student who is driven to raise awareness and fight for the underserved immigrant community.

The Fellowship:
The Fellowship awards $2,500 to a law student to work on an immigration related student-initiated project.  Applicants must submit a project proposal with an organization willing to host the student for 10 weeks.  The student’s proposal must include a collaborative plan with the host organization to partially match the Fellowship award in the amount of $1,500. This matching may be done by either direct stipend  by the host organization  or through other means, e.g., law school public interest funding, independent fundraising, etc. This ensures that the student will receive a total funding in the amount of $4,000.

The deadline for the 2015 Fellowship is Friday, February 13, 2015.

To learn more about the Fellowship and to download the application form, visit www.maggiofellowship.org.  If you have specific questions about the fellowship program, please contact Peter Schey, President of the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law at pschey@centerforhumanrights.org .

Please share with and encourage any and all law students to apply for this wonderful opportunity.
January 9, 2015

Staff Attorney: Safe Passage Project (New York City)

The Safe Passage Project, housed at New York Law School, works with volunteer attorneys and law students to provide pro bono legal representation for unaccompanied minors in the immigration process. Safe Passage provides training, resources, and mentoring to volunteer attorneys regarding Special Immigrant Juvenile (“SIJ”) status as well as other possible immigration alternatives for children.

POSITION SUMMARY: The Staff Attorney will manage a caseload for youth that reside in New York City and mentor pro bono attorneys. The Staff Attorney will also assist senior management in the organization and management of Safe Passage Project’s weekly surge docket and supervision volunteer students, attorneys, translators and staff.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Supervise and mentor Pro Bono Volunteers with Safe Passage Project.
• Assist in the Organization and Management of Safe Passage Project’s weekly Surge Docket.
• Screen immigrant children and their family members in immigration court.
• Provide detailed reporting statistics on each case that the Attorney mentors or represents directly.
• Prepare materials and present at Safe Passage Project trainings.
• Revise and Update Safe Passage Project Manuals and other written materials.
• Provide some direct representation of Safe Passage Project clients.

QUALIFICATIONS:
• J.D. degree and admission to New York State Bar.
• At least three years of relevant family or immigration law experience. Experience working as a litigator is a plus.
• Fluency in Spanish is required.
• Experience working with diverse communities
• Excellent written, analytical, oral, organizational and time management skills;
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively on an interdisciplinary team in a fast-paced, high intensity environment.

CONTACT
All applicants must submit a cover letter, resume, writing sample, and three references electronically in a single PDF document with the subject line “STAFF ATTORNEY APPLICATION” to mep@safepassageproject.org by January 30, 2015.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skills required of personnel so classified.

Safe Passage Project is an equal opportunity employer. Women, People of Color, LGBTQ People, Veterans and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

December 10, 2014

Border Rights Fellow: ACLU of New Mexico

Position Overview

Under the direction of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico’s Legal Director, the Civil Rights Fellow will collaborate with Mexican human rights attorneys to prevent the U.S. government from depriving undocumented immigrants of their personal belongings during the process of removal from the country. The Fellow will serve as co-counsel on border-specific, immigration-related civil liberties cases. The work will include legal research and drafting legal memoranda; preparing and filing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests; preparing and filing administrative complaints; developing, investigating and litigating border specific cases; conducting discovery, drafting pleadings, motions and briefs; and possibly presenting oral arguments in state and federal courts. The Civil Rights Fellow will have non-litigation advocacy responsibilities including public speaking, research and publishing reports.

The Fellow will collaborate closely with the ACLU-NM’s Regional Center for Border Rights (RCBR) which, located near the US-Mexico border in Las Cruces, addresses civil and human rights violations that stem from border security policies. The position is based in Albuquerque, but depending on experience, it is possible that the position could be based in Las Cruces.  This position will require regular travel to Las Cruces, Juarez and other points in the border region.  This is a grant funded position for twelve months.

Founded in 1962, the ACLU-NM is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan organization which uses legal, legislative and public education approaches to protect and promote individual rights and freedoms, including free speech, racial justice, privacy, religious liberty, reproductive rights, LGBT rights, immigrants’ rights and more. The ACLU-NM is an affiliate of the national ACLU, the leading defender of civil liberties guaranteed by our nation’s Bill of Rights. The ACLU-NM has offices in Albuquerque and Las Cruces and a staff of 15 people. It has 5,000 members across the state and an annual budget of $1.5 million.

Responsibilities include:

• Collaborate with RCBR and attorneys from the Programa de Defensa e Incidencia Binacional (PDIB, based in Juárez, México) to prevent undocumented immigrants from being deprived of their personal belongings by the U.S. government. This will include extensive legal and non-legal research, identification and development of litigation strategies, writing a comprehensive legal memorandum, filing FOIA requests and administrative complaints, and possibly litigating civil rights claims
• Investigate and litigate under the direction of the Legal Director border and immigration civil liberties and civil rights cases. This includes legal research, filing public records requests and FOIAs, drafting pleadings and briefs, discovery and motion practice, trials, and appeals in state and/or federal courts.
• Provide legal analysis to other senior ACLU staff and PDIB attorneys.
• Meet with PDIB/RCBR staff at least once a month to provide legal orientation, present legal research memoranda, educate lawyers about possible legal strategies, and prepare administrative complaints.

Qualifications

• Commitment to the preservation and vigorous enforcement of civil liberties.  Firm commitment to the mission and principles of the ACLU.
• Bilingual, Spanish-English required
• Willing to travel throughout New Mexico, El Paso, TX, and Juarez, Mexico.
• Exceptional legal research, strategic thinking, writing and verbal and communication skills.
• Strong understanding of civil liberties issues and understanding of constitutional law is required, strong understanding of immigration policies is a plus.
• Currently licensed to practice law.
• Proven ability to work independently as well as within a team.
• A commitment to diversity; a personal approach that values the individual and respects differences of race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ability  and socio-economic circumstance.
• Creative, result-oriented, self-starting and finishing, willing to learn, and able to manage an aggressive schedule, working beyond 9-5 as needed.
• Proficiency with computers: Windows and Microsoft Office in particular.

Salary range will be set depending upon experience. Excellent benefits include paid vacation, medical and dental insurance, 401k plan, life and long-term disability insurance, and generous paid holidays.

To apply: Send cover letter, with salary requirements, resume, and names and contact information of three professional references either by email, in MSWord only, to HR@aclu-nm.org.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled but preference will be given to applications received by January 5, 2015.

The ACLU encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, and veteran status.

December 5, 2014

Staff Attorney: Towards Justice (Denver)

Towards Justice is recruiting a Staff Attorney (preferably bilingual in Spanish and English) to build the capacity of our new, entrepreneurial legal-services organization

About Towards Justice:

Towards Justice defends economic stability for working families by providing direct legal services to low-wage, mostly immigrant workers, facilitating access to justice in wage theft cases, and strengthening worker protection on the state and municipal levels. Meanwhile, Towards Justice aims to change the conversation about the immigrant workforce, and to enhance the legal and reputational repercussions for abusive employment practices.

About the Staff Attorney Opportunity:

This opportunity is ideal for an attorney with superior lawyering skills, including research, writing, and legal analysis. The Staff Attorney will work closely with the Director of Litigation to bring unique cases in state and federal court, and must have the ability to independently litigate complex employment law cases under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Colorado Wage Act, the Agricultural Workers Protection Act, and other relevant state and federal statutes. Substantial in-court experience is preferred, and commitment to public interest law is essential. Applicants should share our passion for protecting low-wage immigrant workers from employment law abuses, and possess the ability to think strategically about how best to influence law, policy and enforcement practices.
Core responsibilities include:

The Staff Attorney will focus on litigating impact cases in federal court, particularly class and collective actions representing large number of employees who have all been exploited by the same employer. The Staff Attorney should be able to think strategically about impact litigation, spot employment law issues, and have a superior ability to communicate with potential clients, collaborating attorneys, government officials, and non-profit partners. Tasks for which the Staff Attorney will be responsible include:
– Conducting factual investigations and interacting with clients and potential clients
– Preparing legal research and drafting memoranda on complex employment-law issues
– Arguing motions in state and federal court
– Representing clients in alternative dispute resolution proceedings
– Drafting motions, briefs, and other pleadings
– Conducting written discovery and depositions
– Preparing witnesses for deposition and trial
– Managing and preparing expert witnesses
– Collaborating with co-counsel and pro bono counsel
– Negotiating with opposing counsel
– Calculating damages

Qualifications:
– Required:
o Admission to practice law in the state of Colorado
o Two (2) to three (3) years of litigation experience in state and federal court
o Commitment to empowering marginalized workers and expanding access to justice
o Outstanding writing skills, including the ability to write clear, concise, punchy prose
o Good judgment and the capacity to evaluate strategic opportunities
o Confident oral communication skills
o Facility with Microsoft Office programs, the internet, Google Scholar, and legal research tools including WestLaw and/or LexisNexis
o Excellent interpersonal skills and a sense of humor
o Superior organizational skills
o Strong work ethic
– Preferred:
o Ability to communicate in oral and written Spanish
o Experience litigating class action cases under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23
o Experience litigating collective action cases under the Fair Labor Standards Act
o Experience representing vulnerable or low-income populations
o Judicial clerkship experience
o Trial experience
o Cross-cultural experience

Compensation:

Commensurate with experience, and includes a competitive public interest law salary and benefits package.
Application Instructions:

If you are interested in joining our team, please send the following documents as a single PDF attachment to an email to info@towardsjustice.org:
 Cover letter (1-2 pages)
 Resume (1-2 pages)
 A writing sample (up to 10 pages)
 A list of three (3) references familiar with your legal work

Applications for this Staff Attorney opportunity will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis, and early application is encouraged.

Thank you! We look forward to working with you.

Towards Justice is an Equal Opportunity Employer – Women, People of Color, Gays and Lesbians, Transgender People, Veterans and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
December 3, 2014

Clinical Fellow: University of Minnesota Law School

The University of Minnesota Law School is seeking applicants for a clinical teaching fellowship beginning in the fall of 2015 with the Center for New Americans. The Center for New Americans is a comprehensive immigration law center composed of the three interrelated clinics: The Immigration and Human Rights Clinic, The Detainee Rights Clinic, and the Federal Immigration Litigation Clinic, as well as an education and outreach program. The Fellow will supervise students in representing clients and in advocacy projects, teach clinic seminar classes, and participate in the general development and functioning of the Center. For a detailed description and instructions on how to apply, go to employment.umn.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=125032. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity employer.

November 13, 2014

Contract Staff Attorney: ProBar Children’s Project (Harlingen, Texas)

Due to an increase in detained minors in the Rio Grande Valley, ProBAR is hiring several contract staff attorneys to work in its Children’s Project.

The contract staff attorney will represent detained immigrant children in pursuing Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, asylum, U visas, T visas, and other forms of legal relief. In addition, the contract staff attorney will provide representation for children during the detained juvenile dockets at the Harlingen Immigration Court.

ProBAR is located in Harlingen, Texas, less than 45 minutes from South Padre Island and the Mexican border. Nearly 1700 immigrant children are detained in the area. ProBAR Children’s Office currently has ten attorneys and twenty-three paralegals. Our top-notch team is doing innovative work in areas such as Special Immigrant Juvenile, asylum, Border Patrol abuse and appeals. Living in South Texas is comfortable and affordable.

Contracts run for three months from start date. Compensation is competitive, and benefits are available for purchase through the contract agency. There is a possibility of some of the contract positions eventually turning into full-time positions with our office, depending on ProBAR’s funding at the end of the three-month period.

Applicants must be fluent in Spanish. Texas licensure is preferred, as the attorney will need to appear in state court in order to help children pursue Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. Applicants who are not licensed in Texas must be licensed in another state or must be recent law graduates who have sat for a bar exam and are awaiting results.

For information, email a cover letter and resume to ProBAR Children’s Project Interim Supervising Attorney Ruben Matthew Enriquez, ruben.enriquez@abaprobar.org.

What Is ProBAR?

The mission of the South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project (ProBAR) is to provide high quality representation to indigent immigrants and asylum-seekers in South Texas. ProBAR, established in 1989, is a joint project of the American Bar Association, State Bar of Texas, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). ProBAR has two offices in Harlingen, Texas. One serves the local population of adults in immigration detention at the Port Isabel Detention Center in Los Fresnos, Texas.

The other, known as the Children’s Project , serves the population of nearly 1500 detained, unaccompanied children at Office of Refugee Resettlement shelters across the Rio Grande Valley. ProBAR serves the highest volume of unaccompanied minors in the nation. ProBAR’s services include “Know Your Rights” presentations, pro se assistance, pro bono representation, and direct representation by ProBAR attorneys and Accredited Representatives. The children ProBAR serves mainly come from Central America. They range in age from newborn infants to 17. Most do not speak English and have limited educations. They are often victims of violence in their homes, their communities, or during their journey to the U.S. Many are eligible for protection under U.S. law, including Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, the U and T visas, and asylum. Over the years, ProBAR Children’s Project has developed innovative legal theories for children applying for asylum and other forms of relief, and ProBAR’s methods of working with Central American youth have been used as a national model.

Harlingen is located in the southernmost tip of Texas, less than an hour from the border and from South Padre Island. Recently, Harlingen was rated as the most affordable place to live in the U.S., with cost of living at 18% below the national average. The Rio Grande Valley has three airports and is one of the fastest-growing areas in the country.

Learn more about ProBAR here:
www.americanbar.org/probar
www.ambar.org/probarchildren

October 31, 2014

Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights: Staff Attorney (Harlingen, Texas)

The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights invites applications for the position of Harlingen Texas Staff Attorney to be based in Harlingen/Brownsville, Texas. The Young Center is dedicated to promoting the best interests—safety and well-being—of unaccompanied and separated immigrant children in the United States. The immediate focus of the Young Center’s work is to serve as Child Advocate (guardian ad litem in immigration proceedings) for unaccompanied and separated children pursuant to the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) and the 2013 Violence Against Women Act. The Young Center is at the forefront of best interests advocacy for unaccompanied immigrant children and is the only organization in the country overseeing the work of independent Child Advocates for children in immigration detention pursuant to the TVPRA.
The Staff Attorney position is a unique opportunity for an attorney to engage in written and oral advocacy on behalf of children in removal proceedings. The Staff Attorney will draft and submit best interests recommendations in immigration court, before asylum offices, to public interest attorneys, to the pro bono bar, and to the three federal agencies (DHS, HHS and DOJ) with responsibility for unaccompanied children in the United States. In Texas, the Staff Attorney will work directly with detained children (as young as a few months and up to 18 years old) to advocate for their best interests with respect to their custody, conditions of release, and their immigration proceedings. The Staff Attorney will recruit, train and supervise bilingual and bicultural volunteer Child Advocates—teachers, law students, social workers, community members—who will work one-on-one with children. The Young Center team is a passionate and collegial group of professionals—attorneys, social workers and administrative staff—committed to ensuring that children receive the full protection of federal immigration law, domestic child welfare law and international human rights law.

Duties and Responsibilities: The Staff Attorney’s primary responsibilities will be to:
1. Supervise volunteer Child Advocates for the Young Center Child Advocate program serving children in federal custody in in federal custody in Harlingen, Brownsville, Weslaco and Los Fresnos, Texas.
2. Serve as Child Advocate for unaccompanied children Recruit, train and supervise bilingual volunteers serving as Child Advocates.
3. Draft and submit best interests briefs to immigration judges, asylum officers, attorneys, and federal agencies, applying federal, state and international law.
4. Accompany children and their Child Advocates to Immigration Court, as well as state juvenile and family court.
5. Coordinate with stakeholders serving children in Harlingen, Brownsville, Weslaco and Los Fresnos, Texas.

Minimum Requirements:
1. J.D. and appropriate authorization to practice law.
2. At least one year of experience practicing law.
3. Excellent written and oral advocacy skills.
4. A commitment to public interest work.
5. Proficiency in Spanish, including the ability to speak with children in Spanish and to communicate over the telephone in Spanish with children, family members, and others.
6. Ability to take initiative, to work collaboratively, and an enthusiasm for working with volunteers.
7. Passion, tenacity and optimism for the issues affecting immigrant children and their families.
8. A driver’s license and car are necessary for traveling to shelter facilities in and around Harlingen, Brownsville, Weslaco and Los Fresnos, Texas.

The Young Center, a project of Tides Center, is an “at-will” and equal opportunity employer. Applicants and employees shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender (including pregnancy and gender expression) identity, color, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law or ordinance. Reasonable accommodation will be made so that qualified disabled applicants may participate in the application process. Please advise Tides in writing of special needs at the time of application.

Job offer is conditioned on clearance of fingerprint criminal background check, child abuse and neglect check (CANTS) and tuberculosis test.

Salary is commensurate with experience. The Young Center is a project of the Tides Center, a non-profit organization. The Young Center/Tides Center provides excellent benefits including health/dental/vision insurance, a flexible spending account for medical and dependent care, vacation, and sick leave.

Review of candidates will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Please email a cover letter, resume, three references and a writing sample to jobs@TheYoungCenter.org and include the title “Harlingen Staff Attorney” in the subject line. To learn more about the Young Center’s work, please visit www.TheYoungCenter.org.

October 23, 2014

Summer Law Clerk: Immigrant Law Group (Portland, OR)

The Immigrant Law Group, a private law firm where the wonderful person and brilliant attorney Stephen Manning is a partner, operates a summer law clerk position every year. Application information for next year’s position is now available here.

October 20, 2014

Immigrant Justice Corps Fellowship (New York City)

October 17, 2014

Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Fellowship: Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (RMIAN)

Position Summary: The Equal Justice Works justice AmeriCorps Fellow will be responsible for providing direct legal representation in immigration and related proceedings for unaccompanied immigrant children aged 15 and under.  The Fellow will be part of the justice AmeriCorps program – 100 lawyers and paralegals working throughout the United States to provide representation to unaccompanied children.  Fellows will conduct thorough intakes of child clients and provide legal representation to children in immigration removal proceedings, including in cases involving asylum, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and other forms of relief.

Lawyers must begin service no later than December 1, 2014, and be available for a week- long national training in Washington, D.C., starting December 1 or December 8.

Term of service is one year, with a strong possibility of renewal for a second year.

Responsibilities and Duties:

• Handle caseload providing direct representation to unaccompanied immigrant children 15 and under of approximately 50 individuals per year.
• Conduct thorough intakes to ascertain immigration relief.
• Provide representation to children in immigration removal proceedings as well as before US Citizenship and Immigration Services and state court proceedings related to a child’s immigration case.
• Mentor pro bono attorneys to represent children in immigration or state court proceedings in some instances.
• Screen clients for trauma, abuse and trafficking.
• Make referrals to additional services, as appropriate.
• Assume general administrative responsibilities, including grant compliance, timekeeping, case management and other tasks related to AmeriCorps and Equal Justice Works program compliance.

Qualifications:

• J.D.
• Admission to a state bar; strong preference for applicants licensed in Colorado
• Graduate of an Equal Justice Works member law school (most schools are members)
• Fluent in Spanish.
• Experience in immigration or family law.
• Experience working with children preferred.
• Strong passion for RMIAN’s mission and demonstrated commitment to public interest law
• Strong sense of personal initiative and ability to multi-task without extensive supervision

Terms & Conditions

• Total living allowance and supplemental benefits of approximately $41,000 per year.

o   AmeriCorps Living allowance of $24,200;

o   Supplemental benefits for housing, student loans, professional dues, relocation expenses and other allowable expenses, up to $16,800.

Other Benefits and Professional Opportunities:

• Eligibility to place all qualified student loans into forbearance and receive an interest accrual payment at the end of service;
• $5,645 Segal Education Award upon successful completion of one year of service;
• National training program on representing unaccompanied immigrant children in Washington, D.C. in December 2014.
• Child care assistance (through CNCS approved vendor if income eligible).
• Fully paid health insurance.

This position requires completion of National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW), State and FBI Fingerprint-based criminal background checks, as well as compliance with Corporation for National and Community Service regulations.  Note that presence on the National Sex Offender Public Website is a bar to service.  Other criminal history does not necessarily disqualify you for service.  Each will be decided on a case by case basis.
To Apply:

Send cover letter, resume, and writing sample to: Abbie Johnson, RMIAN Children’s Program Managing Attorney, at ajohnson@rmian.org

All organizations involved in the Immigrant Children’s Defense Corps are Equal Employment Opportunity Employers and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or veteran status.

October 15, 2014

Clinical Immigration Fellowships: Cardozo School of Law Immigration Clinic (New York City)

The Cardozo School of Law’s Kathryn O. Greenberg Immigration Justice Clinic is interested in hiring an attorney as a Clinical Teaching Fellow to start in fall 2015. The fellow’s responsibilities would include a combination of the following:

• work on deportation defense, or related cases, in the immigration and federal courts;
• work on impact litigation and advocacy projects with immigrant community based and national advocacy organizations;
• supervision of clinic students on litigation and advocacy projects;
• assistance in teaching and administering the clinic seminar; and
• primary responsibility for the clinic docket during the summer session.

The fellow would have significant autonomy to construct her or his own docket of relevant work in accordance with his or her interests and would have the opportunity to take part in the academic life of the law school. This position is ideal for candidates interested in the substantive areas of immigration or criminal law and/or candidates interested in careers in clinical teaching. Past fellows have generally had 1-5 years of practice experience.

The Immigration Justice Clinic at Cardozo is an in-house year-long intensive live client clinic in which students represent immigrants in a variety of matters but primarily in deportation proceedings in the immigration courts and federal courts. In addition, students have the opportunity to represent immigrant community based and national advocacy organizations engaged in impact projects on cutting edge immigration issues. The clinic’s docket focuses primarily on immigrants facing deportation because of encounters with the criminal justice system and more generally on immigration enforcement issues. You can learn more about the clinic under the “Learn About Our Work” link at http://www.cardozo.yu.edu/immigrationjusticeclinic.

The clinical director, Peter L. Markowitz, a fulltime member of the Cardozo faculty, will be responsible for mentoring, training, and supervising the Clinical Teaching Fellow. This is a one-year position with a potential one-year extension. Salary is commensurate with experience. Benefits will be provided.

To apply, please send a cover letter, resume, litigation related writing sample, and list of at least three references (ideally academic and professional) to: Lissette Santos at santos@yu.edu by January 1, 2015. Note, however, that applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

October 14, 2014

Attorney, Paralegal, and Administrative Assistant: South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project (ProBAR): (Harlingen, Texas)

The fabulous ProBAR continues to search for an attorney, paralegal, and administrative assistant for its office in Harlingen, Texas. More information is available here.

October 2, 2014

Immigrant Justice Corps Fellowship (New York City)

The Fellowship

Immigrant Justice Corps is recruiting for its second class of Fellows. We will award 25 two-year Justice Fellowships to recent law graduates from around the country, who will work at top New York City immigration agencies, expanding the quality and quantity of immigration legal representation for under-served immigrants. We are recruiting people with a demonstrated commitment to immigration law and the intent to remain in the field permanently.

Structure

Justice Fellows will be hosted in New York City’s leading non-profit legal services offices, which will be selected to participate in IJC on a competitive basis. Upon selection, Fellows will have the opportunity to indicate their preferences for the host organization where they will work, though IJC will ultimately make placement decisions.

Justice Fellows will represent immigrants fighting deportation, as well as those applying affirmatively for asylum and for relief as victims of crime, domestic violence and human trafficking. Justice Fellows will be supervised primarily by experienced attorneys at their host organizations, with supplemental support from IJC’s own supervisory staff.

Benefits

Justice Fellowships run for two years, with the possibility of renewing for a third year based on mutual agreement by the Fellow and the host. During the two years of the Fellowship, Fellows’ salaries ($50,000) and benefits will be underwritten by IJC.

In addition, Fellows will participate in a comprehensive immigration law training program at the start of their Fellowship. Throughout the course of the Fellowship, Fellows will meet biweekly as a group for professional development activities, skills trainings, case sharing, reflection sessions and other programmatic activities organized by the IJC staff. At the end of the Fellowship, IJC Fellows will be extraordinarily well trained, deeply networked in the immigrant rights community, and committed to developing creative strategies to fight poverty and ensure access to justice.

Eligibility

You must be a law student who graduated in the Spring/Summer of 2014 or will graduate in the Spring/Summer of 2015. Law clerks and those in temporary fellowship or training programs are also eligible for a Justice Fellowship beginning in September 2015. Fluency in a language other than English is strongly encouraged. All Fellows must begin on August 31, 2015.

How to Apply

The online application will be available between October 15th and November 15th. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. on November 15, 2014 and must be submitted via the IJC website: www.justicecorps.org.
Finalists will be interviewed in early December in New York City or via video conference for applicants who are unable to travel to New York City. Fellows will be informed of their selection by December 31, 2014.

Applicants will be asked to submit:
– A resume
– A transcript
– Three letters of recommendation, including at least one academic reference and at least one from a prior employer or someone who can speak to the quality of your work in a professional setting (internships, work study and term-time employers are absolutely fine).
– A statement of interest no longer than 500 words describing why you would like to be an IJC Justice Fellow. Questions to consider in drafting the Statement of Interest include: Why are you interested in immigration? How might an IJC Fellowship prepare you for the career you may want to have in the future? What skills and experiences have prepared you for work with immigrant communities in New York?
-A short essay on the following topic: If you could completely redesign America’s immigration system, what would it look like? You are encouraged to envision broad changes, but a focus on specific aspects of immigration law and policy is also welcome. Be bold, and tell us what you think would work better. No more than 500 words, please.

Questions? More Information?

If you have any questions, please contact us at info@justicecorps.org. For more information, visit www.justicecorps.org and on Facebook/immigrantjusticecorps

September 29, 2014

September 25, 2014

Paralegal: Texas Civil Rights Project (Austin)

CRP is looking for a paralegal in its VAWA program, who would work out of Austin, but travel sometimes to rural Central Texas.

Primary Duties: assist in administrative and paralegal capacity in helping qualified immigrant victims of domestic violence file immigration applications under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA); work with witnesses to draft affidavits; develop and maintain working relationships with community agencies to better assist immigrant survivors; conduct presentations and trainings to community groups; work with the media to “get out the message;” provide referrals; conduct outreach.

Qualifications: must be fluent in Spanish and English (written and spoken); typing and computer skills required; periodic driving through central Texas required; ability to plan and meet annual targets required; domestic violence and/or immigration experience helpful; paralegal or legal assistant with experience, shelter advocate, or person with similar background preferred;

Salary $29-000 – 31,000 depending on experience, plus benefits.

Equal opportunity employer.

Applicants must submit a cover letter, résumé, two professional references and a two page minimum writing sample to Glenaan O’Neil, Texas Civil Rights Project, 1405 Montopolis Drive, Austin, TX 78741.  Or via fax at 512-474-0726 or email at glenaanoneil.tcrp at <a href=”http://cp.mcafee.com/d/avndxMO721J5x55YsCVt4TsSztZBxVNZZMSztZBxVNOWpJ6XXb3PzXUUSztZx6XWrX1J0HkNFZ2IwlcDX