Valerie Zukin Memorial Fellowship

Valerie Zukin was a fierce immigrant rights lawyer dedicated not just to her clients, but to
mentoring new attorneys to fight for detained and other marginalized immigrants. The
Valerie Zukin Memorial Fellowship was established in September 2021, when Valerie passed
at the age of 41. The Fellowship honors Valerie’s memory and legacy by continuing her
mentorship work. Summer fellows gain hands-on experience advocating for immigrants in
detention and enjoy close mentorship from Valerie’s former colleagues and friends.
The Fellowship rotates between host organizations. Inaugural summer fellows worked at
Immigrant Legal Defense (ILD) and Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) in
2022. In 2023, fellows worked at California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice (CCIJ) and
ILD. In 2024, NWIRP and ILD will each host one Fellow for a 10-week, full-time fellowship
paying $15,000 over the course of the summer.

Northwest Immigrant Rights Project promotes justice by defending and advancing the rights
of immigrants through direct legal services, systemic advocacy, and community education.
Valerie began her legal career at NWIRP. To learn more about NWIRP, visit
https://www.nwirp.org. NWIRP’s detention work focuses on people detained at the
Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, WA. Therefore, the NWIRP fellow must be in
person at NWIRP’s Tacoma, WA office.

ILD’s mission is to promote justice through the provision of legal representation to
underserved immigrant communities. In her last direct services case, Valerie co-counseled a
detained client’s case with ILD attorneys at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. To learn
more about ILD, go to https://ild.org/. All work and supervision for the ILD Fellow will be
remote, with occasional in-person court appearances and detention center visits. The ILD
Fellow can reside anywhere in the United States.

Valerie’s family and friend-colleagues, including from the host organizations, will make up
the selection panel. We seek future immigrant rights lawyers who exemplify key
characteristics of Valerie – a passionate, kind, and creative advocate for the most
marginalized immigrant populations. To learn more about Valerie, visit
bit.ly/ValerieZukinMemorialFellowship. Applicants must have strong Spanish skills.

NWIRP and ILD are equal opportunity/affirmative action employers that provide equal employment
opportunities to all qualified employees/applicants in all of our employment practices without regard to race,
religion, color, sex or gender (including gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth, lactation, pregnancy- and
childbirth-related medical conditions), sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, uniform service
member/veteran status, marital status, medical condition, physical or mental disability, taking/requesting
statutorily protected leave, or any other basis protected by law.