About the Legal Aid Justice Center:
The Legal Aid Justice Center is a nationally recognized, non-profit organization that partners with communities and clients to fight for racial, social, and economic justice. We understand that the harms our clients endure are inextricably linked to overarching systems of injustice. Together we are dismantling those systems through a combination of community organizing, litigation, policy advocacy, public relations, and individual legal services.
Very recently, we helped lead the fight to reform Virginia’s unemployment insurance system including advocacy that resulted in the distribution of over $1 billion in illegally withheld payments to over 160,000 Virginians. During the pandemic, we helped hundreds of families avoid eviction through a combination of legal representation and help accessing rent relief funds. Our staff are on the front lines of some of the most important anti-poverty fights happening today.
Founded in 1967, LAJC has offices in Charlottesville, Richmond, Petersburg, and Falls Church and provides services under six key program areas: Civil Rights & Racial Justice, Economic Justice, Youth Justice, Health Justice, Immigrant Justice, and Worker Justice. For more information, visit www.justice4all.org.
LAJC’s latest strategic plan is available at https://www.justice4all.org/lajc-strategic-plan-2022-2026/#area%20d.
About the Immigration Justice Program:
LAJC has a long history of serving immigrant communities across Virginia, including individuals without documentation and facing deportation. LAJC’s Immigrant Justice Program works to end mass detention and deportation of immigrants in Virginia, and to break the ties between immigration enforcement and local and state government and law enforcement. We work to ensure that immigrant communities remain intact and protected in Virginia, fight the separation of immigrant families and the exclusion of immigrants from state benefits, and protect young immigrants across the Commonwealth whether in federal custody or in their communities. Previously, the team also supported farmworker campaigns, but in 2022 as the result of its significant growth, LAJC launched a new Worker Justice Program to house the farmworker campaigns, in addition to other worker justice efforts.
LAJC’s recent wins include a coordinated effort to drastically reduce the population of a local immigration detention center down to historically low levels through impact litigation, partnership with long-time organizing efforts and litigating individual habeas corpus petitions; increasing the eligible age for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status children; ending mandatory ICE notifications for misdemeanor arrests; and establishing in-state tuition and state-funded financial aid for undocumented students with pending asylum applications who graduate from Virginia high schools. In addition to individual legal defense of immigrants facing removal proceedings and federal litigation on behalf of detained immigrants, our attorneys and organizers partner with local community members and community groups as well as national advocacy organizations to promote systemic reforms reducing the abuse and exploitation of immigrants, and to advocate for policies that promote integration and protection of immigrant communities.
About the Position:
The Legal Aid Justice Center (LAJC) is a nationally recognized anti-poverty nonprofit committed to battling poverty and injustice through individual legal representation, group and class action litigation, community organizing, policy advocacy, and media relations. From its offices in Charlottesville, Richmond, Petersburg and Falls Church, LAJC is a fierce advocate for low-income clients and communities in Central and Northern Virginia, and its work broadly impacts the entire state. LAJC’s Immigrant Justice Program supports low-income immigrants in their efforts to find justice and end mass detention and deportation of immigrants in Virginia, break the ties between immigration enforcement and local and state government and law enforcement, ensure that immigrant communities remain intact and protected in Virginia, fight the separation of immigrant families and the exclusion of immigrant youth from state benefits like in-state tuition, and protect young immigrants across the Commonwealth whether they are in federal custody or in their communities.
As soon as possible, LAJC seeks to hire a temporary immigration paralegal for our Richmond office. This role will provide administrative assistance and paralegal support to attorneys in the Immigrant Justice Program, an interdisciplinary team that advocates to advance systemic change in immigrants’ rights in Virginia through a combination of direct individual representation, impact litigation, community outreach, and policy advocacy.
This full-time, temporary position will be based in the Richmond office. This role combines administrative responsibilities (scheduling appointments, mailing and filing documents, file management, etc.) with providing support to LAJC’s lawyers, organizers and development staff (when appropriate preparing and collecting supporting documentation, case tracking, interpreting and translating documents, drafting general flyers or communications, helping with court filings, assisting with events). A large portion of the work for this position will be supporting direct representation of immigrants before the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR), Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Most of our clients are more comfortable speaking and writing in Spanish, so the person who fills this position must be fully bilingual and have experience providing both written and spoken translation and interpretation (Spanish/English).
Among other preferred qualifications, the ideal candidate will have a strong commitment to social, economic, and racial justice and have direct experience working with immigrant, low-income, and/or communities of color.
The position is based in LAJC’s Richmond, VA office. Limited travel to other LAJC offices (Charlottesville and Falls Church) may be required.
Job Duties:
-Assisting attorneys with defensive and affirmative direct representation of immigrants (before EOIR and USCIS)
-Communicating and meeting with clients to prepare cases.
-Supporting program staff with administrative duties (mailing, court filings, scheduling, digital and paper file management, etc.)
-Translation and interpretation of documents and oral communications between Spanish and English
-Advanced Bilingual Proficiency in English and Spanish (written and spoken).
-Strong professional and interpersonal skills.
-Strong attention to detail and organization.
-Ability to work and communicate effectively across lines of identity.
-Ability to work effectively both independently and collaboratively.
-Proficiency with standard office technology, including Microsoft office products.
-Reliable transportation
-Mission-aligned experience (personal or professional) working with immigrant, low-income and/or communities of color.
-Ability to prioritize tasks and balance responsibilities.
-Initiative to learn new tasks.
-Strong commitment to social, economic, and racial justice.
Preferred Qualifications:
-Highly preferred: At least two years immigration work experience.
-Experience with direct representation of immigrants before EOIR and USCIS (preparing packages for immigration benefits).
-Experience in an office environment or legal services organization.
-Litigation paralegal experience (formatting Circuit court briefs and filings).
Location: This role will be based in our Richmond office. Occasional travel between offices will be required. Although a regular presence in the office is required, LAJC offers a remote work policy to support employees in co-creating schedules and arrangements that allow us all to do our best work.
Application Deadline: We accept applications on a rolling basis and encourage candidates to apply as soon as possible.
Salary: The salary scale for this position is $50,000 - $65,000 based on the LAJC salary scale. Placement on the range will be based on factors such as years of relevant experience, budget, and internal equity. To allow for salary growth within the position over time, the anticipated hiring range for this position is between the beginning to the middle of the range ($50,000 - $57,500).
Benefits: Our mission is compelling, and our team members are passionate about their work, and so we recognize the need to provide generous benefits and encourage rest and a healthy work environment. For example, we provide:
-Paid time off, prorated based on schedule.
-403(b) retirement plan with 4% employer contribution (no required match)
Vaccination Requirement: The Legal Aid Justice Center requires all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have an approved medical or religious exemption as a qualification of employment. Proof of vaccination or accommodation request must be provided within one day of employment.
The Legal Aid Justice Center is an equal opportunity employer, committed to inclusive hiring and dedicated to diversity in our work and staff. We strongly encourage candidates of all identities, experiences, and communities to apply. The Legal Aid Justice Center is committed to strengthening the voices of our low-income clients, working in collaboration with community partners, and rooting out the inequities that keep people in poverty. We strive to take on the issues that have broad impact on our client communities and to be responsive to client input. Recognizing the particular impact of racism on our clients and staff, we devote special attention to dismantling racial injustice. All applicants must be dedicated to working in and sustaining an environment that enables staff and clients to feel empowered, valued, respected, and safe. In reviewing applications, we look for evidence that applicants have experience and/or thoughtfulness in working with traditionally marginalized populations.
Complete the online application and please submit a cover letter, resume, and three references to Rohmah Javed, Legal Director, at [email protected], subject line “Bilingual Paralegal Position”. The cover letter should highlight any relevant experience in professional working environments, social justice, or immigrants’ rights experience (whether personal or professional), Spanish-language ability, and any specialized skills, such as technology skills.
The job requisition will remain open until filled. All applications will start being reviewed immediately and on a rolling basis.
Applicants should please forward any questions related to the fellowship or application process, please contact Rohmah Javed, Legal Director, at [email protected].
If applicants need assistance with the online portal, they can contact [email protected].