Paralegal- Intake-Focused, Detained Adult Program

Amica Center for Immigrant Rights is dedicated to providing legal assistance to immigrants in detention. The Paralegal for the Detained Adult Program will focus on conducting intakes, liaising with legal service providers, and supporting attorneys in removal proceedings while maintaining accurate case information.

Responsibilities

• Completes intakes with people in detention and coordinates with other legal staff to ensure coverage of the same
• Regularly communicates and collaborates with other legal service providers, community groups, government officials, and detention center staff to receive referrals of individuals eligible for services and maintain referral and legal access systems
• Input information to track new potential cases and update direct representation pipelines
• Provides follow up after intakes to evaluate eligibility for relief from removal, including legal research, securing criminal records and other coordination with public defenders, and obtaining additional information from family and other community members, and to provide basic pro se resources where placement for legal representation is not possible
• Supports attorneys representing detained and released clients before immigration courts in Virginia, Maryland and remote locations (virtually), USCIS, ICE and local state courts. This includes representation in the following types of cases: Bond, Asylum, Withholding of Removal, Protection under the Convention Against Torture, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, U-Visas, T-Visas, and Cancellation of Removal. Support includes assistance in developing client and witness declarations, coordination, drafting and preparing filings, country conditions research, and input in case strategy
• Conducts detention facility visits in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Georgia, for intake and client meetings, and other regions as needed where people are detained
• Assists with translation/interpretation work, group jail visits, and staffing of the detention hotline as needed
• Carries out administrative tasks, including database maintenance and reporting to funders
• Actively engages in Amica Center’s training and advocacy efforts, as needed
• Interfaces with social services staff, in preparation and execution of post release and social services plans
• Ensures the timely inputting and accuracy of data and case information into shared databases
• Assists other program staff in completion of their workload during high-work/low-bandwidth periods
• Engages with internal Amica Center committees and working groups to lend a voice to the growth and strategy of the organization

Skills

• Written and oral Spanish proficiency required
• It is expected that the candidate will need to travel for work-related business. As a result, the candidate must possess a valid driver's license and be comfortable operating a vehicle upon hiring
• Strong candidates will have experience working in the immigrant community, particularly in immigration law, and/or experience working with people in detention

Benefits

• Free gym access located in Washington, D.C or Baltimore, MD (dependent on employee’s primary office)
• Flexible working hours after successful completion of trainings and with approval of supervisor
• Pre-tax commuter benefits for those living in the DMV
• Subsidized health, dental insurance, and vision insurance (Amica Center pays a very high rate of the insurance package, for which we can provide additional information)
• Life Insurance valued at $50,000, as well as long- and short-term disability
• The option to set up a Flexible Spending Account
• High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) with a one-time employer contribution of $350 to the Health Savings Account (HSA)
• The option to set up a 403(b) account (the equivalent of a 401(k) account for non-profits) which the organization has the option, for all employees on an annual basis, to match at a certain percentage after one year of continuous employment
• Paid time off includes: 23 personal days per calendar year
• Up to 20 days of sick time per calendar year
• 7 hours of volunteer time off
• Federal holidays
• Paid winter break closure
• 12 weeks of parental leave

Company Overview