About our Catholic Charities Family
We seek compassionate, talented individuals with a heart for helping others and making a positive impact on the lives of men, women, and children across our large region. People of faith helping people in need achieve self-sufficiency and live with dignity.
Job Description
Join the Unaccompanied Children Program of St. Frances Cabrini Center for Immigrant Legal Assistance as the program follows the journey of migrant children who come to the United States without a parent or adult guardian, we teach them about their legal rights, we screen them for immigration relief, and we represent them in state court, USCIS and the Immigration Court to advance their claim for immigration relief and to defend them against deportation.
The Paralegal in the Unaccompanied Children Program will work under the supervision of an attorney and DOJ Accredited Representative to provide legal services to unaccompanied children in the detained and released setting.
The Expertise We’re Looking For
You have a bachelor’s degree or an associate degree & paralegal certificate with two years of paralegal experience
You are knowledgeable and have 1-3 years of paralegal experience in a law office; this is encouraged
You have experience in non-profit immigration practice or legal services; this is encouraged
You are fully bilingual in Spanish and English (read, write and speak)
The Skills and Assets You Bring, and More
The successful candidate will have strong writing, speaking, active listening and presenting skills
You thrive in a high-pressure environment that requires the ability to multitask
You can stay focused on different tasks, and use your time, energy, mental capacity, physical space effectively and efficiently to achieve the desired outcome
You are thorough and accurate when accomplishing tasks and provide accurate, consistent paperwork and information promptly
You have a valid driver’s license
You have knowledge and experience with MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, Access) and Acrobat adobe
The Value You Deliver
In partnership with the agency, you help in giving a unified voice to those in need. Your role is instrumental in assisting individuals in immigration legal matters.
What you Deliver
You will plan and coordinate shelter duties with Legal Assistant and Attorneys
You will prepare and conduct “Know Your Rights” presentations to newly-arrived unaccompanied minors in ORR shelters
You will develop regular client statistics report to facilitate post-release legal assistance
You will liaise with shelter staff for up-to-date placement of unaccompanied children
You will conduct an in-depth intake with detained children to assist the attorney in assessing immigration relies
You will conduct legal screening for newly arrived unaccompanied minors to identify potential legal relief in consultation with attorneys or an Accredited Representative
You will appear with attorneys at juvenile detained dockets to coordinate logistics with shelter staff to facilitate the minors' appearance before an immigration judge and keep case notes to record proceedings
You will maintain client case files to ensure accurate and up-to-date information on client matters; you will update attorney case lists and calendars, maintain accurate client and case management databases, generate statistical reports, correct data entry to provide an accurate database on client information, case processes and caseload information
You will help released children obtain legal representation by timely referrals, and follow-up with referred providers; organize case files for locally released children and make appropriate internal referral within Cabrini Center
You will develop regular client statistic reports to facilitate post-release legal assistance
You will assist attorneys indirect representation by liaising with clients, preparing client case files, drafting, preparing and filing correspondence and pleadings; prepare and file immigration applications and petitions, assist with court preparation with clients; interpret at immigration interviews and hearings
How Your Work Impacts our Organization
The work you do will help us advocate for the vulnerable among us. You join a team that provides high-quality services to individuals otherwise unable to obtain legal representation.