Community Justice Fellow, Immigrant Children and Youth Representation Project, Immigrant Rights Program (Staff Attorney)

Status: Full-Time, Exempt, Specific Term (Two Years)

Location: Newark, NJ

Application Deadline: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

For consideration, please attach your Cover Letter and Resume to the online application in addition to answering the Application Questions.

Background:

The American Friends Service Committee promotes a longstanding Quaker concern for the causes and impact of human migration. Since 1988, the Immigrant Rights Program based in New Jersey has worked to increase the protection of the rights of immigrants and refugees through legal representation, community education, community organizing, monitoring of rights, advocacy, and training.

Since 1996, the AFSC has provided legal counseling and representation to thousands of immigrants, including children and youth, people in detention, survivors of domestic violence and other crimes, asylum seekers, and individuals who have faced long struggles to obtain legal status. AFSC has also conducted training sessions and education to immigrant communities, social service providers and attorneys in New Jersey.

Summary of Principal Responsibilities

The Fellow will be part of AFSC’s Community Justice team and will provide representation to unaccompanied immigrant children and/or similarly situated youth in removal proceedings and before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The Fellow will meet with clients, counsel them on eligibility for immigration relief, prepare applications for submission to the USCIS and the Immigration Court, and represent clients before both agencies. Also, where necessary, the Fellow will represent the client before New Jersey Family Courts.

Essential Functions/Responsibilities: The key responsibilities of the Fellow include the following:

1. Provide in-depth individual consultations to low-income immigrant children and youth to determine eligibility for immigration status.
2. Provide full representation before USCIS, the Asylum Office, local Immigration Courts, the Board of Immigration Appeals, Family Courts in NJ, and where appropriate, before Federal Courts.
3. Manage caseload and maintain client files in good order, including photocopying applications, letters, supporting documentation, and follow up work. Maintain client and case information in Docketwise or other case management systems.
4. Translate documents or secure translations as necessary; secure interpretation assistance, as necessary.
5. Work with AFSC’s Social Worker to meet clients’ social service needs.
6. Conduct presentations and trainings on the forms of immigration relief available to unaccompanied children and similarly situated youth. In collaboration with AFSC staff and other stakeholders, engage in policy and advocacy work concerning issues raised by clients.
7. Participate in AFSC staff meetings and case reviews.
8. Assist in the documentation of the program’s experiences and compile and submit narrative and statistical information for inclusion in reports to funding sources.
9. Attend immigration law training sessions and conferences.
10. This 2-year Fellowship is designed as a comprehensive and immersive learning experience. The Fellow will be given a unique opportunity to gain hands-on skills and experience in providing legal representation and support to immigrant community members, particularly children and youth.

Minimum Qualifications

Admission to the New Jersey state bar or willingness to become admitted to practice in New Jersey highly preferred.

Required Skills and Abilities:

1. A minimum of one year experience (including law school clinical and internship experiences) with immigration law and procedures preferred, particularly in representing unaccompanied children and similarly situated youth in removal proceedings, before the Asylum Office, and/or in family court to obtain the special findings required for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status petitions.
2. Understanding of and willingness to apply principles behind movement lawyering.
3. Demonstrated cultural competency.
4. Fluency in written and oral English and Spanish.
5. Experience and comfort with public speaking.
6. Self-motivated; detail oriented, well-organized and be able to prioritize assignments and workload.
7. Ability to communicate effectively and build mutually respectful relationships with co-workers, clients, and the public.
8. Familiarity with software applications and cloud-based programs in a Windows environment, including Microsoft Office and Docketwise.
9. Commitment to Quaker values and testimonies. Understanding of and compatibility with the principles and philosophy of the American Friends Service Committee including non-violence and the belief in the intrinsic worth of every individual.
10. Understanding of and commitment to the principles, concerns, and considerations of AFSC in regard to issues of race, class, nationality, religion, age, gender and sexual orientation, and disabilities. Demonstrated ability to work and communicate with diverse staff.

COMPENSATION: Salary Range 15 (starting at $65,000, commensurate with experience, - $76,356) - Exempt – Comprehensive medical and hospitalization plan; term life, accident and salary continuation insurances, defined benefit pension plan, plus fringe benefits; participation in unemployment and worker’s compensation and social security.

The American Friends Service Committee is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified persons are encouraged to apply regardless of their religious affiliation, national origin, race, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability.

AFSC maintains a deep commitment to a mandate of care for our staff and communities, and thus requires vaccination and have at least one booster shot for COVID-19; as well as adherence to social distancing, masking, and office occupancy protocols.

AFSC’s Central Office and some of its offices in the U.S. are unionized workplaces. This position is represented under the Northeast Region’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The American Friends Service Committee is a smoke-free workplace.