Legal Assistant with Capital Area Immigrants' Rights Coalition (Service-year stipend position through LVC)
This is one of the many great positions available through the Lutheran Volunteer Corps (LVC):
Lutheran Volunteer Corps Service-Year
Spend a year serving at a social justice non-profit, while exploring living in community, living simply & sustainably, and exploring spirituality. We are seeking people who wish to bridge social justice in practice with social justice theory; build leadership and employable skills in social justice; and explore the LVC values of living in community, simply and sustainably, to build communication across differences.
The Lutheran Volunteer Corps is a community of faith uniting people to work for peace with justice. We pursue our mission by placing adults 21+ (“volunteers”) in full-time service positions at social-justice organizations for one or two years. All LVC Volunteers are encouraged to live into LVC’s core spiritual practices of living simply and sustainably in intentional community while serving the cause of peace with justice. LVC places Volunteers in nonprofits (placements) across the United States in Baltimore, MD; Minneapolis, MN; St. Paul, MN; Omaha, NE; Washington, DC; and Wilmington, DE.
LVC Volunteers must be at least 21 years of age. LVC Volunteers come from a wide variety of faith backgrounds, and do not need to be Lutheran. As a Reconciling in Christ organization, LVC welcomes and encourages the participation of people of all gender identities and sexual orientations in all aspects of LVC.
Benefits Include:
>Full-time service position at social justice non-profit organization
>Furnished housing with internet for year-Volunteers
>Modest monthly stipend
>Health insurance, if needed
>Work-related travel reimbursement
>Community and Spirituality Mentors
>Social justice learning series (monthly program days) with experts, researchers, and practitioners
>Retreats
Legal Assistant with Capital Area Immigrants' Rights Coalition:
Job Summary
A legal assistant in the Detained Adult Program focuses on (i) the coordination and execution of visits to detention centers for the purpose of conducting know your rights presentation and intakes with detained adults, (ii) working with clients throughout the course of removal proceedings, including assisting with paperwork and case preparation, and (iii) supporting the program’s provision of services as a whole.
Duties and Responsibilities
Client Services:
o Participates in preparation and breakdown of detention facility visits.
o Conducts detention facility visits throughout Virginia and Maryland (at least one per week), for the provision of know your rights presentations and intake/follow-up.
o Assists with the recruitment and training of volunteers for jail visits, the jail hotline, or translation/interpretation volunteer work.
o Participates in intake review, additional case research, and preparing cases for pro bono placement.
o Provides follow-up after intakes to evaluate eligibility for relief from removal, including legal research, securing criminal records, and obtaining additional information from family members.
o Conducts administrative tasks, including database maintenance and reporting to funders.
o Actively engages in CAIR Coalition’s training and advocacy efforts, as needed.
o Interface with social services staff, where needed. Preparation of Post Release Plans and social service plans, in coordination with social services staff.
Organizational Services:
o Ensure the inputting and accuracy of data and case information into shared databases in a timely fashion.
o Assist other program staff in completion of their workload during high-work/low-bandwidth periods.
o Take part in stakeholder relationship activities, including in-person and telephonic meetings with community groups, governmental bodies and representatives, and other legal service providers.
o Engage with internal CAIR Coalition committees and working groups to lend a voice to the growth and strategy of the organization.
Program-Specific Duties and Responsibilities:
Members of the Detained Adult Program, in addition to the responsibilities above, also:
o Provide pro se assistance to detained adults.
o Interfacing with the community of support for clients in advance of their case.
o Help with the transfer of clients to other internal programs (e.g., NQRP, Lab, Safe Cities).
o Engage with experts and social services on NQRP cases.
Knowledge, Skills, Abilities
Legal Proficiency:
The volunteer is works towards self-sufficiency in client-facing legal activities.
Client and Programmatic Proficiency:
The volunteer adequately presents legal and proceeding concepts to detainees and clients with moderate supervision, including working with clients and their families/support community throughout the course of a case. The volunteer provides educational presentations to clients efficiently and effectively. The employee ad equality prioritizes time and resources.
Administrative:
The volunteer ensures that all administrative aspects of their position, attendant to the provision of services to clients and jail visits, are carried out without managerial intervention, including jail visit preparation and breakdown, file upkeep, database upkeep, etc.
Qualifications Required:
o Written and oral Spanish fluency strongly preferred.
o Driver’s license required