Paralegal, Immigrants' Rights Project

Job Description

ABOUT THE JOB

The ACLU seeks a full-time position of Paralegal in the Immigrants' Rights Project of the ACLU’s National office in New York, NY.

The Immigrants’ Rights Project is part of the Legal Department of the national ACLU, and has offices in New York and San Francisco. For over 30 years, the Project has litigated in trial and appellate courts across the country, including the Supreme Court, to protect the civil rights and civil liberties of immigrants and seek equal justice under the law. Our work has focused on due process, access to the courts, unfair detention, equal treatment, and state and local laws and policies. For example, we have challenged family separation; the Muslim ban; multiple attacks on the asylum system; indefinite and mandatory detention; immigration detainers; state and local anti-immigrant laws, including Arizona’s SB 1070; racial and language profiling connected to immigration enforcement; and attempts to eliminate judicial review. We work closely with partners at the national ACLU and affiliates, as well as allied organizations, to pursue litigation and to engage in and support other forms of advocacy and education.

Reporting to the Project Director , the Paralegal will be responsible for a providing litigation and administrative support to the Immigrants' Rights Project. This includes, but is not limited to, preparing litigation documents for filing, responding to legal assistance inquires, and maintaining files and records.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Produce and file pleadings in federal courts (from district court through Supreme Court level), and occasionally state courts around the United States
• Manage and coordinate databases, case files, correspondence files, etc
• Handle general administrative duties including processing invoices, tracking expenses and case costs, preparing expense reports, assisting with travel arrangements, and ordering supplies
• Research and analyze court rules, relevant litigation, and factual issues where appropriate
• Serve as liaison with co-counsel and clients
• Respond to intake calls, emails and letters from individuals seeking assistance
• Occasionally, draft materials for dissemination to the public or IRP supporters
• Act as liaison between Staff Attorneys and Legal Administrative Assistants to disseminate work assigned by attorneys and provide routine and/or procedural guidance regarding work assignments
• Provide administrative support for the managers’ review of applications for Legal Administrative Assistant and intern positions
• Work jointly with interns and communicate routine and/or procedural guidance on projects assigned by managers
• Engage in special projects and other duties as assigned by IRP leadership and attorneys
• Center principles of equity, inclusion, and belonging in all work, embedding the values in program development, policy application, and organizational practices and processes
• Demonstrate a commitment to the mission of the ACLU
• Demonstrate a commitment to diversity within the office using a personal approach that values all individuals and respects differences in regards to race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, disability and socio-economic circumstance
• Demonstrate a commitment to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and/or conflicts

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Must take initiative, be highly organized and detail-oriented, and possess strong interpersonal and time-management skills
• Excellent research, writing, and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work independently as well as within a team while maintaining a high level of efficiency and professionalism
• Bachelor’s degree or two years of related administrative experience preferred
• Experience with litigation or administrative support preferred
• Fluency in Spanish and other relevant foreign languages (written and spoken) is preferred, but not required

COMPENSATION

Salary for this position is $65,386. Excellent benefits package provided.

ABOUT THE ACLU

For 100 years, the ACLU has worked to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Whether it’s ending mass incarceration, achieving full equality for the LGBT community, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties cases and issues to defend all people from government abuse and overreach.

The ACLU is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. The ACLU encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status and record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law

The ACLU makes every effort to assure that its recruitment and employment provide all qualified persons, including persons with disabilities, with full opportunities for employment in all positions.

The ACLU is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please e-mail [email protected] . If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.