The Immigrants’ Rights Clinic (IRC) of the Mills Legal Clinic at Stanford Law School has an immediate opening for a Program Fellow/Legal Assistant (Program Fellow). The purpose of this Fellowship is to support the expansion of the IRC’s capacity to respond to the urgent needs of the immigrant community—including members of the Stanford community—in light of recent developments, including the executive actions undertaken by the Trump administration.
The IRC is a nationally-recognized organization devoted to assisting low-income immigrants fighting against their deportation in the immigration courts, the Board of Immigration Appeals, and the federal courts. The IRC defends asylum seekers fleeing their homes and often works at the intersection between the criminal justice and immigrants’ rights reform movements. The Program Fellow will provide both programmatic and legal assistant support for the work of the IRC. It is anticipated that approximately 50% of the role involves substantive immigrants’ rights policy work and research. The other half of the Fellow’s time will be spent providing legal assistance to the IRC, including the preparation, serving, and filing of court documents; and assistance with client and witness communications. Legal assistant work in the IRC also includes providing administrative support for IRC operations.
The Program Fellow will work in collaboration with two Clinical Supervising Attorneys and Clinic Director, Professor Jayashri Srikantiah. This is a one-year, fixed term position. The right candidate will enjoy substantial responsibilities in a fast-paced and dynamic work environment involving competing priorities and deadlines. Applicants should enjoy both team and independent work, excel at time management, have strong interpersonal skills, and have the ability to perform detail-oriented research and writing. Prior immigration experience is strongly preferred.
• Provide paralegal support to the IRC with preparation, serving, and filing of legal pleadings (including preparation of exhibits and materials) in immigration court, state court, and federal court
• Provide a full range of administrative support
• Conduct legal and policy research on immigrants’ rights issues
• Support law student involvement in litigation
• Prioritize and juggle multiple projects simultaneously and independently, often under pressure and in a fast-paced environment
• Manage documents and files; read, analyze and organize case-related, time-sensitive records
• Screen telephone calls, responding independently as appropriate and making swift and accurate judgments in forwarding inquiries to attorneys or other offices
• Conduct intake screenings with potential clients
• Conduct fact gathering interviews with current clients and witnesses
• Interpret for client meetings and translate written legal documents
• Draft correspondence including records requests to courts and other entities
• Help manage the litigation calendar and coordinate attorneys' and law students' travel
• Participate in Mills Legal Clinic team projects and meetings
Strong written and oral communication skills
• Strong research and writing skills, including ability to synthesize materials into strategic memoranda
• Strong ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks and projects to meet deadlines
• Ability to work with multiple supervisors under deadlines on several projects simultaneously
• Excellent professional judgment and interpersonal skills
• Ability to problem solve
• Desire and ability to work independently, but also to perform in a team environment
• Strong proofreading and detail-oriented research and writing skills
• Ability to perform in a fast-paced law office environment and interact well with a variety of personalities
• Commitment to public service strongly preferred
• Prior immigration experience preferred
• PC proficiency (including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Best Authority, Google Mail, Skype, Westlaw/Lexis)
• Fluency in Spanish preferred
The salary is based on a formula that is competitive with similar positions.
Applicants should submit resumes through http://stanfordcareers.stanford.edu/, referencing job number 77280 and submit the following materials to the attention of Professor Jayashri Srikantiah at [email protected].
• statement of interest describing prior experience in immigration law and policy
• a resume
• a writing sample
• a complete law school transcript (if applicable)
• a list of at least three professional references
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
Stanford is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer and is committed to recruiting and hiring without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.