United States: IJC Fellow, Children's Legal Services

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future. Founded in 1933, the IRC is at work today in more than 40 countries and in 26 U.S. cities. The IRC’s Resettlement, Asylum and Integration (RAI) department creates opportunities for refugees and other vulnerable migrants to survive and thrive in the US. RAI serves nearly 50,000 individuals each year in the US through a diverse portfolio of programs aimed at achieving outcomes in five impact areas: Health, Safety, Economic Wellbeing, Education, and Power.

JOB OVERVIEW:

IRC seeks an IJC Fellow to join its Maryland immigration team to provide legal services to unaccompanied children who have been released from the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). The Fellow will practice under federal rules permitting law graduates to practice before USCIS and EOIR, under the supervision of a licensed attorney, until licensed to practice law. The Fellow will conduct legal relief eligibility determinations, meet with and advise child clients, and provide direct legal representation to children. Relief will include filing for special immigrant juvenile status, asylum, T Visas and U Visas, requiring the fellow to appear, immigration court, and before the Asylum office.

The Fellow will bring a passion for this area of work and some experience with immigration legal services. Working closely with IRC Baltimore leadership and immigration staff, as well as IRC’s HQ Immigration Technical Unit and a host of external partners, the Fellow will assist with developing this new program area for IRC in Baltimore. This position will report to the Senior Staff Attorney and may supervise interns.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Conduct intakes with child clients, identify relief, and provide direct representation for unaccompanied children released to sponsors in the Baltimore or Silver Spring area.
• Handle moderate to heavy caseload of children’s cases before the immigration court and USCIS.
• Initiate state court proceedings for children who are eligible for special immigrant juvenile status.
• Coordinate closely within IRC’s multidisciplinary teams to identify needs and facilitate referrals to services offered in-house and through partnerships with external providers.
• Ensure client and program data is collected consistently, managed appropriately, and reported accurately in accordance with program reporting requirements set by IRC.
• Position may supervise legal assistants and/or interns.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge and expertise of changing asylum and immigration policies as they relate to children through regular training and peer-to-peer consultation.
• Serve as a strong advocate for humanitarian immigrants.

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

• Law degree (JD or LLM) from an ABA-accredited U.S. institution.
• Apply for Maryland bar and sit for Maryland bar within six (6) months of beginning fellowship.
• Law school clinical legal experience preferred.
• Experience providing legal services to children and/or working with children preferred.
• Excellent legal research, writing, analytical, and organizational skills.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both orally in a courtroom setting and in writing.
• Bilingual in Spanish/English.
• Deep commitment to immigrant rights and working with humanitarian immigrants.
• Trauma-informed and sensitive listening and communication skills;
• Evidence of capacity to be a strong team member in a highly collaborative and fast-paced multidisciplinary environment.
• Must have a valid driver’s license, reliable vehicle, active insurance policy and ability to travel frequently in and around the service area to attend hearings and interviews and engage with clients and community partners.

Working Environment:**

• Standard office environment with occasional participation in community outreach and legal assistance events.
• May require occasional weekend and/or evening work.

Compensation: Posted pay ranges apply to US-based candidates. Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirement.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusivity: IRC is committed to building a diverse organization and a climate of inclusivity. We strongly encourage applications from candidates who can demonstrate that they can contribute to this goal.

Equal Opportunity Employer: We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

US Benefits: We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. In the US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days (depending on role and tenure), medical insurance starting at $145 per month, dental starting at $7 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare, childcare, and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with up to 4.5% immediately vested matching contribution, plus a 3-7% base IRC contribution (3 year vesting), disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.

How to Apply: 

Please apply on our website: https://rescue.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/1/home/requisition/44806?c=rescue