The MinKwon Center for Community Action (formerly YKASEC) was established in 1984 to meet the needs and concerns of the Korean American community through our five program areas: Community Organizing and Advocacy, Social and Legal Services, Civic Participation, Youth Empowerment, and Culture. Since our founding, we have made a profound presence in the Korean American community through various grassroots initiatives that address issues including immigration policies at the national, state and city levels; voter rights; and culture awareness. The MinKwon Center places a special emphasis on meeting the needs of marginalized community members, including youth, elderly, recent immigrants, low-income residents, and individuals with limited English proficiency.
The MinKwon Center's comprehensive Immigrant Rights Legal Clinic provides free legal services to the Asian American community members throughout New York in the areas of labor, immigration, housing, and civil rights law. We provide direct legal representation and work closely with other legal groups and pro bono lawyers to help these community members achieve social and economic justice.
Legal Intern Responsibilities
- Engage in direct client contact: Participate in initial intakes to assess client cases and act as a liaison for clients.
- Work on active litigation: Cases in federal district court, unemployment insurance hearings, housing court, and small claims court at all phases of litigation. Intern responsibilities may include drafting litigation documents/briefs, fact research, attending court conferences, preparing clients for depositions, and trial preparation. There is also a possibility of directly representing clients in small claims court.
- Perform legal research and write memoranda/briefs on related legal issues.
- Conduct community education on housing, immigration, labor, and other important legal issues.
- Participate in advocacy efforts, such as meeting with government officials and writing op-ed pieces in local newspapers.
Details
- Supervision: Intern is supervised by a MinKwon Center Staff Attorney.
- Compensation: While internships are not paid positions, academic credit has been arranged in the past.
- Hours: Interns are expected to work 12-15 hours a week.
- Duration: The internship for at least 10 weeks during Fall 2013. Specific internship dates will be discussed in person.
Additional Requirements
- Korean-language or Mandarin-language proficiency is required.
