CAIR San Francisco Bay Area & California ChangeLawyers® Post-Bar Legal Fellow

Fellowship Period: August 9-November 9, 2021

Application Deadline: May 15, 2021

About CAIR San Francisco Bay Area

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is the largest American Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization in the nation with over 30 local offices throughout the country. CAIR’s presence in California includes four local offices covering the Greater Los Angeles Area, the San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, and the Sacramento Valley.

For more than 25 years, CAIR-SFBA has provided civil rights and legal services to individuals facing discrimination because of their Muslim identity. In recent years, our legal services have expanded to include immigration and asylum services, as well as multiple initiatives that defend, educate, and empower the region’s over 250,000 American Muslims. To learn more about our initiatives and work, visit our website here.

From civil rights cases and interfaith initiatives to youth development programs and advocacy days, our successes are directly linked to our partnerships and solidarity with others. Recent achievements include collaborative efforts to promote just, equitable, and progressive policies within the state, including protecting the rights of immigrants, updating the standards for the use of force by police officers, and setting measures to prevent school bullying.

About the California ChangeLawyers®Legal Fellowship Program

California ChangeLawyers® (formerly California Bar Foundation) is a statewide foundation that empowers the next generation of lawyers, judges, and activists to create a more diverse legal profession, a fair justice system, and a better California. The foundation believes that a state as diverse as California should have a justice system led by advocates of all ethnicities and races.

ChangeLawyers ℠ Fellowships support bright, diverse ChangeLawyers ℠ who are committed to righting historical wrongs. Grants are awarded to legal aid organizations to cover the cost of hiring legal fellows from diverse backgrounds. This is a double impact investment. The foundation supports organizations on the front lines of social justice while at the same time creating jobs for diverse lawyers. This creates better, more authentic outcomes for communities—communities who can see and interact with lawyers who look like them.

Position Description

With support from California ChangeLawyers®, we seek to hire a full-time, post-Bar Legal Fellow to support the work of both our immigration and civil rights programs. The Legal Fellow will increase the organization’s capacity to serve removal defense clients, provide naturalization services in the American Muslim community, and support first-time callers seeking civil rights and immigration legal assistance.

The ChangeLawyers Fellow will specifically play a key role in producing community educational materials, presenting Know Your Rights trainings, conducting legal intakes for clients, and engaging immigration coalitions to ensure Muslims have a voice in advocacy efforts.

This position is based in Santa Clara, California.

Qualifications and Requirements

We are seeking applicants with immigration experience, including immigration paralegal experience, organizing experience, and/or law school clinic experience. Applicants should be self-directed and self-reliant, highly organized, flexible, and able to work in a high volume setting with limited resources.

Salary Range

$20-25/hour

Primary Responsibilities

Responsibilities of the Legal Fellow will include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Conduct client intakes, prepare applications, and petitions for submission to the appropriate agency
• Help community members navigate the immigration system
• Provide legal assistance for citizenship, adjustment of status, family petitions, asylum, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), T-Visas, U-Visas, and Violence against Women Act (VAWA) self-petitions
• Work with volunteers, including law students and pro bono attorneys
• Participate in community outreach and educational activities, including planning and conducting legal clinics

To Apply

Applications, including a detailed cover letter, resume, and three references, should be submitted online via the link below. Applications that do not contain all the above-listed required materials will not be considered. 

https://www.applicantpro.com/openings/cacairsfba/jobs/1389054-415672

Applications should be submitted as soon as possible, and not later than the posted deadline. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled, and applicants selected for interviews will be duly notified. Please no inquiries or phone calls.

CAIR-SFBA and California ChangeLawyers are Equal Opportunity Employers committed to inclusive hiring and dedicated to diversity in both its staff and work.