Paralegal - Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project

Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project, a program of Catholic Charities of Los Angeles, Inc., is a non-profit law firm which provides community education and legal representation to Southern California’s most vulnerable immigrant communities. Esperanza provides legal representation to immigrants who are in detention and/or removal proceedings, and focuses on particularly complex immigration cases which may involve unaccompanied minors, mental health issues, and cases with past criminal or gang history. Esperanza has provided legal services to immigrants and their families in Los Angeles for over 10 years. More information can be found about Esperanza at www.esperanza-la.org

Responsibilities: 

Esperanza seeks a full-time paralegal to work with our Representation Program. The paralegal will provide case support to our attorneys on a variety of cases within the scope of Esperanza’s mission. This representation includes representation before Citizenship & Immigration Services, the Immigration Court, and the Board of Immigration Appeals, and focuses on individuals who are in detention or recently released from detention, children in removal proceedings, individuals with mental health or substance abuse issues, or individuals with a more complex case involving a criminal history, potential gang affiliation, or a complex immigration history. 

The paralegal is expected to provide exceptional services to our clients without regard to their background or circumstances. The paralegal will provide support to our attorneys through client communications, creating and maintaining client files, doing intakes with clients, assisting with the preparation of applications and document submissions, and assistance with maintaining attorneys’ calendars. The paralegal will additionally assist us to establish and grow our representation capacity through the creation of templates, procedures, and organizational structure. 

Qualifications:

• BA degree or Paralegal Certificate with at least 2 years of relevant experience strongly preferred;
• Prior experience in immigration law strongly preferred, experience in a non-profit organization a plus;
• Spanish fluency required;
• Experience with affirmative immigration applications, deportation defense, and SIJS preferred;
• Experience working with children, detained individuals, mentally ill individuals, or immigrant communities preferred;
• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail a must;
• Ability to think creatively, help implement structures and programs, and take initiative;
• Interest in contributing to Esperanza’s overall mission of inspiring hope and advancing social justice for immigrants is required.