Paralegal - Immigrants & Workers' Rights

Legal Aid Chicago encourages applicants with relevant volunteer and work experience, who have experiences with our client communities or individuals who identify as a person of color, LGBTQIA+, immigrant, or otherwise having backgrounds and experiences that are underrepresented in the legal profession to apply.

For over 50 years, Legal Aid Chicago has provided free civil legal assistance to people living in poverty in metropolitan Chicago. Each year our attorneys, volunteers, and staff help resolve civil legal problems, including domestic violence, consumer fraud, and unfair evictions. Legal Aid Chicago was founded on the philosophy that all individuals are entitled to quality civil legal representation, regardless of their income. We work to ensure that poverty is not an impediment to justice by dismantling the legal barriers that perpetuate inequality. Legal Aid Chicago staff live our mission through our core values of equity, excellence, inclusion, kindness, and respect.

Legal Aid Chicago offers a hybrid work environment. Our offices, located in downtown Chicago at 120 S. LaSalle Street, is ADA accessible and has convenient access to public transportation and local expressways. This position may require travel to court or other outreach events.

Position: Legal Aid Chicago seeks a full-time paralegal in the trafficking team of our Immigrants and Workers’ Rights Practice Group (IWR), which includes employment, immigration, migrant farmworker, and human trafficking law. IWR’s four teams work both independently and in an interdisciplinary manner when these areas of law intersect. This position will focus on serving survivors of human trafficking, and other immigrants, including new arrivals to Illinois and will work with immigrants filing for a variety of benefits with USCIS.

Responsibilities:

• Provide outreach to educate service providers and immigrants about our direct legal services
• Draft immigration applications, letters to clients, caseworkers, and other professionals
• Work with external case managers and internal client support services for client needs
• Carry out telephonic and in-person intake to identify eligible immigrants
• Participate in weekly team meetings to present new cases and discuss team development
• Create outreach materials
• Maintain case management on agency database
• Work with other non-governmental agencies who serving immigrant and human trafficking populations
• Assist clients to report their trafficking to law enforcement
• Make referrals both internally and to outside agencies when needed
• Assist attorneys with administrative tasks
• Attend trainings and maintain up-to-date knowledge of legal issues regarding human trafficking and other areas of law
• Assist Supervisor with maintaining information on grants and grant reporting, and respond to reporting requirements
• Maintain accurate and timely timekeeping in electronic case management system
• Participate in local stakeholder meetings and groups serving trafficking survivors
• Other duties as determined by the Supervising Attorney or Director.

Salary and Benefits:

This position is part of the National Organization of Legal Services Workers, UAW Local 2320. The Collective Bargaining Agreement sets employment terms and compensation is determined by the CBA salary scale, based on paid experience.

The Paralegal position begins at $44,863 and increases for every relevant year of experience.

Legal Aid Chicago offers a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• Bilingual Paralegals are eligible for an additional stipend
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance, effective the first day of employment
• Time Off: 15 vacation days and 18 sick days accrued within the first year of employment
• 19 paid holidays, including four (4) floating holidays
• Twelve weeks of Paid Parental Leave at 100% of the salary after six months of employment
• 403(b) retirement plan with an employer contribution after one year of employment
• $50,000 Basic Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment insurance, at no cost
• Access to Employee Assistance Program resources, at no cost
• Monthly internet reimbursement
• Legal Aid Chicago is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and is an eligible employer for the federal public service loan forgiveness program

Qualifications:

Qualifications: Undergraduate degree strongly preferred. Excellent oral and written communication skills; excellent organizational skills; team-centered work experience; the ability to interview and collect information from clients, and present cases to the human trafficking team. The applicant’s personal background, experience, or professional background should reflect an ability and desire to work effectively in cross-cultural situations with clients, co-workers, and the community we serve. Commitment to trauma-informed principles for serving immigrant survivors of harm required. Spanish working proficiency required; other language capacities a plus.