AMERICORPS LEGAL ASSISTANT- LOS ANGELES (AFFIRMATIVE)

THE ORGANIZATION

Al Otro Lado is a binational legal services organization serving refugees and deportees in

Tijuana, Mexico and the counties of Los Angeles and San Diego. For more information about

our organization please visit us on our website at: https://alotrolado.org/ or visit us on social

media: Instagram and Twitter: @alotrolado_org; Facebook: Al Otro Lado.

THE AMERICORPS LEGAL ASSISTANT (AFFIRMATIVE) POSITION

This position is created in partnership between Al Otro Lado and Notre Dame Mission

Volunteers AmeriCorps (NDMVA). The AmeriCorps Legal Assistant position will be based out

of Al Otro Lado’s Los Angeles office and will have the opportunity to work a hybrid

in-person/work from home model depending on the organization’s needs. The AmeriCorps Legal

Assistant will work under the direct supervision of a Lead Department of Justice Accredited

Representative in collaboration with colleagues in the Los Angeles and San Diego offices.

JOB DUTIES

Job responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

● Under supervision from accredited representatives and attorneys, perform intake

screenings for potential clients seeking a variety of affirmative immigration relief types.

● Prepare FBI fingerprint cards and submit for background checks.

● Draft U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) forms for a variety of cases

including U-Visa, VAWA, adjustment of status, extension of status, employment

authorization, affirmative asylum, FOIA, and family petitions.

● Write case declarations with clients, make edits, and do final reading with the client.

● Prepare application packets for submission to USCIS and mail out.

● Maintain clients’ physical and digital files and collect and track data on various Google

Sheets.

● Interpret at asylum interviews, when possible, and act as interpreter for our in-office trial

practices.

● Translate client documents from Spanish to English and the organization’s materials from

English to Spanish.

● Prepare completed case files for closing.

● Work with local social services agencies to assist clients with applying for and receiving

benefits.

● Other duties as assigned to support the mission of the organization.

QUALIFICATIONS

Applicants should meet Al Otro Lado’s qualifications:

● Training will occur on the job and no prior legal assistant experience is necessary.

● Fluency in Spanish is required.

● Ability to maintain confidentiality and discretion with sensitive information.

● Proficiency in, or willingness to learn, Google Workspace Apps, Microsoft Word, Adobe

Pro, Excel, and Al Otro Lado’s database management system.

● Be self-directed and self-reliant, flexible, innovative, and able to work in a fast-paced

setting.

● Demonstrate organizational skills and exceptional attention to detail.

● Must be committed to immigrant rights and advocating for justice.

● Must be respectful of clients and colleagues in a diverse workplace environment.

● Must be able to perform limited regional travel for purposes such as interpretation at the

Los Angeles Asylum Office.

Applicants should also meet NDMVA’s qualifications:

● Be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.

● Be at least 21 years old.

● Have at least a high school diploma, GED, or commit to working towards a GED while

performing your service.

● Be able to serve full-time (1,700 hours) over an eleven month period (40 hours/week).

BENEFITS

NDMVA members receive the following benefits:

● Forbearance on qualified student loans during the service period. The National Service

Trust will pay the interest that accrues on qualified loans during the time the member is in

service.

● Upon successful completion of your service period, members receive an education award.

The Segal Education Award will be $10,000 and can be applied to qualified student loans

or future education.

● A living allowance of $20,850 distributed biweekly over the 11 month service period.

● Members are eligible to enroll in The Corps Network Health Insurance Plan.

● Members are eligible to receive child care assistance, which covers up to the state’s local

market rate for child care fees.

● Attendance at the Mid-Year Conference where members can participate in workshops,

engage in reflections, and hear from keynote speakers. Members also attend regular team

meetings.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applicants must submit an application to both the AmeriCorps portal and the NDMVA Los

Angeles service site. Please visit www.ndmva.org/apply/ for more information and to apply.

Only applicants selected for an interview will be contacted by Al Otro Lado. No phone calls

please. Al Otro Lado values diversity in the workplace and strongly encourages applications

from people of color, LGBTQ individuals, formerly incarcerated individuals, individuals with

disabilities, and members of underrepresented communities.