ChiEAC - Amparo Legal Clinic Fellowship - Remote Option Available

ChiEAC Amparo Legal Clinic Fellowship

We birthed the Amparo Legal Clinic earlier this year with the help of The Resurrection Project. We work predominantly with poor students and families in Chicago who need legal assistance with a variety of issues. We designed and structured the Amparo Legal Clinic Fellowship to be an immersive experiential learning opportunity for students and emerging professionals in the legal field.

Participants in this program gain professional experience across multiple areas of law while advancing ChiEAC’s mission of expanding equity and access to justice for underserved communities in Chicago.

Key Responsibilities

• Legal Research & Writing: Conduct supervised research in immigration, family, housing, labor, education, civil rights, or other areas of law; prepare memos, briefs, and reports.
• Community Advocacy & Policy Support: Develop Know Your Rights materials, policy analyses, and advocacy tools tailored to immigrant and underserved families.
• Applied Legal Support: Assist with supervised intake, translation, and document preparation to support client pathways to resources.
• Collaboration: Partner with interdisciplinary teams (engineering, data science, education) to integrate legal insights into broader community initiatives.
• Professional Development: Participate in weekly mentorship meetings, supervision check-ins, and workshops to support career growth and ensure compliance with OPT/CPT experiential training standards.

Who Can Apply

• Law students (JD, LLM)
• Paralegals and legal assistants
• Pre-law undergraduates
• Recent graduates in legal studies
• Professionals seeking structured volunteer legal experience

All legal disciplines are welcome, including criminal, international, immigration, family, housing, labor, business, civil rights, and more.

Time Commitment

20-25 hours per week. Flexible scheduling; remote and hybrid participation options available.

Supervision & Evaluation

Volunteers are supervised by ChiEAC legal program leads. Progress is tracked through deliverables, written reflections, and evaluations, ensuring alignment with OPT/CPT requirements for experiential learning. We realize volunteer role aligns with Optional Practical Training (OPT) and Curricular Practical Training (CPT) standards by offering 20-25 hours per week of supervised, project-based legal work that connects academic training to applied practice in community advocacy.

Impact

All Amparo Legal Clinic Fellows, students gain applied professional legal experience in a creative, constructive, and collaborative environment. Volunteers contribute to projects that expand access to justice for marginalized and immigrant families, while building the skills and portfolio required for future careers in law.

Watch our video to learn more: Emely Oviedo's "Motivación"