Legal Fellow, Health Justice

The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights invites applications for the position of Legal Fellow, Health Justice, to be based in one of the Young Center’s eight locations (Chicago, Harlingen, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, San Antonio, and Washington, DC). This position is full-time and is a two-year fellowship from 2023-2025. The fellowship will not renew or convert into permanent employment at the Young Center. 

ABOUT THE YOUNG CENTER 

Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights is a national organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the rights and best interests – safety and well-being – of immigrant children in the United States. The immediate focus of the Young Center’s work is to serve as Child Advocate for unaccompanied and separated immigrant children pursuant to the 2008 Trafficking Victims Protection and Reauthorization Act and the 2013 Violence Against Women Act. Our role is to identify and advocate for the best interests of immigrant children both while they are in federal custody and after they are released, applying federal and state law and long-recognized principles of the best interests of the child. Young Center also engages in policy work, advocating with legislators, federal agencies, and other stakeholders to promote consideration of the best interests of the child in all decisions concerning immigrant children and to create a dedicated juvenile immigrant justice system that treats children as children. Young Center has programs in Houston, San Antonio, Harlingen, Chicago, New York, New Jersey, Washington DC, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. 

The Legal Fellow, Health Justice, will support the work of the Young Center’s policy team by engaging in legal and policy advocacy towards ensuring access to reproductive health care for unaccompanied immigrant youth in federal government custody. The Fellow will conduct legal research and data analysis related to reproductive health care access for immigrant youth and may work on amicus briefs to support legal challenges to barriers to reproductive health care for immigrant youth. The Fellow will be supervised by the Director of Policy and Litigation. We encourage applications from recent law school graduates, including those completing judicial clerkships, as well as practicing attorneys who are seeking to expand their experience in policy advocacy and with an interest in working at the intersection of reproductive justice, children’s rights, and immigrant rights.   

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES  

Depending on the needs of the project, responsibilities may include:  

• Conducting factual and legal research and drafting legal memos and briefs, policy analyses, and public education materials regarding reproductive health care access for unaccompanied immigrant youth and immigrant youth. 
• Assisting in identifying amicus brief opportunities by researching and monitoring state and federal litigation and assisting with drafting of amicus briefs and coordinating amicus efforts in collaboration with partner organizations and pro bono counsel.  
• Tracking federal and state developments in reproductive health care access (including legislation and litigation), particularly restrictions that would significantly impact youth access while in government custody.  
• Working with other policy team members to track proposed state and federal legislation that would affect immigrant youth reproductive health care access and engaging in advocacy to support legislation that would protect and/or expand healthcare access for unaccompanied youth and immigrant youth.
• Tracking and monitoring issues experienced by unaccompanied youth in federal custody in accessing reproductive health care services. 
• Engaging in advocacy with government agencies, including assisting with drafting comments regarding proposed regulations, to better ensure reproductive health care access for unaccompanied youth and immigrant youth.
• Working in coalition with partner organizations on ensuring health care access for unaccompanied youth and immigrant youth. 
• Conducting outreach to community-based organizations serving pregnant and parenting youth.
• Building relationships with potential partners who work to advance youth access to reproductive health care services, in order to increase cross-movement collaboration. 
• Working with the Young Center’s Communications team and other policy team members to develop messaging in support of reproductive justice for unaccompanied youth and immigrant youth.
• Other duties as assigned.  

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS AND QUALIFICATIONS 

• J.D. 
• Experience with or knowledge of health justice issues, particularly reproductive health, justice, and rights. 
• Prior experience conducting legal research and engaging in legal analysis. 
• Prior experience in legal writing, from outlining through final submission of a brief or paper. 
• Strong written, interpersonal, and communication skills.  
• Comfortable speaking in and presenting in groups, whether in person or via video. 
• Highly organized, collaborative and a resourceful team player, with the ability to also be effective independently. 
• Commitment to working to advance children’s rights. 
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office products, Zoom, and Adobe Acrobat.  

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS 

• Licensed to practice law. 
• Experience in policy advocacy, such as federal legislative or administrative advocacy, legislative drafting, and policy development.  
• Experience analyzing and interpreting legislative and regulatory language. 
• Prior experience in research and data collection and analysis, and presentation of those findings (whether written or oral). 
• Spanish language fluency or fluency in another language frequently spoken by children facing removal (e.g., Haitian Creole, languages Indigenous to Central America, Mandarin, Urdu, Arabic, French).  
• Experience in building coalitions and partnerships.  
• Lived, volunteer, or professional experience with immigration, child welfare, or issues affecting migrant/refugees/unaccompanied children.  
• Demonstrated understanding of reproductive justice and other anti-oppression frameworks.  

PHYSICAL DEMANDS 

Physical demands include regular attendance, keyboarding, sitting for long periods (at least 5 hours a day), driving. Ability to use computer, telephone, and copy machine. Ability to travel by plane, car and other conveyances within U.S. Occasional lifting for event setup/preparation. 

COVID-19 CONSIDERATIONS  

All employees must be fully vaccinated prior to first day of employment. 

APPLICATION DETAILS 

The Young Center is an "at-will" and equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate in and affirmatively factors diversity into its hiring practices. Young Center encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, ancestry, marital or parental status, pregnancy, citizenship, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, genetic information, or veterans’ status. Reasonable accommodation will be made so that qualified disabled applicants may participate in the application process; no applicant will be penalized for requesting an accommodation. Please advise in writing of special needs at the time of application. 

This is a two-year fellowship. The anticipated start date is June 15, 2023. However, Young Center will consider an August 15, 2023, start date for recent graduates who will take the bar exam in July 2023.

For roles working directly with children, clearance of a fingerprint-based criminal background check, child abuse and neglect check (CANS), and tuberculosis test is a condition of employment.    

To learn more about the Young Center’s work, please visit www.TheYoungCenter.org.