Immigration Paralegal

About La Raza Community Resource Center:

La Raza Community Resource Center (LRCRC) is a bilingual, multi-service non-profit organization dedicated to meeting the social service, immigration, educational, and leadership development needs of low-income families and individuals. La Raza Community Resource Center is located in the heart of the historic San Francisco Mission District, the vibrant cornerstone of San Francisco's Latino community. We have been serving the community for over 50 years. Our Social Services Program services include a food pantry, family counseling, educational workshops, support groups, rental assistance, and many other services. Our Immigration Program attorneys provide both affirmative family-based immigration services and removal defense. All of our legal and social services are free (subsidized).

Job Summary:

La Raza Community Resource Center (LRCRC) is seeking two (2) Immigration Paralegals to support the work of LRCRC’s immigration attorneys, including the Immigration Legal Director. We work on cases in areas such as Removal Defense, Asylum, Family Petitions, Naturalization, Temporary Protected Status, Green Card renewals, Employment Authorization, Adjustment of Status, DACA, etc. The Immigration Paralegal will also provide administrative support and will be either partially accredited or fully accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice within their first two (2) years of employment. The ideal candidate for the Immigration Paralegal role will be bilingual (English/Spanish), possess the ability to work effectively as a team member, efficiently and independently have great attention to detail, and be proactive in solving problems. The candidate will also be client-service oriented, have great organizational skills, have the ability to switch gears easily, and will be highly motivated to serve the immigrant community, and the most vulnerable community members in particular.

This is a full-time, In-Office position with an opportunity to work 1-2 days per week remotely after 90 days of employment at our San Francisco offices.

Responsibilities:

• Interview potential clients for consultation intake.
• Organize, analyze, and prepare documents, forms, evidence, and declarations for affirmative applications and immigration court filings.
• Conduct legal research and writing.
• Manage program calendar: schedule client appointments, including reminders, update court hearings and other events.
• Language interpretation at Naturalization, Adjustment of Status, and Asylum interviews; translate documents between English and Spanish.
• Input client information into the case management system, ensuring all client information, case notes and follow up interactions are updated.
• Maintain client confidentiality and sensitive information.
• Collect, gather, and validate data and assist with preparing reports to support LRCRC leadership.
• Support and participate in legal clinics and other community events, including (infrequently) on Saturdays.
• Participate in policy advocacy campaigns and other community initiatives.
• Provide administrative support to Immigration Legal Director, when needed
• Required to become DOJ Accredited within the first two (2) years of employment
• Other duties, as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Minimum of 6 months -1 year of direct work experience as a Paralegal, Legal Assistant or related role, preference for those with experience in immigration court filings and Cerenade/e-immigration.
• Required to become DOJ Accredited within the first two (2) years of employment
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent formal and informal education.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in both English and Spanish required.
• Proficiency with MS Office, with emphasis in Microsoft Word and Excel.
• Excellent data entry skills and understanding of internet applications and database use.
• High attention to detail and ability to work well under pressure.
• Strong interpersonal and customer service skills.