Paralegal – Full Time

The New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children (NJCIC) is seeking a passionate and highly motivated fulltime paralegal to support the provision of legal services to unaccompanied immigrant children (UCs) and similarly-situated youth.

About NJCIC

The New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children (NJCIC) works with New Jersey’s young immigrants and their allies to advance their full, fearless participation in our society. NJCIC seeks lawful status for immigrant youth and advocates for system-wide change in the areas of education, access to justice, and health equity. Our goal is a New Jersey where every young immigrant has lawful status and the opportunity to advance, and where families can stay together and thrive. We want New Jersey to be a welcoming and inclusive state for all children - a place where every young immigrant can feel secure, advance, and achieve success.

Job Responsibilities

The Paralegal will primarily work on the Legal Representation for Children and Youth Program (LRP) and NJCIC’s Rapid Response Initiative. Administered by the New Jersey Office of New Americans in partnership with Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), NJ's LRP is the nation's second state-funded legal program to offer free, high-quality, child-centered direct representation to unaccompanied children. NJCIC serves as 1) the central intake and referral hub for this innovative LRP and 2) also provides direct representation as one of seven legal service providers part of this effort. NJCIC'S Rapid Response Initiative (RRI) is a special project dedicated to addressing the federal administration's targeting of vital protections that impact New Jersey's young immigrants. RRI provides focused and direct legal representation or advice and counsel for New Jersey's young immigrants who are at high risk of removal from the U.S. or at high risk of aging out of eligibility for immigration relief.

The Paralegal will:

• Schedule and conduct trauma-informed intake interviews of children and their caregivers, both by phone and in-person;
• Work closely with attorneys to prepare custody petitions, affidavits and supporting documents for filing in New Jersey Family Court;
• Work closely with attorneys to collect and organize evidence, prepare forms, and file applications and supporting documents with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for relief such as Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) and asylum;
• Support attorneys in preparing and filing forms, affidavits, other supporting documents, motions, and legal memoranda for submission to the Immigration Court.
• Coordinate with partners and stakeholders to support program activities and case management;
• Update case files and notes, and ensure that case management database reflects all case activity;
• Provide administrative support to attorneys, including maintaining communication and scheduling with community partners;
• Translate documents and provide interpretation from English to Spanish and vice versa;
• Collect, analyze and report data on case activities and outcomes to staff, partners and funders; and
• Complete other duties as determined by the senior members of the legal team and Legal Director.

Qualifications

• A minimum of one year of experience as a paralegal, legal assistant or in a similar role, or other relevant professional experience, such as a case manager or community organizer for immigrant populations;
• Fluency in English and Spanish is required;
• Excellent writing skills;
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail;
• Experience with immigration law and/or working with immigrant children or other vulnerable populations is strongly preferred but not required;
• Strong interpersonal skills, cultural sensitivity and comfort working with diverse populations;
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including importing and exporting data reports, formatting and organizing spreadsheets, cleaning and structuring data, and creating pivot tables to support internal reporting and data analysis is preferred but not required;
• Strong oral communication and public speaking skills, experience representing an organization at community events or delivering Know Your Rights presentations or other outreach programs to community members, is preferred but not required; and
• Experience independently conducting screenings or interviews with clients is preferred but not required.

The position will offer a competitive salary of $55,000 to $60,000, dependent upon experience, with excellent benefits including health insurance, generous leave and 401(k) match. NJCIC has a hybrid work model - staff work a minimum of two days a week (currently Tuesday and Thursday) in person and the remaining days remotely. On-site work is conducted at an amenity-filled co-working space in Jersey City. Additional occasional travel to other events on non-office days and work meetings is also required. The position may require occasional additional travel to other parts of the state for Know Your-Rights presentations, community engagement opportunities, Consortium meetings, or other required events.

Please include in your application:

• Resume and cover letter
• Level of fluency in Spanish in cover letter
• 3 Professional References

NJCIC is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. People of color, women, people with disabilities, immigrants, veterans, LGBTQIA+ people, and those with lived experiences in the communities we serve are strongly encouraged to apply.

Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they can perform every job description task. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may come from a less traditional background. NJCIC may consider an equivalent combination of knowledge, skills, education, and experience to meet minimum qualifications. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to think broadly about your background and skill set for the role.

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health insurance, generous leave and 401(k) match, and a hybrid work model

Fluency in English and Spanish is required