Paralegal, Immigration

Paralegal, Immigration

About the Legal Aid Justice Center:

The Legal Aid Justice Center is a nationally recognized, non-profit organization that partners with low-income clients and communities of color in Virginia to fight for racial, social, and economic justice. We understand that the harms our clients endure are inextricably linked to overarching systems of injustice. Together we are dismantling those systems through a combination of community organizing, litigation, policy advocacy, public relations, and individual legal services. 

Founded in 1967, LAJC has offices in Charlottesville, Richmond, Petersburg, and Falls Church and provides services under six key program areas: Civil Rights & Racial Justice (focuses on the criminal legal system), Housing & Consumer Justice, Youth Justice, Health Justice & Public Benefits, Immigrant Justice, and Worker Justice. As examples of LAJC’s recent work, our lawsuit and organizing against the state forced reform of Virginia’s unemployment insurance system, including advocacy that resulted in the distribution of over $1 billion in illegally withheld payments to over 160,000 Virginians. During the pandemic, we demanded and secured a statewide eviction moratorium and emergency pandemic protections that helped hundreds of families avoid eviction. We reduced incarceration across the state, including reducing the population of a local immigration detention center down to historically low levels through a coordinated effort of organizing paired with impact and individual litigation. Our staff are on the front lines of some of the most important anti-poverty fights happening today. 

With a staff of over 90, the past few years have been a time of exciting growth and opportunity for the organization. In addition to the growth of programmatic efforts including increased organizing capacity, LAJC has expanded its operations and administrative capacity, created new opportunities for professional growth and leadership among staff, engaged in ongoing race equity work, and explored changes to organizational structure to deepen its efforts to create long-term, sustainable, community-driven change. 

LAJC’s latest strategic plan is available at LAJC Strategic Plan 2022-2026. 

For more information about LAJC’s work and programs, visit www.justice4all.org.

About the Position:

You provide paralegal and administrative support to the Immigration Attorneys and Organizers in our Richmond, Charlottesville, and Falls Church offices. This position requires Spanish professional proficiency and incorporates a $2000 language pay bump. 

Job Duties:

• Interviewing and responding to client inquiries and potential clients.
• Spanish-English interpretation and document translation for the immigrant justice program as needed.
• Assisting clients in developing supporting evidence for immigration applications, including preparing affidavits.
• Preparing and filing USCIS forms and applications (i.e. I-765, I-485, I-821, I-485, etc.)
• Occasionally assisting clients with related benefits and issues, such as applying for a driver's license.
• Occasionally taking trips to the Virginia ICE detention centers to interview detained clients
• Racial Equity (Helper/Consultant): Promote racial equity across all dimensions, including within LAJC, by doing the following:
• Helping to recruit, retain, and support both staff and leadership that reflect the racial composition of our community;
• Cultivating respect for the work of and expanding resources for non-attorney staff that are disproportionately people of color;
• Creating spaces for staff to discuss issues of racial, gender, and all other issues of marginalization; and
• Pushing for institutional and cultural changes by management, the board, and staff to further promote racial equity.

Required Qualifications:

• Strong commitment to social, economic, and racial justice.
• Strong commitment to immigrant's rights.
• A sufficient level of Spanish fluency to interview clients in Spanish without the assistance of an interpreter
• One year of experience as an immigration paralegal at a law firm or nonprofit
• Experience working directly with immigrant community members
• An ability to multi-task and balance a variety of responsibilities

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience as a legal assistant or paralegal at an immigration law office or legal services provider. 

A Note to Potential Candidates: Studies have shown that women, trans, non-binary folks, and BIPOC are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every single one of the qualifications as described in a job description. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organization, and strongly encourage you to apply, even if you don't believe you meet every one of the qualifications described.

Location: This role will be based in Falls Church, Virginia location. Occasional travel between offices will be required. Although a regular presence in the office is required, LAJC offers a remote work policy to support employees in co-creating schedules and arrangements that allow us all to do our best work. 

Salary: The salary scale for this position is $50,000 - $66,950 based on the LAJC salary scale. To allow for salary growth within the position over time, the anticipated hiring range for this position is between $50,000 - $59,225. Positions based in Falls Church receive an upward 12% cost-of-living adjustment, which translates to the following range: $56,000 - $74,984, and the anticipated hiring range is $56,000 - $66,332.

Application Review Date: We'll start reviewing applications after September 26, 2024. While our review process can take some time, this doesn't mean you're not being considered—please be patient as we carefully evaluate each candidate. We'll continue to accept and review applications until the position is filled. 

Application Instructions: Complete the online application. This position requires a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three references. Please address the cover letter to the hiring manager, Rohmah Javed, but submit all materials through the online application system. We will not contact references without advance consent from candidates.

Benefits: Our mission is compelling, and our team members are passionate about their work, and so we recognize the need to provide generous benefits and encourage rest and a healthy work environment. For example, we provide: 

• Generous paid time off every year, including 3 to 6 weeks of vacation, 12 days of health leave, 6 weeks parental leave, and 14 holidays (not including bonus holidays/rest days allocated as needed) 
• 100% employer paid health, dental, and vision insurance, plus excellent family insurance with annual max of $2,400 premium contribution to LAJC-sponsored health plan 
• 403(b) retirement plan with 4% employer contribution (no required match) 
• Strong commitment to professional development 
• Relocation package (where applicable)

Vaccination Requirement: The Legal Aid Justice Center requires all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have an approved medical or religious exemption as a qualification of employment. Proof of vaccination or accommodation request must be provided within one day of employment.

The Legal Aid Justice Center is an equal opportunity employer, committed to inclusive hiring and dedicated to diversity in our work and staff. We strongly encourage candidates of all identities, experiences, and communities to apply. The Legal Aid Justice Center is committed to strengthening the voices of our low-income clients, working in collaboration with community partners, and rooting out the inequities that keep people in poverty. We strive to take on the issues that have broad impact on our client communities and to be responsive to client input. Recognizing the particular impact of racism on our clients and staff, we devote special attention to dismantling racial injustice. All applicants must be dedicated to working in and sustaining an environment that enables staff and clients to feel empowered, valued, respected, and safe. In reviewing applications, we look for evidence that applicants have experience and/or thoughtfulness in working with traditionally marginalized populations.