The Legal Services Department provides trauma-informed and client-centered holistic legal services to the most marginalized members of the LGBTQ+ communities. The focus is on undocumented immigrants, transgender, non-binary and intersex adults, youth experiencing homelessness, and survivors of violence (domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, hate crimes/incidents, police/government misconduct, and discrimination). There are 5 inter-related projects; each serves clients at multiple locations.

 

Position:

Under the direction of the Project Manager, the paralegal provides legal services to immigrants who are at risk of removal or who seek to apply for an immigration benefit by preparing forms, managing casework, advocating and communicating with clients throughout the duration of the immigration case. 

 

Responsibilities:

• Work with the Project Manager to accomplish the following: Manage a significant client caseload by providing direct legal assistance for immigrants, including file organization & management, legal consultations, preparation of documents, and filing with the Los Angeles Immigration Court and USCIS. All services must have a trauma informed perspective, be culturally responsive, and promote housing stability
• Essential duties include managing mail and courtroom filings, accurate management of cases and files, management of deadlines before the Immigration Court and USCIS, preparing forms including I-765 work authorization applications and renewals, preparation of I-589 Applications for Asylum, DOJ-361, I-485, E-33, AR-11, and others, including organizing and managing pro-se cases for people receiving limited assistance from the project
•   Administrative and operational responsibilities include helping the Project Manager oversee grant compliance, preparing reports, organize and keep current all data collection, and identifying and pursuing opportunities for program expansion, including grant writing
• Provide client advocacy and support in organizing referrals for related client support, obtaining documents from other Courts and agencies, accompaniment to ICE Check-In or ASC Fingerprint Appointments when necessary
• Develop, sustain and strengthen working relationships with community partners, social services providers, by doing and supervising outreach, education, community events, and in-service trainings regarding dynamics of LGBTQ immigrants, including sensitivity, same-gender legal issues, trauma-informed legal services, and available resources
•  Under the supervision of the Project Manager develop, sustain and strengthen the administrative infrastructure, and provide as well as cross-train staff and supervise volunteers in maintaining strict adherence to conflict-of-interest standards and client confidentiality, including over-the-phone and in-person intake; ensure detailed documentation; help scheduling of attorney consultations, and with the assignment of cases to legal professional volunteers and staff, and referral to appropriate resources
•  Provide crisis intervention and safety planning, when appropriate
•  Participate in staff meetings, planning meetings and other meetings as needed
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications:

• Knowledge of or experience working with the LGBTQ community and familiarity with issues of particular relevance to LGBTQ people
• A passion for the Center’s work and its mission to make the world a better place for LGBTQ people
•  Experience in working with legal clients in the field of immigration law;
•  Demonstrated understanding of the unique issues faced by the LGBTQ community, particularly survivors of violence and torture
• Passion and demonstrated commitment to serving survivors of violence, including experience working with diverse communities of transgender and undocumented immigrant survivors
• Demonstrated experience in the delivery of services in a non-profit setting, and experience working or volunteering in the LGBTQ community
• Demonstrated ability to triage and manage multiple tasks under pressure in a fast-paced environment
• A demonstrated capacity to provide a welcoming presence to clients experiencing trauma, and a demonstrated client-centered, trauma-informed perspective and cultural responsivity to the diverse populations we serve
• Bilingual verbal and written fluency in Spanish and English required
•  Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including experience in giving presentations/trainings
• Excellent organization skills and data management skills
• Flexibility to work evenings and weekends is required
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with people of diverse races, ethnicities, nationalities, sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expression, socio-economic backgrounds, religions, ages, English-speaking abilities, immigration status, and physical abilities in a multicultural environment

How to Apply:

Submit an application through the career center.