The New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children (NJCIC) is seeking a passionate and highly motivated part-time paralegal to support the provision of legal services to unaccompanied immigrant children (UCs) and similarly-situated youth. The paralegal will also have the unique opportunity to support New Jersey’s first of its kind, medical-legal partnership (MLP), called Florecer, in collaboration with a Zufall Health, a federally qualified health center. This initiative is dedicated to holistically serving UCs and similarly-situated youth in immigration matters. This position is currently funded at a cap of 20 hours per week and is not eligible for benefits.

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 part-time Paralegal will primarily provide support to NJCIC’s Legal Program staff working at NJCIC’s MLP, called Florecer. MLPs are an innovative model providing holistic, wraparound medical, mental health, and legal services to UC children in a trusted community setting, improving both medical and legal outcomes. The Paralegal will work to support NJCIC’s partnership with Zufall and will provide support in filing applications for immigration relief such as SIJS and asylum, in addition to connecting youth to social services.

Under the direction of the Senior Staff Attorney, the Paralegal Fellow will:

Provide administrative support to attorneys, including maintaining communication and scheduling with community partners;
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;
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;
Refer clients for social services support as needed;
Identify clients who are eligible for NJ Family Care health insurance, connect caretakers with NJ Family Care application support, and assist clients with Requests for Information issued by NJ Family Care.
Develop and maintain referral lists for social services and other resources for youth clients;
Other duties as determined by the Senior Attorney and Legal Director.
The successful candidate will join a small team and will have opportunities to grow in their role. This role is an excellent fit for a legal professional who is passionate about helping immigrant communities and wants to participate in building a new program. The role has a possibility of converting to full-time in the future, as funding allows.

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 written and oral communication skills;
Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail;
Experience with immigration law and/or working with immigrant children or other vulnerable populations is preferred but not required.
Strong interpersonal skills, cultural sensitivity and comfort working with diverse populations;
Experience working in a health care setting a plus;
Experience independently conducting screenings or interviews with clients is preferred but not required.

The current hourly rate range for this position is $25-27 per hour, dependent upon experience. NJCIC has a hybrid work model – and the part-time paralegal is expected to work a minimum of 12 hours over two days a week (currently Tuesday and Thursday) at an NJCIC’s main office in Jersey City or at NJCIC’s MLP site in Morristown, where support is needed. The remaining 8 hours may be worked remotely on a schedule that is supervisor approved. The position may require occasional additional travel to other parts of the state for KnowYour-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.

New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children

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