Description
The Children's Legal Services (CLS) Legal Intern will support CLS attorneys in providing services to unaccompanied youth who entered the U.S. without a parent or legal guardian and who face deportation/removal in immigration court proceedings.
The legal intern will work under the supervision of CLS attorneys on specific projects to provide legal and factual research and analysis to support clients' applications for Asylum, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), and other humanitarian forms of relief such as T and U visa applications for survivors of human trafficking and other serious crimes.
Responsibilities:
- Assist CLS attorneys in providing various client services including client interviews, follow-up meetings and client communications.
- Engage in fact-finding including country conditions factual research, legal research and analysis of client cases.
- Assist client with initial drafting of their personal declarations and other personal fact-finding relevant to their immigration applications.
- Draft immigration applications and legal cover letters/briefs and court motions.
- Assist staff with monitoring status of clients' immigration court removal proceedings.
- Record client notes in case management system and assist legal staff with sorting, scanning and filing documents in case files.
- Adhere to IRC policies, particularly those related to confidentiality and client privacy.
- Display sensitivity to cultural and personality differences of clients.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn about U.S. immigration law in the context of unaccompanied minors and youth.
- Develop problem-solving and client services skills.
- Learn how to manage client cases within established deadlines.
Requirements:
- Minimum 15 hours or up to 37.5 per week; preference for those that can work 37.5 hours.
- Currently enrolled in an accredited JD or LLM program.
- Spanish language proficiency is a plus but is not required.
- Strong desire to help immigrant youth in Maryland.
- Ability to work independently, exercise good judgment, and have high attention to detail.
- Competency in Microsoft Office, data tracking, and file management.
- Effective communication skills.
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a multicultural environment.
- Patience, understanding, flexibility, and a positive attitude.