Senior Paralegal (Full-Time)
New Mexico Immigrant Law Center (NMILC) is seeking a full-time Senior Paralegal.
NMILC is a social justice organization whose mission is to advance equity and justice by empowering low-income immigrant communities through collaborative legal services, advocacy, and education. Each year we provide direct legal representation and assistance in immigration matters to thousands of immigrants and advocate for laws and policies that respect the rights of immigrants. NMILC’s model focuses on establishing relationships with local, state and national organizations and governmental institutions to expand access to legal services for historically marginalized immigrant communities.
Job Summary:
The Senior Paralegal will support the Children’s Program and Survivor of Crime Services Team in the delivery of legal services through a range of case preparation, legal research and related tasks in the support of the legal strategy for the client. The Senior Paralegal also provides training and mentoring to Paralegal(s) and other non-attorney staff and interns as needed and oversees training and development of paralegal staff in collaboration with Staff Attorneys, Senior Attorneys and Managing Attorneys. The position will focus primarily on the provision of direct legal representation to unaccompanied minors and youth who qualify for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, Asylum, and crime victim visas and includes extensive client contact with youth and families, who have suffered abuse, abandonment, neglect or other emotional and physical trauma.
The position also provides the opportunity to participate in outreach activities and collaborative projects within a national network of legal service providers for unaccompanied children. This position will report directly to a Managing Attorney or Accredited Rep.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Onboard, train, and mentor paralegals and other non-attorney staff in the provision of humanitarian based legal services, including conducting initial and ongoing training for paralegal staff; troubleshooting, reviewing, and providing quality assurance for referrals, filings, and pleadings; providing daily support and coaching, and conducting regular check-ins, providing critical feedback to promote staff member’s development and growth; and providing consistent and effective mentorship to ensure the provision of consistent, high-quality paralegal support for the legal team.
Provide coordination on programmatic needs related to the management of the unaccompanied children’s juvenile court dockets. These duties will be performed in collaboration with the Children’s Program Managing Attorney.
Interview clients, conduct legal research, complete immigration forms, and draft affidavits and motions for immigration and state court proceeding for attorney review.
In coordination with attorneys, assistance in client’s preparation for hearing and adjudicatory interviews.
Assist with the professional development of paralegals and other staff in collaboration with the Managing Attorney.
Track and ensure quality of referral and intake metric achievements under grants and contract in consultation with attorneys.
Assist with pro bono training, including non-attorney pro bono team members, through the preparation of training materials, provision of discrete training on topics such as translation, and other related tasks.
Manage utilization of interpretation and translation for the Children’s program.
Assess cases for social service needs and assist with social service referrals; liase with Navigators to achieve programmatic goals where legal services/social services intersect.
For direct representation cases, serve as a point of contact for clients, proactively ensuring that case files and case management system reflect current contact information, case developments, and updates on child well-being and service needs; ensure regular check-ins with the child are conducted in consultation with an attorney, particularly in cases in which case adjudication is delayed due to retrogression or otherwise; and keep counsel apprised of updates and issues needing follow-up.
For pro bono cases, assist in case audit efforts, and ensure that updates from pro bono team regarding legal case and child’s wellbeing are timely recorded in case management system; assist in targeted pro bono team support including provision of relevant samples, guidance and training resources.
Providing coordination on programmatic needs related to updating case management systems and databases and client mail and operational systems. These duties will be performed in collaboration with the Managing Attorney, Legal Assistants, Grant and Data Manager, Intake Manager, and the Operations and Grants team.
Lead legal assistant meetings, working groups, and special projects as needed.
Supporting NMILC outreach and development activities as needed, including ad hoc projects.
Support bi-annual case audit with team attorneys and paralegals.
Ensure consistent, accurate, and timely file maintenance and data entry into our cases management system and follow NMILC case management protocols in compliance with best practices/legal ethical standards and ensure programmatic compliance with grant requirements, allocation and reporting.
Ensure all Time and Attendance Reports are accurate, adhere to program and grant funding guidelines, and timely completed.
Data entry as assigned.
Performing administrative duties as needed.
Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
Undergraduate degree preferred.
Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and Spanish.
Minimum of four years experience in humanitarian-based immigration work, including conducting intakes, assessing legal claims, and assisting attorneys on legal applications to obtain benefits.
Minimum of two years experience working independently on projects or programs, demonstrating initiative and willingness to learn and contribute thought leadership and innovative strategies to the work.
Preferred two years experience with interviewing children, preferably in humanitarian immigration or refugee context.
Proven ability to provide trauma-informed and culturally competent services.
Proven ability to supervise or coach and guide others on programs and/or projects.
Excellent organizational and time management skills, and attention to detail.
Strong cultural competency and cross-cultural communication skills.
Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suites
Prior experience with Legal Service case management system preferred.
Ability to work collaboratively, multi-task, and pay attention to detail in a dynamic and busy environment, managing numerous priorities and emerging opportunities.
Team player; ability to work effectively with people of different backgrounds, lived
experiences, and communication styles.
Ability to be disciplined and nimble to ensure delivery on the program goal of universal
representation and protection of children’s wellbeing and rights.
Demonstrated commitment to immigrant rights and willingness to support NMILC’s
mission, vision and values, which can be found at www.nmilc.org/values;
Environment
NMILC is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome people from a diverse set of experiences. NMILC is a progressive organization and applicants are expected to collaborate in an inclusive and diverse environment. We are a group of highly dedicated and motivated individuals seeking transformative change for our state and welcome anyone who is interested in being part of our team.
NMILC requires all staff to be COVID vaccinated with the exception of those who have medical or religious belief exemptions.
Salary and Benefits
This is a full-time position. Salary is competitive for our field and geographic area and is commensurate with experience. Starting salary for Senior Paralegal position is $48,880 with upward adjustments for additional years of relevant experience.NMILC currently offers a generous benefits package, including;
Health insurance covered at 100% for employees for exceptional health, vision and dental plans;
Access to a 401K plan and discretionary employer match up to 10% of base salary (determined each fiscal year based on funding projections);
Optional Flexible Spending Account for pre-tax funds for medical and/or dependent care cost.
Benefits may be subject to change at any time based on changes to the organization’s budget.
NMILC also recognizes the value of creating an environment of positive work/life balance, acknowledging that investing in staff’s ability to take care of themselves and their families enables them to do their best work. The plan currently includes:
Flexible work schedule and remote work options during the COVID-19 pandemic;
15 paid vacation days (3 weeks) annually;
10 paid sick and health-related days per year;
Company-paid federal holidays in addition to 2 weeks of winter break, 1 week for spring
break, and 1 week for summer break, and other days as established in coordination with
the local public school schedule;
Up to 5 hours of paid break/meal time each week.
Application Process:
To apply, please submit a cover letter detailing your interest in the position as well as your resume and three professional references. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and candidates are encouraged to apply early. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
This job announcement is for informational purposes only and is subject to change and modification without notice. This job announcement includes a non-exhaustive list of responsibilities, qualifications and requirements of the position, but does not necessarily include all the job functions of the position.