National Immigrant Justice Center is hiring: Paralegal, NIJC Indianapolis in Ind

About Us

The National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) provides direct legal services to, and advocates for, immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers through policy reform, impact litigation, and public education. Since its founding more than three decades ago, NIJC has been unique in blending individual client advocacy with broad-based systemic change. Headquartered in Chicago with offices in Washington, DC, Indiana, and San Diego, NIJC's team of 170+ attorneys, paralegals and professionals, along with 2,000+ pro bono attorneys, is at the forefront of immigration reform.

About the Position

NIJC Paralegals provides general support through intake, research, case review, documentation preparation and other related tasks to assist general operations and the work of staff and pro bono attorneys. Individual accountabilities and work volume will be established through the development of annual Success Objectives, within the framework outlined below.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Conducts intake, as assigned.
• Conducts legal and factual research.
• Assesses cases to determine eligibility.
• Conducts interviews with clients and witnesses.
• Drafts applications, affidavits, letters and/or legal pleadings and prepares supporting documentation.
• Prepares materials for submission to the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration Court, or other entities as appropriate.
• Reviews, analyzes, and presents cases to supervisor.
• Conducts educational presentations.
• Remains current on immigration law, policies, and procedures.
• Maintains complete, thorough, accurate and current records in an organized fashion in accordance with legal standards, rules, and ethics.
• Ensures the accuracy, substance and timeliness of statistical and narrative reports, projects, schedules, and other relevant work products.
• In accord with organizational policies and the ethical standards required of the legal profession, the Code of Professional Responsibility preserves client confidentiality, accounts for client monies, and avoids conflicts of interest.
• Other duties may be assigned.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Education and/or Experience: Bachelor's degree with demonstrated experience working with immigrants, refugees and/or asylum seekers. At least one year of experience working with these populations preferred.
• Language Skills: Fluency in another language may be required. Ability to communicate articulately with internal and external audiences.
• Other Qualifications: Excellent writing, editing, organizational and computer skills required. Ability to manage multiple tasks efficiently and perform well under strict deadlines.

Physical Demands

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Must be able to remain in a stationary position 50% of the time
• The person in this position occasionally needs to move about the inside of the office to access filing cabinets, office machinery, etc.
• Constantly operating a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a copy machine.

It is the policy of NIJC not to discriminate against any applicant for employment, or any employee because of age, color, sex, disability, national origin, race, religion, or veteran status.

By submitting your application, you acknowledge and consent to undergo a comprehensive background check as part of the employment process. This background check will be conducted in compliance with applicable state and federal laws.