UC Berkeley Law School - East Bay Community Law Center Immigration Program - Paralegal or DOJ-Partially Accredited Representative

23 Jun 2022 3:07 PM | Mike Murphy (Administrator)

EAST BAY COMMUNITY LAW CENTER (EBCLC) is hiring a Immigration Paralegal/DOJ-Partially Accredited Representative. 

EBCLC is a non-profit legal services organization, the community-based clinical program for U.C. Berkeley Law School, and one of the Bay Area’s largest and most effective systems disrupters. With a dual service and teaching mission, EBCLC is a racial justice organization committed to building a culturally diverse workplace, centered on equity. With about 80 staff, 150 law students a year, and a nearly $10 million annual budget, EBCLC is the largest provider of free legal services in Alameda County, providing multimodal, collaborative, and holistic legal services to over 5,000 clients annually and engaging in legislative and policy advocacy at the state and local level.

EBCLC’s Immigration team includes 7 attorneys, 5 paralegals/DOJ Accredited Representatives, 1 program coordinator, and 1 social worker. The team provides a full range of legal and social work services to low-income immigrants with a focus on the most vulnerable populations—people with disabilities and chronic illness, members of the LGBTQ community, youth, and existing EBCLC clients with other legal issues. Attorneys and advocates counsel and represent individuals in matters including adjustment of status, deportation defense, DACA, immigration effects of criminal convictions, naturalization, asylum, public benefits eligibility, waivers, T visas, and U visas. The practice represents clients before the asylum office, the United States Citizenship, and Immigration Services (USCIS), Immigration Court, and on appeal before the Board of Immigration Appeals.

The Immigration Paralegal/DOJ-Partially Accredited Representative assists with client intake and screening supports the application process for a wide variety of immigration remedies and provides administrative support to staff attorneys. The Immigration Paralegal/DOJ-Partially Accredited Representative enjoys substantial responsibilities in a fast-paced and dynamic work environment with competing priorities and deadlines, enjoys both working with a team and independently, excels at time management, has strong interpersonal skills, and performs detail-oriented research and writing.

Primary Responsibilities

        Work on a holistic-oriented legal team providing direct representation, screening, informational workshops, office hours, and outreach to the low-income community in the East Bay and students at UC Berkeley, local community colleges, and La Clínica de la Raza’s school-based health centers

        Provide administrative support to attorneys and law students with the preparation, serving, and filing of legal pleadings (including preparation of exhibits and materials) in immigration, state, and federal courts

        Screen individuals – over the phone, through email, in the office, and at off-site locations – for eligibility for immigration services, assess legal issues and provide or coordinate appropriate follow-up for assistance

        Initiate, coordinate, and organize outreach and trainings with community-based organizations and social service agencies

        Enter data into the client database to ensure accurate accounting of information and services disseminated to people seeking assistance as required for grant or project reporting

        Manage client documents and files, including reading, analyzing, and organizing case-related, time-sensitive records, and assessing conflicts

        Provide translation assistance by translating legal documents from Spanish into English, drafting correspondence (including records requests) in both English and Spanish, and interpreting for client meetings and USCIS interviews as needed

        Collaborate with internal and external service providers to link clients with housing, education, public benefits, and other social service resources

        If eligible to become a DOJ-Accredited Legal Representative, a caseload comprised of, but not limited to, document renewals (employment authorization documents, lawful permanent resident cards, etc.), and preliminary investigation matters (FOIA requests, criminal record requests, etc.)

        Additional tasks as assigned by Supervisor

Minimum Qualifications

        AA degree and a minimum of two (2) years’ relevant client-facing experience in a social or legal services environment OR, if no AA degree, a minimum of four (4) years’ relevant client-facing experience in a social or legal services environment

        Fluency in Spanish with demonstrated ability to accurately and professionally translate legal documents and interpret between English and Spanish

        Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, Google Docs, case management, and legal forms software and databases. Able to pick up new computer skills quickly

        Ability to work under pressure and in an empathetic and professional manner

        Passion for the principles of racial justice, equity and for advancing the mission and work of EBCLC to increase justice through education and advocacy

        Strong verbal and written communication skills

        Excellent organizational skills; ability to be detail-oriented, multi-task, set priorities, and work independently, but in close coordination with other Immigration staff

        Ability to work effectively with a diverse range of groups, including people of color, people experiencing homelessness, immigrants, non-English speakers, people with mental disabilities, people experiencing domestic violence, law students, service providers, government employees, community partners, elected officials, and law school faculty

Desired Qualifications

        Prior experience working with low-income immigrants

        Paralegal experience is highly desirable

Workplace Expectations

Due to COVID-19, all EBCLC employees are primarily working remotely. Staff may work in the office if they wish to do so, subject to certain capacity limits and other safety protocols. Please note that the Immigration Paralegal/DOJ-Partially Accredited Representative may need to attend in-person court proceedings, interviews, and/or engage in in-person fieldwork to support our clients. EBCLC will provide the necessary equipment to fulfill the job responsibilities of working from home.

Salary and Benefits

Starting salary for this non-exempt position is $57,000 - $67,000 based on years of relevant experience as dictated by the EBCLC salary scale.

Benefits include fully paid health insurance (medical, dental, and vision) for employees and their dependents, life and disability insurance, and generous paid leave (vacation, sick, and holidays); EBCLC also offers flexible spending accounts for qualified health, dependent care, and commute expenditures; and retirement options.

Working at EBCLC

EBCLC is a unionized workplace and members of the bargaining unit are represented by the Engineers and Scientists of California Local 20, IFPTE.

EBCLC is strongly committed to advancing justice through education and advocacy, and the need to transform legal services and legal education. Please take time to review EBCLC’s mission, vision, programs, and website, and ensure that your cover letter reflects how your background, experience, and expertise have prepared you to be successful in performing the responsibilities of the position.

Additionally, EBCLC is committed to building a culturally diverse workplace centered on equity and providing an inclusive, welcoming, and culturally responsive environment for all members of our staff, volunteers, subcontractors, vendors, and clients.

To achieve this goal, EBCLC works actively to improve our office climate, systems and structures, communications, and community engagement to create an inclusive and respectful workplace where differences are acknowledged and valued. In your cover letter, please address how your personal background and experiences, professional or otherwise, have prepared you to contribute to our commitment to cultural responsiveness and diversity amongst our staff.

We strongly encourage individuals from traditionally underrepresented communities to apply. EBCLC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, sex, gender, gender expression, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior contact with the criminal legal system, or any other basis prohibited by law.

Application Process

Interested applicants should submit an application by visiting https://eastbaycommunitylawcenter.easyapply.co/ until the position is filled. EBCLC will review applications on a rolling basis  and will only review complete applications. The anticipated start date is July or August 2022. 

 A complete application must include a cover letter, resume, short writing sample, and names/contact information for two professional references. Please submit your complete application as one single pdf file by uploading it under “Upload Your Resume.”

*If you need technical assistance to submit your application, please message us or email jobs@ebclc.org.

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