Staff Attorney at the MinKwon Center for Community Action

The MinKwon Center for Community Action is pleased to invite applications to serve as a Staff Attorney. The position offers the opportunity to obtain extensive experience in litigation and Federal/state practice in a number of fields, as well as the opportunity to work directly with low- and middle-income clients in need of services.

Organization History & Mission

The MinKwon Center for Community Action was established in 1984 as the Young Korean American Service & Education Center (YKASEC) to meet the needs and concerns of the Korean American community. Since our founding, we have made a profound presence through various grassroots organizing, education, and advocacy initiatives that address important community issues, including immigration policies, voter rights, and cultural awareness. The MinKwon Center places a special emphasis on meeting the needs of our marginalized community members, including youth, elderly, recent immigrants, low-income residents, and limited-English-proficient residents.

Community Need

MinKwon Center seeks a staff attorney to help serve the needs of the growing Korean American immigrant population in Flushing, Queens. From 1990 to 2000, the Asian community in Flushing rose by a dramatic 67%, and the now-67,000-strong population comprises the majority in Flushing. This surging population is largely low-income – officially, more than 1 in 5 Asian Americans in Flushing live below the poverty line, the highest such rate of all communities in Flushing. A full 54% of Flushing Asian households are isolated linguistically, and more than a quarter of all Asians in Flushing spend at least half their income on rent. They often suffer from exploitation, racial and language discrimination, and unlawful labor violations.

Job Description

MinKwon Center’s staff attorney would primarily provide free legal services to the low-income Asian American community in Flushing. The attorney would provide community members with services ranging from legal advice/consultations to Federal and state litigation, on areas such as employment rights, immigration-related issues, housing, and civil rights. Staff attorneys would also work closely with MinKwon advocacy and organizing staff on related campaigns.

Candidates will be evaluated on the basis of the following:

- Interest and experience in working with the Asian American community

- Commitment to the rights of poor and working people

- Spoken fluency or near-fluency in Korean

- Excellent communications skills and demonstrated strong academic/career performance.

- The ability to work independently and cordially with others

- Experience and interest in employment, immigration, housing and/or civil rights law (not required, but preferred).

We will accept applications through Friday, June 24, 2011. Please prepare a detailed cover letter describing your interest in the organization, and send it with your résumé, transcript, a list of three references, and an unedited writing sample to:

Kathy Chae, Esq,
MinKwon Center for Community Action
136-19 41st Ave, 3rd Floor
Flushing, NY 11354
Phone: 718-460-5600, Fax: 718-445-0032
Email: kchae@minkwon.org