Immigration Legal Services on U.S./Mexico Border - Summer and Fall Legal Internships

Job Description:

Casa de Proyecto Libertad is currently seeking candidates for full-time legal internships for Summer and Fall 2012 at our office in Harlingen, Texas (on the U.S./Mexico border). Interns will work closely with our Legal Defense Program team in providing quality, competent legal advocacy and defense to immigrant families in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. There will be ample opportunity for direct client work, and student will become very familiar with the practical aspects of immigration legal services.

The summer internship will start in late May and end in late August. The fall internship will start in early September and end in early December.

The majority of Proyecto Libertad’s current caseload consists of affirmative VAWA I-360 self-petitions and U Visa applications for survivors of domestic violence and their children. We also represent a small number of detained and non-detained clients in removal proceedings before the Immigration Courts. Our legal team is made up of two BIA-Accredited representatives, two legal advocates/paralegals, and a staff attorney. Interns will have the opportunity to assist with all aspects of our work.

Specific duties may include:

• Conducting intake interviews of potential clients (usually in Spanish);
• Preparing applications for submission to the USCIS and/or the Immigration Court (e.g. completing application forms; preparing client declarations; translating documents; preparing supporting documentation packets);
• Conducting legal research, including for cutting-edge "crimmigration" issues;
• Drafting internal legal memoranda;
• Drafting legal briefs for submission to the Immigration Court (as needed);
• Maintaining case files and keeping client informed of case progress and all appointments, hearings, and filing deadlines;
• Possibly some court representation (depending on skill and interest).

Qualifications:

Candidates should be law students or recent law school graduates, and must have:

• Demonstrated commitment to social justice and/or immigrants’ rights;
• Collaborative disposition and experience working with diverse populations;
• Creativity, initiative, and comfort working independently;
• Advanced legal research and writing skills;
• Fluency in English and Spanish strongly preferred;
• Some experience and/or coursework in immigration law, federal litigation, or community organizing is a plus.

Preference is given to law students or recent law graduates, but we will also consider others who have an interest and have excellent research and writing skills. Candidates from Texas and/or Mexico and/or other countries (especially Spanish-speaking countries) are particularly welcome.

Organization Description:

Casa de Proyecto Libertad is a non-profit, community-based organization that has a 30-year history of providing direct immigration legal services in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. We work within communities to promote and assist with empowerment for those who are most vulnerable to violence and deportation due to their lack of immigration status. Through our Legal Defense Program, thousands of clients have escpaed abusive households and achieved security in the form of temporary non-immigrant status, Lawful Permanent Residence, and U.S. citizenship.

  

Please forward a cover letter, resume, short writing sample, and list of references via email, fax or regular mail to:

Sara Sluszka
Staff Attorney
Casa de Proyecto Libertad
113 N. 1st Street
Harlingen, TX 78550
Fax: 956-425-8249
Email: sara.sluszka@gmail.com