Legal Internship - Children's and RCIS Program (North Dallas)
Dallas Legal Internship - Children’s and RCIS Program
RAICES – Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services
Fall 2020 Internship, 10 week commitment; your start and end dates will be discussed with your interviewer and/or supervisor.
Location: Due to Covid19 this postion could be REMOTE/;1910 Pacific Ave. Suite 5045, Dallas, TX 75201
Schedule: Flexible, 10 - 30 hours a week
Concentration: Legal, Immigration, Children’s Rights
Unpaid Internship/ Law Student Scholarship Available
Founded in 1987, RAICES is the largest non-profit immigration organization in Texas with offices in Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Fort Worth, and San Antonio with additional staff in Houston, Washington, D.C., and many other locations around Texas. Since 1986, the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) has assisted vulnerable members of the immigrant community - including asylum seekers, unaccompanied minors, immigrant detainees, and survivors of torture to navigate the United States immigration court system by helping them to better understand their rights and responsibilities in that process. With the mission to promote justice by providing free and low cost immigration legal services to underserved children, families, and refugees in Central and South Texas, RAICES has grown from a San Antonio based organization to one that serves clients all over Texas. RAICES current, major ongoing activities include: the legal representation of unaccompanied children, families and adults seeking assistance with their immigration case; emergency shelter and referral services for such individuals who have been released from detention; and working with local communities to increase their capacity to be welcoming and to prepare for any executive actions or immigration reforms.
OVERVIEW:
RAICES Children’s Program serves unaccompanied immigrant children who are both detained and released from the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). The Children’s Program seeks to find volunteers and interns to assist attorneys, legal assistants and social workers in providing both legal and social support services to unaccompanied children in the San Antonio area. The position involves contact with children from all ages, some of which have suffered extensive trauma or other forms of abuse, and who require support services in conjunction with legal representation.
The Community Immigration Services Program at RAICES (RCIS), is the founding component of the organization. We are entrusted to serve the legal and educational needs of the immigrant communities we serve. Our program was founded in San Antonio to serve the needs of displaced individuals escaping the horrors of civil wars raging throughout Central American countries in the 1980s. Today, with offices serving the immigrant needs in San Antonio, Austin, Corpus Christi, Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth and the surrounding counties, we continue to be true to our founding principle. We assist individuals resettling in the United States as refugees, individuals seeking protection in the United States because of horrendous and life threatening conditions in their home countries, victims of crime, individuals seeking family reunification, United States citizenship, children who came to the United States at a young age who need permission to work, among others. We continuously engage the community in providing resources and information to keep them up to date with ongoing changes and understand their legal rights, empowering them to protect themselves, family and community members.
The purpose of RCIS is to provide accessible and timely legal services designed to fit the the specific needs of communities, through direct consultation with attorneys at our office without previous appointment, through legal clinics specializing in different issues or through information workshops. Through this practicum you will support RAICES’ staff to serve a greater number of clients by assisting in various aspects of the legal process
As the Legal Intern for the Children’s Program and RCIS you will be responsible for the following:
POTENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Assist attorneys and paralegals with completing intakes and follow up appointments with clients;
- Draft legal documents;
- Assist with translations;
- Conduct legal research;
- Assist in organizing files;
- Conduct data processing, cleaning, and entry;
- Other project related tasks;
- Complete intake surveys with clients;
- Speak with clients and assisting attorneys in interviews;
- Draft declarations;
- Assist attorneys with paperwork;
- Assist with legal clinics;
- Conduct data processing, cleaning, and entry;
- Other project related tasks and deliverables.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Must be a currently enrolled law student;
- Spanish language fluency required (must be comfortable interviewing clients in Spanish);
- Background working with diverse populations preferred;
- Background working with children and trauma survivors preferred;
- Attention to detail;
- Interest in serving the community via immigration law and human rights;
- Background in Political Science, International Studies, Public Policy, Pre-law, Humanities, Education, Spanish, etc. preferred;
- Adaptable to a fast-paced environment;
- Flexible schedule to be present at events outside of traditional work hours;
- Able to handle sensitive and extremely confidential information professionally and empathetically;
Additional Comments:
By interning with the Children’s Program you will gain in depth knowledge of the process unaccompanied minors seeking asylum, special immigrant juvenile status, and other forms of legal relief while being at the forefront of the fight for a fair immigration system and the ability to practice law in a way that contributes to society by advocating for social justice.