Description

JOB SUMMARY

The Family Visa Program of St. Frances Cabrini Center for Immigrant Legal Assistance provides persons in need due to financial and personal hardship with legal services to assist as they seek lawful status in the U.S.

The Family Visa Program of St. Frances Cabrini Center for Immigrant Legal Assistance provides low fee family based immigration representation to immigrants with low income. We screen clients for family based immigration eligibility and prepare and submit petitions and applications on their behalf to USCIS, AAO, CBP, DOS, BIA, and EOIR.

The Legal Assistant in the Family Visa Program works under the supervision of attorneys and DOJ Accredited Representatives to provide legal services to persons seeking primarily family based and related immigration status in the U.S.

The successful candidate will have strong communication skills, organizational skills and be detail oriented

The successful candidate will provide legal services that include the following tasks:

• Prepares and conducts screenings and intake.
• Prepares client petitions, applications, and waivers seeking family based immigration status
• Assists with legal screening to identify qualifying family based immigrants, potential affirmative legal relief, and information and documentation required in consultation with attorneys or Accredited Representatives.

The successful candidate will aid legal staff of Cabrini Center in providing representation to clients that include the following tasks:

• Assists attorneys in representation by liaising with clients, preparing client case files, immigration applications, translating documents, interpreting at client meetings and interviews at USCIS.
• Maintains client case files to ensure accurate and up-to-date information on client matters; updates case lists and calendars, maintains accurate client and case management databases, generates statistical report, corrects data entry to provide an accurate database on client information, case processes and caseload information
• Help prepare and represent clients for various interviews, requests for evidence, and NOIDs.

Qualifications

MINIMUM EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree, in lieu of a bachelor’s degree, Associate’s degree with two years legal assistant or office management experience, required

MINIMUM SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

• 6 months minimum experience, experience in law office setting, working in legal services or non-profit immigration legal practice preferred
• Fully bilingual in Spanish and English (read, write and speak).
• Attention to details.
• Ability to work under pressure and multi-task.
• A driver’s license.
• Knowledge and experience with MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, Access) and Acobat adob

Description

About our Catholic Charities Family

We seek compassionate, talented individuals with a heart for helping others and making a positive impact on the lives of men, women, and children across our large region. People of faith helping people in need achieve self-sufficiency and live with dignity.

Unaccompanied Children Program of St. Frances Cabrini Center for Immigrant Legal Assistance follows the journey of migrant children who come to the United States without a parent or adult guardian, we teach them about their legal rights, we screen them for immigration relief, and we represent them in state court, USCIS and the Immigration Court to advance their claim for immigration relief and to defend them against deportation.

The Social Services Coordinator is responsible for providing needs assessment and referral for unaccompanied children clients and their families with social service needs beyond legal services.

Qualifications

The Expertise We’re Looking For

• You have a bachelor's degree
• You have 1-3 years of experience in a similar role

The Skills and Assets You Bring, and More

• You are fully bilingual in Spanish and English (read, write and speak)
• You have excellent interpersonal and analytical skills
• You have strong organizational skills, ability to maintain significant caseload, set priority, multitask and work under pressure and competing demands
• You have strong writing, speaking, active listening and presenting skills
• You can work as part of a team in a very fast-paced environment know of community resources for the populations served
• You have a general understanding of the needs of immigrants and demonstrates sensitivity to these needs
• You can work with the population served in crises
• You can handle and maintain confidential information
• You demonstrate knowledge and understanding of professional boundaries with clients, staff and volunteers
• You have advanced knowledge and proficiency in basic typing skills and computer applications such as MS Office

You demonstrate multi-cultural skills and sensitivity

The Value You Deliver

You join Catholic Charities and help people in southeast Texas by providing caring, compassionate services and advocating for social justice in collaboration with parishes and communities.

What you Deliver

• You conduct social service, mental health, and medical needs assessments for clients and families referred by attorneys to determine social service and support needs beyond legal services being provided. You provide initial and ongoing crisis intervention, in coordination with the legal team. You refer clients to counselors, doctors, schools, basic need assistance, and any other needs. You coordinate with the legal team in ensuring that client needs are met, including, but not limited to, assistance with housing, transportation, translation, counseling, health services, accessing public benefits. Update the legal team (attorneys, paralegals, and legal assistants) on the status of social work cases.
• You maintain a caseload of at least 40 clients. Coordinate therapy, physician, and other appointments and coordinate with the legal team to ensure holistic services. You maintain regular communication with clients.
• You attend community fairs, meetings, and other events to do outreach into the community. You research resources available in the community and develop contacts and networks to assist clients in accessing those resources. You update the legal team on all outreaches/meetings attended. You attend one attorney brown bag lunch per month.
• You participate in professional self-development via supervision and continuing education classes. You maintain a case management database and statistics.
• You participate in Charlas, program and agency community education and outreach efforts (Spanish and English), particularly as they relate to issues of immigration law, providing direct information to prospective clients, attending information sessions on asylum and deportation.
• You perform other duties as assigned by Vice President, Legal Director and Managing Attorneys such as assisting in training staff in legal and regulatory changes, and participating in coalition activities, participating in staff retreats, United Way activities, agency fairs and speaking engagements, assisting with special organizational projects/events, etc.

How Your Work Impacts our Organization

The work you do will help us advocate for the vulnerable among us, a network of support services to people of all ages and from all walks of life and religious backgrounds.

Description

About our Catholic Charities Family

We seek compassionate, talented individuals with a heart for helping others and making a positive impact on the lives of men, women, and children across our large region. People of faith helping people in need achieve self-sufficiency and live with dignity.

Join our team as a Managing Attorney. The Managing Attorney is responsible for co-managing the Unaccompanied Children Program, responsible for overall supervision and operation of the Unaccompanied Children Program of the Cabrini Center which includes providing legal services to children designated as unaccompanied minors under the TVPRA while they are detained in ORR facilities and upon their release to sponsors in the greater Houston area. The program also includes auxiliary services for sponsors such as Safe Release Services and Legal Orientation Program for Custodians that prepare sponsors for the minor's release. The managing attorney will supervise and provide ongoing training and mentorship to new supervisors, attorneys, non-attorney positions, and clerks to develop breadth and depth of supervisory skills and substantive knowledge to ensure high-quality legal services. The Managing Attorney will provide strategic direction for the unit based on needs and changes in immigration policies and procedures. The Managing Attorney will work with other Managing Attorneys within Cabrini Center under the Director and or Vice President.

Qualifications

The Expertise We’re Looking For

• You have a Juris Doctor degree from ABA-accredited law school
• You have 5 – 10 years of experience in a broad range of immigration law

The Skills and Assets You Bring, and More

• You have a minimum of 2 years experience managing and training, attorneys and attorney supervisors
• You have experience managing substantial immigration caseloads and strategic planning
• You have experience in litigation and client advocacy
• You demonstrated legal research and legal writing skills
• You demonstrated verbal and written communication as well as negotiation skills
• You demonstrated community outreach and public speaking skills, including ability to work with media
• You have strong organizational skills and ability to manage a significant caseload, deadlines, tasks simultaneously
• You have experience supervising and managing legal staff and supervisors
• You demonstrated multi-cultural skills and sensitivity
• You can handle and maintain confidential information

The Value You Deliver

You join Catholic Charities and help people in southeast Texas by providing caring, compassionate services and advocating for social justice in collaboration with parishes and communities.

What you Deliver

• Strategic Planning;
• Supervision and mentoring;
• Substantive Legal Supervision and Support;
• Legal Representation;
• Personnel Management;
• Collaboration within Cabrini, CCAGH, funders, and the immigration legal services community;
• Contract and Agency Compliance;
• Convening and meeting within the UC program, Cabrini, CCAGH, funders and advocacy groups;
• You perform other duties as assigned

How Your Work Impacts our Organization

The work you do will help us advocate for the vulnerable among us, a network of support services to people of all ages and from all walks of life and religious backgrounds.

Description

About our Catholic Charities Family

We seek compassionate, talented individuals with a heart for helping others and making a positive impact on the lives of men, women, and children across our large region. People of faith helping people in need achieve self-sufficiency and live with dignity.

Job Description

Join the Unaccompanied Children Program of St. Frances Cabrini Center for Immigrant Legal Assistance as the program follows the journey of migrant children who come to the United States without a parent or adult guardian, we teach them about their legal rights, we screen them for immigration relief, and we represent them in state court, USCIS and the Immigration Court to advance their claim for immigration relief and to defend them against deportation.

The Paralegal in the Unaccompanied Children Program will work under the supervision of an attorney and DOJ Accredited Representative to provide legal services to unaccompanied children in the detained and released setting.

Qualifications

The Expertise We’re Looking For

• You have a bachelor’s degree or an associate degree & paralegal certificate with two years of paralegal experience
• You are knowledgeable and have 1-3 years of paralegal experience in a law office; this is encouraged
• You have experience in non-profit immigration practice or legal services; this is encouraged
• You are fully bilingual in Spanish and English (read, write and speak)

The Skills and Assets You Bring, and More

• The successful candidate will have strong writing, speaking, active listening and presenting skills
• You thrive in a high-pressure environment that requires the ability to multitask
• You can stay focused on different tasks, and use your time, energy, mental capacity, physical space effectively and efficiently to achieve the desired outcome
• You are thorough and accurate when accomplishing tasks and provide accurate, consistent paperwork and information promptly
• You have a valid driver’s license
• You have knowledge and experience with MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, Access) and Acrobat adobe

The Value You Deliver

You join Catholic Charities and help people in southeast Texas by providing caring, compassionate services and advocating for social justice in collaboration with parishes and communities.

What you Deliver

• You will plan and coordinate shelter duties with Legal Assistant and Attorneys
• You will prepare and conduct “Know Your Rights” presentations to newly-arrived unaccompanied minors in ORR shelters
• You will develop regular client statistics report to facilitate post-release legal assistance
• You will liaise with shelter staff for up-to-date placement of unaccompanied children
• You will conduct an in-depth intake with detained children to assist the attorney in assessing immigration relies
• You will conduct legal screening for newly arrived unaccompanied minors to identify potential legal relief in consultation with attorneys or an Accredited Representative
• You will appear with attorneys at juvenile detained dockets to coordinate logistics with shelter staff to facilitate the minors' appearance before an immigration judge and keep case notes to record proceedings
• You will maintain client case files to ensure accurate and up-to-date information on client matters; you will update attorney case lists and calendars, maintain accurate client and case management databases, generate statistical reports, correct data entry to provide an accurate database on client information, case processes and caseload information
• You will help released children obtain legal representation by timely referrals, and follow-up with referred providers; organize case files for locally released children and make appropriate internal referral within Cabrini Center
• You will develop regular client statistic reports to facilitate post-release legal assistance
• You will assist attorneys indirect representation by liaising with clients, preparing client case files, drafting, preparing and filing correspondence and pleadings; prepare and file immigration applications and petitions, assist with court preparation with clients; interpret at immigration interviews and hearings

How Your Work Impacts our Organization

The work you do will help us advocate for the vulnerable among us, a network of support services to people of all ages and from all walks of life and religious backgrounds.

Description

About our Catholic Charities Family

We seek compassionate, talented individuals with a heart for helping others and making a positive impact on the lives of men, women, and children across our large region. People of faith helping people in need achieve self-sufficiency and live with dignity.

St. Frances Center for Immigrant Legal Assistance is the legal services arm of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. It is one of the largest non-profit immigration legal services programs in the region. We provide free to low-cost immigration legal assistance to immigrants and refugees in Southeast Texas.

Join our team as an Administrative Clerk! As the Administrative Clerk you are responsible for handling tasks essential to the smooth operation of the office of the Cabrini Center. The Administrative Clerk is responsible for organizing and maintaining client case files, making data entry into case management systems, assisting with client communications, providing oral interpretation or written translation of documents, processing incoming and outgoing mail, maintaining adequate office supplies, assisting with the operation of Charla and workshops, and participating in community outreach as appropriate.

Qualifications

The Expertise We’re Looking For

• You have a High School diploma or equivalent

The Skills and Assets You Bring, and More

• You have excellent organizational skills, the ability to multi-task, and function in a collaborative environment
• You have 2-years of experience working in an office environment
• You are fully bilingual in Spanish and English (read, write and speak)
• You have excellent, speaking and active listening skills
• You have strong organizational skills, ability to set priority, multitask, and work under pressure and competing demands
• You have knowledge and proficiency in basic computer skills: word processing, spreadsheet, database
• You demonstrate multi-cultural skills and sensitivity
• You can handle and maintain confidential information

The Value You Deliver

You join Catholic Charities and help people in southeast Texas by providing caring, compassionate services and advocating for social justice in collaboration with parishes and communities.

What you Deliver

• Case Data Management: You collect statistics on UCs served and the services provided to clients using Vera’s online management and reporting database (Caspio) and Law Logix case management system. Tasks include; inputting and updating the legal case status, legal case disposition, applications for legal relief filed, requests for voluntary departure, and other information/data from clients, Immigration Court, USCIS, EOIR, or State Court. Clerks will be responsible for generating statistical reports, and correcting data entry to ensure accuracy in the database on client information, case processes, and caseload information.
• Office Management: You process incoming and outgoing mail. Maintain office supplies inventory and order office supplies. You maintain program resources, documents, and handbooks. You assist in other clerical duties for the Cabrini Center.
• Case Assistance: You assist Legal Assistants/Paralegals and Attorneys in maintaining case information on case management systems, scheduling and conducting client intake interviews, preparing client case files, collecting, compiling and organizing supporting documents for clients’ cases, translating foreign documents into English as needed, drafting, and preparing case file correspondence. You assist Caseworkers and Attorneys in preparing clients for court hearing and USCIS interviews and perform interpretations at USCIS interviews as needed.
• Charla and workshops: You assist with the set-up, registration, and the orderly operation of Charla and workshops by setting up registration and presentation materials, client handouts, and administering the operation of the Charla and workshops.
• Meetings: You attend and participate in mandatory in UC team meetings, Cabrini staff meetings, and other agency meetings. You participate in calls and meetings organized by funders, city-wide advocacy groups, and local service providers when appropriate and helpful.
• Contract and Agency Compliance: You comply with all contract requirements. You provide data and statistical information for the grant, contract, and other reporting purposes. You provide accurate and timely monthly data, time logs, and reports for internal use, funder use, and other entity use. You participate in trainings, webinars, meetings, calls, etc. as required by funders.
• Outreaches: You participate in community outreach and legal education activities, including Charla and other community events, prepare community legal education materials on immigration issues. Other: You perform other duties as assigned by the Legal Director and Managing Attorneys such as assisting with in house meetings and trainings, coordinate with community partners, engage in coalition activities, participate in staff and agency retreats, assist with special events.

How Your Work Impacts our Organization

The work you do will help us advocate for the vulnerable among us, a network of support services to people of all ages and from all walks of life and religious backgrounds.

Description

About our Catholic Charities Family

We seek compassionate, talented individuals with a heart for helping others and making a positive impact on the lives of men, women, and children across our large region. People of faith helping people in need achieve self-sufficiency and live with dignity.

The Staff Attorney is responsible for providing legal representation to clients served by St. Frances Cabrini Center for Legal Assistance in immigration matters. Legal representation of immigration clients for applications, petitions, other procedures, and in proceedings before the USCIS, Asylum Office, State, federal and immigration courts, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, agencies within the Department of Homeland Security, Department of State, as well as appellate agencies such as the Administrative Appeals Office and Board of Immigration Appeals.

The Staff Attorney also provides legal services in the form of community outreach and legal education, legal workshops, legal intake, legal research, individual legal representation as well as supervising legal assistants and/or law student interns. The Staff Attorney works under the direct supervision of the Senior Attorney and/or Managing Attorney. The Staff Attorney works as a team with the Legal Assistant/Paralegal, clerks, and other Cabrini Center staff.

Qualifications

The Expertise We’re Looking For

• You have a Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.) degree from an ABA-accredited law school
• You have 0-2 years of work experience as a licensed attorney
• You are a licensed attorney in Texas and is in good standing, or be eligible to take the next available Texas Bar, or be admitted as an out-of-state attorney within one-year of hiring

The Skills and Assets You Bring, and More

• The successful candidate will provide exceptional legal services to our immigration clients and will have exceptional organization, communication and legal analysis skills
• You are fully bilingual in Spanish and English (read, write and speak)
• You have excellent legal research and legal writing skills
• You have excellent verbal and written communication and negotiation skills
• You can manage a high-volume caseload, multiple deadlines, and other tasks simultaneously
• You have knowledge and proficiency in basic typing skills and computer applications such as MS Office
• You can work multi-cultural clientele
• You can handle and maintain confidential information

The Value You Deliver

You join Catholic Charities and help people in southeast Texas by providing caring, compassionate services and advocating for social justice in collaboration with parishes and communities.

What you Deliver

• You represent clients in immigration matters before the USCIS Service Center, Field Office, Asylum Office or Immigration Court on matters such as family petitions, waivers, removal of conditional status, adjustment of status, naturalization, asylum, removal defense, and any immigration proceedings
• You conduct legal intake, screening, and interviews with clients, affiants, witnesses, experts, and others who can provide information or statements in furtherance of the principle client’s immigration matters
• You draft, prepare and assemble relevant immigration petitions, applications, and waivers; marshal evidence, conduct legal research; write memorandums of law, motions or briefs in support of applications, petitions, waivers, appeals and more submitted to immigration agencies such as the USCIS Service Centers, Field Office, Asylum Office, Federal Courts, Board of Immigration Appeals, Administrative Appeals Office, EOIR, and other immigration agencies
• You prepare clients and witnesses for interviews and court hearings. Ensure exceptional case management and documentation including maintaining current and accurate physical and electronic files according to program and agency requirements, case notes, correspondence, filings, calendars, and dockets
• You maintain a case list and case service statistics for Cabrini Center and program funders. You participate in case reviews with Senior Attorney, Managing Attorney or Legal Director as applicable
• You attend and participate in mandatory unit and Cabrini staff meetings, and other agency meetings. You participate in calls and meetings organized by funders, city-wide advocacy groups, local service providers and national support centers when appropriate and helpful
• You comply with all reporting, audit, and compliance requirements. You provide data and statistical information for funding and other reporting purposes. You provide accurate and timely monthly data, time logs, and reports for internal use, funder use, and other entity use. You participate in trainings, meetings, calls, etc. as required by funders or to serve program needs
• You participate in outreach such as Charlas by presenting and performing legal consultations. You participate in program and agency community legal education and outreach efforts (Spanish and English), particularly as they relate to issues of immigration law, providing direct information to prospective clients, evaluating immigration benefits and relief applicable, attending information sessions on immigration relief, waivers, bars to relief asylum, and deportation
• You provide supervision and direction to Legal Assistant and/or Paralegal on a full range of legal services provided by the program and perform other duties as assigned by the Legal Director and supervisors, such as assisting and training staff in legal and regulatory changes, participating in coalition activities, participating in staff retreats, United Way activities, agency fairs, speaking engagements, assisting with special organization projects/events, etc.

How Your Work Impacts our Organization

The work you do will help us advocate for the vulnerable among us, a network of support services to people of all ages and from all walks of life and religious backgrounds.

Description

About our Catholic Charities Family

We seek compassionate, talented individuals with a heart for helping others and making a positive impact on the lives of men, women, and children across our large region. People of faith helping people in need achieve self-sufficiency and live with dignity.

Join the team as the Senior Attorney. The Senior Attorney is a member of the program’s supervisory team that helps set strategic priorities and formulate policies and procedures for the whole program. She or he is responsible for supervising a legal team in the provision of immigration legal services to clients served by St. Frances Cabrini Center for Immigrant Legal Assistance. Legal services include community outreach and legal education, legal workshops, legal intake, legal research, and individual legal representation. The Senior Attorney is expected to have and develop expertise in immigration law as well as stay up to date on immigration law and policies and to provide supervision, guidance, and mentorship to attorneys, pro bono counsel, paralegals, and/or law student interns. The Senior Attorney will contribute to identifying issues for impact advocacy and litigation to be undertaken by the Cabrini Center and/or other partners to advance immigrant rights and to make systemic changes.

Qualifications

The Expertise We’re Looking For

• You have a Juris Doctor degree from an ABA-accredited law school
• You have 2-4 years of experience as a practicing attorney
• You are licensed to practice law in the State of Texas and are in good standing
• You have a minimum 2-3 years of experience practicing immigration law before the USCIS and the EOIR
• You have a minimum of 2 years of experience supervising a team of lawyers and paralegals

The Skills and Assets You Bring, and More

• You have excellent legal research and writing skills
• You have excellent verbal and written communication and negotiation skills
• You are fully bilingual in Spanish and English (read, write and speak)
• You can handle a high-volume caseload, meet multiple deadlines, and execute other tasks simultaneously
• You have intermediate proficiency in Microsoft Office
• You have experience working with the immigrant community, this is an asset
• You have demonstrated multi-cultural understanding and experience

The Value You Deliver

You join Catholic Charities and help people in southeast Texas by providing caring, compassionate services and advocating for social justice in collaboration with parishes and communities.

What you Deliver

• Direct Representation: You provide direct representation to immigrant clients before the USCIS, Asylum Office or Immigration Court as well as state courts on a range of immigration matters, including affirmative asylum and removal defense. Your direct representation encompasses the following tasks: conduct legal intake and screening; interview clients, affiants, witness, experts, case managers, and others who can provide information or statement in furtherance of the principal client's immigration matters; draft, prepare and assemble relevant immigration petitions; conduct legal research; write memoranda of law, motions or briefs in support of applications and petitions filed before USCIS, Asylum office, State, Immigration and Federal Courts, the Board of Immigration Appeals, Administrative Appeals Office, EOIR and other immigration agencies; prepare the client for interviews and court hearings
• Case Management: You maintain client physical and electronic files according to program requirements, including case notes, correspondence, filings, calendars, and dockets. Maintain a case status list and case service statistics for Cabrini Center and program funders. You participate in case reviews with attorney staff and support staff, and/or Managing Attorney/Legal Director, as applicable. You maintain a minimum of 30-40 active cases
• Meetings: You attend and participate in mandatory unit and Cabrini staff meetings, and other agency meetings. You participate on calls and meetings organized by funders, city-wide advocacy groups, local service providers and national support centers when appropriate and helpful
• Contract and Agency Compliance: You comply with all contract requirements. You provide data and statistical information for the grant, contract, and other reporting purposes. You provide accurate and timely monthly data, time logs, and reports for internal use, funder use, and other entity use. You participate in trainings, meetings, calls, etc. as required by funders or to serve program needs
• Outreaches: You participate in Charlas by presenting and performing legal consultations. You participate in program and agency community legal education and outreach efforts, particularly as they relate to issues of immigration law, providing direct information to prospective clients, attending information sessions on asylum, deportation, and other immigration relief, and conduct legal workshops and engage pro bono counsel in the provision of legal services
• Personnel: You provide day-to-day supervision to the legal team comprising staff attorneys, legal fellows, pro bono counsel, paralegal/legal assistants, administrative clerks, and interns. Provide periodic evaluation of staff performance
• Substantive Expertise: You develop expertise in general immigration law, including but not limited to Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, asylum, U visa, T visa, adjustment of status and other immigration relief available to Unaccompanied Minors, as well as naturalization, family immigration, DACA, and Temporary Protected Status
• Advocacy: You identify policy issues and coordinate with other units within Cabrini Center and the immigration bar in advancing advocacy agenda to promote immigrant rights
• Meeting Community Needs: You work with Cabrini leadership to evaluate program efficacy and engage in priority setting in line with community needs
• Program Administration: You develop and implement policies and procedures to ensure that the Cabrini Center provides high-quality legal services to clients and provide periodic training to Cabrini staff to maintain quality and standard of service
• Shelter Team: You oversee the staffing and operation of the assigned shelter team, to provide back-up support to facilitate detained children work as necessary; conduct regular team meeting to organize shelter schedule, allocate staffing resources and manage stakeholder relationships.

How Your Work Impacts our Organization

The work you do will help us advocate for the vulnerable among us, a network of support services to people of all ages and from all walks of life and religious backgrounds.