[Hamp-law] Paralegal Job, Am Civil Liberties Union/ NYC

[Carin Rank]

PARALEGAL [IRP-04/ID] - Job
Posted by: American Civil Liberties Union
Location: New York, New York, United States
http://www.idealist.org/view/job/MZ7PDs2tGmJd/

Description

PARALEGAL [IRP-04]

American Civil Liberties Union Foundation

Immigrants’ Rights Project, NY

The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation (ACLU), founded in 1920,
is a nationwide, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, with more than
500,000 members and is dedicated to the principles of liberty and
equality embodied in the U.S. Constitution. The Immigrants’ Rights
Project of the ACLU’s National office in New York City seeks
applications for the full-time position of Paralegal.

OVERVIEW

The Immigrants’ Rights Project (IRP) works to defend the civil and
constitutional rights of immigrants through a comprehensive program of
impact litigation and public education. The IRP conducts the largest
litigation program in the country dedicated to enforcing and defending
the constitutional and civil rights of immigrants and to combating
public and private discrimination against non-citizens.

In recent years, state and local lawmakers around the country have
adopted unconstitutional legislation and policies designed to take
federal immigration regulation and enforcement into their own hands.
These policies invite discrimination against immigrants, Latinos, and
other communities of color and erode civil rights and civil liberties
by, for example, permitting police officers to demand documentation from
anyone who is subject to routine encounters with law enforcement. The
civil liberties threats are especially dire in the southeastern region
of the country, where state legislatures have enacted some of the
nation’s harshest anti-immigrant laws and local law enforcement agencies
have engaged in patterns and practices of racial profiling.

Current areas of litigation and advocacy also include detention; habeas
corpus and access to the courts; immigration enforcement practices and
racial profiling; discrimination in the criminal justice system;
workplace rights; discriminatory language and education policies; due
process in immigration removal proceedings; Freedom of Information Act
proceedings; and post-9/11 policies and practices affecting
non-citizens, including damages actions for unconstitutional detention
and abuse.

The IRP maintains offices in New York and California but also supports
and coordinates the immigrants’ rights work of the ACLU’s affiliates
around the country. The Paralegal will be an integral part of the IRP
team, will attend regular staff meetings and will have the opportunity
to learn about strategies for protecting the rights of immigrants.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

     Produce and file pleadings in federal courts (from district court
through Supreme Court level), and occasionally state courts around the
United States.
     Manage and coordinate databases, case files, attorneys’
correspondence files, IRP litigation docket, etc.
     Research and analyze issues where appropriate.
     Serve as liaison with co-counsel.
     Provide word-processing and litigation support for attorneys in the
New York office and backup support for attorneys in the San Francisco
office.
     Respond to intake calls, emails and letters from individuals
seeking assistance.
     Prepare updates for IRP information on ACLU website.
     Occasional drafting of cultivation materials and letters.
     Hire, supervise, and train undergraduate interns and volunteers.
Serve as liaison for administrative relations with ACLU affiliates and
other offices within National ACLU.
     Handle the day-to-day office operations including acting as liaison
with vendors to order and maintain office supplies, coordinate purchase
and maintenance of office equipment, etc.
     Perform other special projects and other duties as assigned by the
Director and Staff Attorneys.

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

     A Bachelor’s degree required and one year of paralegal or related
experience preferred.
     Excellent word-processing and computer skills in Windows XP
environment.
     Proficient with Microsoft WordPerfect, Word, Excel, and Outlook.
     Strong internet research skills are essential.
     Must be well organized, efficient, highly motivated, able to handle
multiple tasks at once, work well under pressure, and take initiative.
     Must have outstanding written, verbal and interpersonal skills,
superb attention to detail and excellent phone manner.
     Commitment to civil liberties, immigrants' rights and public
interest legal work is essential.

COMPENSATION

The ACLU offers a generous and comprehensive compensation and benefits
package, commensurate with experience and within parameters of the ACLU
compensation scale.

How to apply

Please send a cover letter (with salary requirements), resume, the names
and phone numbers of two references and a non-fiction writing sample of
not more than five pages by email to hrjobsIRP at aclu.org reference
[IRP-04/ID] in subject line – or by mail to:

Human Resources

RE: [IRP-04/ID]

American Civil Liberties Union

125 Broad Street, 18th Floor

New York,NY10004

Please indicate in your cover letter where you learned of this career
opportunity.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

This job description provides a general but not comprehensive list of
the essential responsibilities and qualifications required. It does not
represent a contract of employment. The ACLU reserves the right to
change the job description and or posting at any time without advance
notice.

The ACLU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and
encourages applications from all qualified individuals including women,
people of color, persons with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual,
and transgender individuals.

The ACLU comprises two separate corporate entities, the American Civil
Liberties Union and the ACLU Foundation. Both the American Civil
Liberties Union and the ACLU Foundation are national organizations with
the same overall mission, and share office space and employees. The ACLU
has two separate corporate entities in order to do a broad range of work
to protect civil liberties. This job posting refers collectively to the
two organizations under the name “ACLU.”
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