Legal Assistant / Advocate UC Unit

at  Canal Alliance

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor/Associate degree preferred, but not required. High School Diploma with several years of experience will be considered.
• Minimum one year of experience as an Administrative Assistant in a fast-paced environment
• Immigration law and/or social work experience preferred but not required

QUALIFICATIONS- SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

• Bilingual Spanish/English (required)
• Knowledge of Latino culture
• Good verbal, written and organizational skills
• Empathy customer service skills, highly skilled in active listening, empathy
• Ability to work with diverse ethnic/racial groups
• Compassionate and respectful towards clients
• Ability to work efficiently, track deadlines, and manage multiple priorities
• Experience working with case management software
• Strong technical skills, Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Outlook, Power Point and Excel)
• Must be willing to complete a Comprehensive Overview of Immigration Law (COIL) course within the first year

Administrative Support & Reception

• Schedule appointments for the attorneys and paralegals
• Open mail, input information into client database, file receipt notices, and communicate case updates to clients
• Answer phone calls and greet walk-in visitors
• Check voicemail messages, return calls, and forward calls the appropriate staff
• Meet with clients to pick-up/drop-off documents
• Translate documents from English to Spanish and Spanish to English
• Perform other administrative tasks as assigned

Client Advocate for the Unaccompanied Children Unit

• Provide case management support to unaccompanied youth clients by assisting them with gathering documents, communicating frequent case updates, and offering guidance in navigating the state court and immigration system
• Track clients’ progress in obtaining Special Immigrant Juvenile Findings from the state court
• Support the attorneys with document gathering in furtherance of their legal case
• Submit change of address updates to EOIR and USCIS
• Interpret (Spanish/English) for clients during interviews and hearings
• Assist the Operations Manager with grant reporting activities

Other Responsibilities

• Attend unit, department, and All-Staff meetings
• Other duties as assigned by supervisor

Requirements: