MILAP Staff Attorney- Detained

Pro Bono Resource Cntr Md Bar; Salisbury (MD); Hybrid; USD 82,000 - 93,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Benefits package (health, disability,

Employer-matched 401k

Job summary

PBRC in Maryland seeks a fluent Spanish-speaking attorney to support the Maryland Immigrant Legal Assistance Project. You will provide on-the-spot immigration advice, mentor volunteers, and deliver limited-scope services aimed at preventing detention.

The role involves frequent coordination with the Baltimore Hold Room and potential travel across Maryland for detained individuals. Responsibilities include developing workflow, staffing clinics, and collaborating with partners to ensure

Qualifications

• Fluency in the Spanish language is required.
• Two years of experience representing detained immigrants in removal proceedings preferred.
• Admission to practice before at least one state bar.
• Strong attention to detail and excellent organizational and record-keeping skills.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work well with a variety of people, including staff, volunteers, clients, and partners.
• Strong commitment to helping the community and equal access to justice.

Responsibilities

• Develop detention prevention materials, workflow, and client resources.
• Provide immigration legal services to detainees within Maryland, primarily at the Baltimore Hold Room.
• Staff detention prevention clinics with the Project Paralegal, manage intake and client paperwork, and support volunteers.
• Track and summarize data related to clients served.
• Communicate regularly with the Project Director about services.
• Provide pro se legal assistance to unrepresented respondents.
• Develop new materials to expand services and maintain network with community partners.
• Attend weekly meetings and partner education sessions to coordinate services.

Skills

Spanish fluency

Immigration law exposure

Education

Bar admission

Job description

Job Summary

The Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland, Inc. (PBRC) is seeking a highly motivated, organized, and bright attorney who is fluent in Spanish to join the Maryland Immigrant Legal Assistance Project to help increase access to PBRC’s immigration legal services for individuals who are detained or at risk of detention because they have to check-in with ICE. The Project is looking for a new team member who is comfortable working in a fast-paced setting to offer on-the-spot brief legal advice related to immigration cases and who will mentor volunteers unfamiliar with immigration law. The member will also provide direct limited-scope legal services, with a focus on services which may prevent an individual’s detention (e.g. a letter explaining someone’s equities/need to remain in the community) or collaborating with other attorneys to prepare and file a habeas petition. It is important that this individual have ready access to transportation to downtown Baltimore as the primary focus of the position will be to help field requests for services from individuals who are held at the Baltimore Hold Room and potentially help draft a request for habeas that can be filed before the individual is transferred out of Maryland. Depending upon policy changes, the individual selected may also need to travel to other areas within Maryland where individuals are detained by ICE. The selected individual will also have regular in-person clinic days during which they will provide detention prevention services to those who are checking-in with ICE up to 2 days per week, depending upon the volume of requests received by those who are detained. Mentorship and training will be offered.

Primary Responsibilities

• Develop the materials, workflow, and client resources related to providing detention prevention services to those at risk of detention.
• Provide immigration legal services to individuals detained within Maryland, primarily those held at the Baltimore Hold Room.
• Work with the Project Paralegal to staff detention prevention legal clinics to assist with intake, obtain necessary client paperwork, manage flow of clients, direct immigrants to additional resources, and support volunteers (if volunteers are incorporated into this initiative).
• Track and/or summarize data related to clients served at the clinic.
• Communicate regularly with the Project Director about these services.
• Provide pro se legal assistance to unrepresented respondents.
• Assist in the development of any new materials needed to expand services as the program grows.
• Work with Project Director to maintain and develop network of community partners.
• Attend weekly meetings with other project staff to coordinate services across the project’s various clinics.
• Attend partner meetings and provide partner education to other organizations either providing legal services or conducting outreach activities for the project.
• Additional responsibilities, as deemed necessary, in support of the Project’s mission to ensure statewide recruitment and coordination of high-quality pro bono immigration legal services for immigrants who are detained or at risk of detention.

Qualifications

• Fluency in the Spanish language is required.
• Two years of experience representing detained immigrants in removal proceedings preferred.
• Admission to practice before at least one state bar.
• Strong attention to detail and excellent organizational and record-keeping skills.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work well with a variety of people, including other staff, volunteers, clients, and public interest partners.
• Strong commitment to helping the community and ensuring equal access to justice.

Amenities

• Competitive salary ranging from $85,000 - $92,500, depending on experience
• Full-time position with excellent benefits package including paid health insurance, disability insurance, and employer-matched 401k plan; paid sick and vacation leave; and paid holidays
• Hybrid in person/remote work

Compensation: $82,000.00 - $92,500.00 per year

Flexible work from home options available.

Who We Are

PBRC is Maryland’s hub for pro bono (free) civil legal assistance provided by volunteers. Equal access to justice is a core value of our nation, yet hundreds of thousands of our state’s residents cannot afford the legal help they desperately need and have no legal guarantee of a lawyer. As the pro bono arm of the Maryland State Bar Association, PBRC plays a unique role as the training, support, innovation, and advocacy center for pro bono. Our statewide services include:

• Offering a professional training and mentoring program with both substantive law and skills building sessions enabling lawyers and others to effectively serve clients
• Consulting and connecting volunteers with legal nonprofits across Maryland
• Hosting innovative, free legal clinics in the courthouse and community offering immediate legal assistance to low-income families in areas of critical need not yet addressed by other organizations
• Advocating and organizing to encourage pro bono service and improve the justice system for the communities we serve

Together, our community of lawyers with purpose is opening the doors of justice for everyone.

PBRC’s mission is to champion equitable access to justice for Maryland's marginalized communities by providing legal help, pioneering collaboration with partners, and advocating for economic and social justice.

PBRC is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity. We encourage all interested persons to apply including applicants of color, people with disabilities, and others historically underrepresented.