MILAP Staff Attorney- RAILS

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

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Excellent benefits package

Hybrid in-person/remote work

Job summary

The Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland, Inc. (PBRC) is seeking a motivated attorney fluent in Spanish or Haitian Creole to join the Maryland Immigrant Legal Assistance Project.

The role focuses on Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, with most services delivered remotely and occasional Eastern Shore events in person, up to once per month. Mentor volunteers, provide on-the-spot brief legal advice, and offer full-scope services.

Qualifications

• Fluency in either Spanish or Haitian Creole is required.
• Two years of experience representing 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 staff, volunteers, clients, and partners.
• Experience working with children preferred.
• Strong commitment to helping the community and equal access to justice.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate volunteer legal services for immigrants in removal proceedings during clinics using a hybrid delivery method.
• Staff hybrid clinics with intake, client paperwork, and resource direction.
• Mentor volunteer attorneys to ensure competent and accurate services on the Eastern Shore.
• Track and summarize data related to clients served at the clinic.
• Communicate regularly with the Project Director about volunteers at court clinics.
• Provide pro se legal assistance to unrepresented respondents.
• Provide full-scope legal services with a focus on Special Immigrant Juvenile Status.
• Develop new materials to expand services as the program grows.
• Maintain and develop a network of community partners with the Project Director.
• Attend weekly meetings with project staff to coordinate services across clinics.
• Oversee outreach materials for Eastern Shore residents.
• Attend partner meetings and provide education or conduct outreach.

Skills

Spanish or Haitian Creole fluency

Attention to detail

Interpersonal communication

Organizational skills

Verbal and written communication

Education

Bar admission to practice before at least one state bar

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 or Haitian Creole to join the Maryland Immigrant Legal Assistance Project to help increase access to our immigration legal services for individuals residing on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. 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 as well as full-scope services, with a focus on Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. The majority of the services provided by the attorney will be conducted remotely as the project plans to leverage our non-attorney team members to establish our physical presence and conduct outreach to service-seekers. However, the attorney may still be expected to attend events on the Eastern Shore, in person, up to once per month and the attorney will be expected to attend other in-person events and meetings required of all PBRC staff members. Mentorship and training will be offered to the attorney.

Primary Responsibilities

• Facilitate volunteer legal services for immigrants in removal proceedings during clinics using a hybrid method of service delivery, with certain MILAP staff being physically present on the Eastern Shore during the clinic to connect with service seekers that will speak with volunteers connecting with the clinic remotely.
• Work with the Project Paralegal to staff hybrid legal clinics to assist with intake, obtain necessary client paperwork, manage flow of clients, direct immigrants to additional resources, and support volunteers.
• Mentor volunteer attorneys giving legal advice at project clinics for those on the Eastern Shore to ensure competent and accurate legal services are offered to clients receiving services.
• Track and/or summarize data related to clients served at the clinic.
• Communicate regularly with the Project Director about the volunteers offering services at the court clinics.
• Provide pro se legal assistance to unrepresented respondents.
• Provide full-scope legal assistance, with a focus on Special Immigrant Juvenile Status.
• Assist in the development of any new materials needed to expand services as the program grows.
• Work with the Project Director to maintain and develop a network of community partners.
• Attend weekly meetings with other project staff to coordinate services across the project’s various clinics.
• Oversee the development of outreach materials to individuals residing on the Eastern Shore.
• 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 in removal proceedings living on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Qualifications

• Fluency in either Spanish or Haitian Creole is required.
• Two years of experience representing 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.
• Experience working with children preferred.
• 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.

Flexible work from home options available.

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

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.