Paralegal (Bilingual)

Children's Rights; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 48,000 - 58,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PTO

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Flexible spending accounts

Retirement plan

Job summary

Children's Rights seeks a full-time, entry-level bilingual (Spanish and English) paralegal to support our immigration advocacy work in a hybrid Manhattan office. The position, starting in autumn 2026, runs about 20 months, ending June 2028, with in-person requirements and occasional overtime.

The role combines substantive legal and advocacy tasks with administrative duties, working on filings, case management, and coordination with co-counsel and partner organizations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required (BA/BS; Master’s or JD not considered).
• Commitment through June 2028.
• Outstanding organizational, writing, interpersonal and communication skills.
• Proactive approach to professional duties.
• Team-oriented mindset and strong work ethic; healthy sense of humor.
• Flexibility to handle a wide range of tasks and projects.
• Ability to work under pressure and overtime, including evenings/weekends.
• Ability to manage time and tasks independently and multi-task.
• Ability to build relationships with staff and external partners from diverse backgrounds.
• Strong computer and technical skills (including Microsoft Office).
• Commitment to reform on behalf of children.

Responsibilities

• Edit, cite check, and file a variety of legal documents (briefs, motions, forms, discovery).
• Organize high volumes of electronic and paper case files.
• Communicate with court personnel, co-counsel, and partner organizations.
• Draft correspondence, notices, and other court/legal documents.
• Attend meetings with co-counsel, foster parents, and child welfare experts.
• Manage logistics for online meetings, hearings, and events.
• Assist attorneys with factual research and memo writing from state policies and public sources.
• Support investigatory, advocacy, and case-related projects as needed.
• Take meeting notes and assist with scheduling and clerical duties.

Skills

Bilingual Spanish/English

Organizational skills

Written communication

Interpersonal skills

Team player

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

We are seeking a full-time, entry-level bilingual (Spanish and English) paralegal to join our active litigation program and support our commitment to government accountability and social justice for children, with a start date in autumn of 2026. The position is for an approximately 20 month period, depending on start date, and ends in June of 2028. Paralegals are expected to be available for in-person work at our Manhattan office. The work environment is currently hybrid, subject to change, though paralegals are expected to work within commuting distance to meet in-office case needs. The position combines substantive legal and advocacy support with substantial administrative and clerical responsibilities.

Children's Rights is a leading national children's advocacy organization dedicated to improving the lives of children. Every day, children are harmed by America's broken child policing, juvenile justice, education, and health care systems. These systems disproportionately harm children of color, LGBTQ/TGNC, and children with mental health needs. Through relentless strategic advocacy and legal action, Children's Rights holds governments accountable for keeping kids safe and healthy. We use civil rights impact litigation, policy expertise, and public education to create lasting systemic change. The core strength of our national advocacy program has been the grassroots development and highly skilled litigation of reform campaigns to address dangerous systemic failings in child welfare systems across the country. We have built on this core strength to expand the populations of the children we fight to protect, leverage change across multiple sectors that service children, create deep partnerships with other non-profits and the private bar in our work, and sharpen our reform strategies.

Additional areas of reform include attacking the pervasive practice of administering powerful and dangerous psychotropic drugs to children in foster care without adequate controls and oversight, the systemic discrimination against LGBTQ/TGNC youth in custodial settings, the failure to provide adequate mental health and physical health services, the inhumane treatment of incarcerated youth, advocating for immigrant children in federal custody and state foster care systems, and the grave outcomes for older youth "aging" out of government systems. We are keenly aware of the intersectionality that renders specific youth populations even more vulnerable to systemic failure.

The bilingual paralegal will be working on our immigration advocacy work and will be expected to provide occasional oral and written translation in direct services and impact litigation cases.

Experience and Qualifications Required

• Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree. Applicants who hold a Master's or J.D. will not be considered.
• Applicants must be prepared to make a commitment through June of 2028.
• Outstanding organizational, writing, interpersonal, and communication skills.
• Proactive approach to professional duties.
• A team-oriented mindset and strong work ethic, along with a healthy sense of humor.
• Flexibility and willingness to work simultaneously on a wide range of tasks and projects.
• Ability to work well under pressure as well as to work overtime, including occasional evenings and weekends.
• Ability to manage time and tasks independently, problem-solve, and multi-task.
• Ability to build and maintain relationships internally with staff at all levels as well as externally with a wide array of stakeholders, partners, and allies with diverse backgrounds.
• Exceptional computer and technical skills (including Microsoft Office).
• Commitment to reform on behalf of children.

Duties/Responsibilities

• Edit, cite check, and execute filings of a variety of legal documents, including briefs, motions, court forms, and discovery documents.
• Organize high volumes of electronic and paper case files, including case pleadings, email correspondence, discovery, and other materials.
• Communicate with court personnel, co-counsel, partner organizations, etc.
• Draft correspondence, notices, and other administrative court/legal documents.
• Participate in meetings with co-counsel, foster parents, child welfare system experts, and others.
• Manage logistics for online meetings, hearings, and other events.
• Assist attorneys with factual research and memo writing, including by analyzing state policies, news articles, and reports, and other publicly-available information.
• Support various investigatory, advocacy, and case-related projects as needed.
• Take meeting notes, assist with scheduling, and carry out other general clerical and administrative duties.

Supervisory Responsibilities

None.

Physical and Travel Requirements

Prolonged periods remaining stationary at a desk and working on a computer. Travel may be required.

Salary

The starting salary for this position is $53,000.

Benefits

Children's Rights offers an excellent benefits package, including generous PTO, medical, dental, flex spending accounts, and retirement plan.