Children's Legal Services Intern - Fall 2024

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster.

Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 50 countries and more than 25 U.

S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions.

If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

Background : The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster.

Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and more than 25 U.

S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions.

If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future .

Scope of work : The Children's Legal Services (CLS) program in Silver Spring provides legal representation to unaccompanied children.

To be eligible for services, an unaccompanied child (UC) must be under the age of 18 at the time they enter the CLS program, have no immigration status, and, have been officially designated as an unaccompanied child by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR).

The CLS team helps the UC understand the immigration systems, prepare them for hearings, evaluate and advise them on the types of immigration applications they can file, and assist them with preparing their filings.

Many cases involve representation at Maryland Immigration Courts as well as hearings in Maryland State Court.

Responsibilities :

Support in building and fostering relationships with clients by being part of client meetings, drafting supporting documents, and assisting with translation and interpreter services.

Provide administrative support to the Children's Legal Services team, including checking for upcoming court hearings, communicating regularly with clients, preparing applications, and support in filing with appropriate agencies.

Perform research on immigration issues, country conditions, case law, and other relevant projects.

Obtain certificates of completion for attending virtual immigration law trainings and webinars.

Assist the Silver Spring CLS Team by coordinating with other IRC MD programs to get additional support for unaccompanied children who need case management assistance such as educational resources.

Learning Objectives :

Legal Intern will gain exposure and understand various immigration processes and immigration humanitarian reliefs available to unaccompanied children.

Legal Intern will gain exposure to MD f amily c ourts and procedures.

Legal Intern will learn how to manage client cases within established deadlines.

Legal Intern will develop problem solving skills, client services skills, and intercultural social work skills .

Minimum Qualifications :

This internship is for a law student ( rising 2L or 3L).

Equivalent work experience working with children and or serving low-to-moderate income immigrant populations (including refugees, asylum seekers, etc.) preferred.

Motivated, flexible, manages time effectively, and can work independently as well as within a team dynamic.

TO APPLY

Click Apply Now at the top of this page. Please attacha resume, cover letter and list of (at least) three references to your application.

The deadline to apply is August 23, 2024.

This position is for Fall 2024 and requires a minimum commitment of 3 months. 35 hours per week preferred. Ability to work in-person required.

Fall 2024 Interns are expected to begin their internship term by attending an in-person intern orientation on September 9th, 2024 from 9 : 15AM-2 : 00PM.

We currently offer internships during the following semesters :

Spring : January - May

Summer : June - August

Fall : September - December

Internships are typically posted 2-3 months prior to the anticipated start date.

Note : Internships with the IRC in Silver Spring are unpaid. Fall 2024 interns may be eligible for per diem reimbursement at the rate of $15 / day to offset the costs of food and travel.

For information on scholarship opportunities, contact your university or the IRC Silver Spring intern coordinator atKyle.Monsees@Rescue.org.

Candidates applying not enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program and outside of 12months from graduation are welcome to apply.

These candidates will be processed as volunteers.

To protect our clients, the IRC requires all selected applicants to complete background checks. We ask that you make a $30 donation to help us cover the associated costs.

Currently, 87% of our funding goes directly to programming to support our clients, and your help to cover this cost will ensure that no funding is directed away from serving our clients.

Instructions will be provided after you have been selected to intern or volunteer.

IRC leading the way from harm to home.

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

If you need assistance in the application or hiring process to accommodate a disability, you may request an accommodation at any time.

Please contact Talent Acquisitions at IRC.Recruitment@rescue.org .As required by law, the IRC will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants and employees with a known disability.

Standard of Professional Conduct : The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way - our Code of Conduct.

These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.

Commitment to Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion : The IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect.

The IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of the IRC persons in any work setting.

We aim to increase the representation of women, people that are from country and communities we serve, and people who identify as races and ethnicities that are under-represented in global power structures.