Fall 2024 Children's Legal Services Intern

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 29 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 : International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives.

At work in more than 40 countries and over 20 U.S. cities, the IRC provides resettlement, education and empowerment support to refugees and displaced people.

SCOPE OF WORK (Children's Legal Intern) : The Children's Legal Services (CLS) program in New York provides legal representation to unaccompanied children.

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

We help them 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 will also involve hearings in NY state court, and we provide preparation and representation for those hearings as well.

RESPONSIBILITIES :

• Support in building and fostering relationships with our young clients by participating in client meetings.
• Provide administrative support to the Children's Legal Services team, including checking for upcoming court hearings, communicating regularly with clients, preparing applications, drafting supporting documents, and support in filing with appropriate agencies.
• Perform research on immigration issues, country conditions, etc.
• Partake in online immigration law trainings and webinars.
• Assist in tapping into other IRC NY programs to get additional support for clients when needed, such as educational resources, etc.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES :

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

2. Intern will gain an understanding of a trauma-informed, client centered approach and the special considerations when working with children in a legal setting.

3. Intern will gain exposure to NY family court and procedures.

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

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

Minimum Qualifications : REQUIREMENTS :

• Must be in enrolled in and have completed 1L at an ABA-accredited law school.
• Proficiency in Spanish is strongly preferred.
• Must have a demonstrated passion for working with children and / or low-to-moderate income immigrant populations (including refugees, asylum seekers, etc.).
• Must be motivated, flexible, able to manage time effectively, and able to work independently as well as within a dynamic team.
• Must successfully complete IRC orientation and full background check (Live Scan & HireRight).

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.