Immigrant Justice Fellow

About the Legal Aid Justice Center

The Legal Aid Justice Center is a non-profit organization that partners with low-income clients and communities of color in Virginia to fight for racial, social, and economic justice. Founded in 1967, LAJC has offices in Charlottesville, Richmond, Petersburg, and Falls Church and provides services under six key program areas: Civil Rights & Racial Justice, Housing & Consumer Justice, Youth Justice, Health Justice & Public Benefits, Immigrant Justice, and Worker Justice.

LAJC’s latest strategic plan is available at https://www.justice4all.org/lajc-strategic-plan-2022-2026/#area%20d.

About the Fellowship

LAJC is seeking to host one recent law graduate as a public service fellow with the Immigrant Justice Program in our Charlottesville, Virginia office. Fellowship candidates must be rising third-year law students, third-year law students, or recent law school graduates, with a demonstrated record of public service and a willingness to apply for public interest legal fellowships.

• This position depends on the candidate obtaining fellowship funding from a private funding entity in partnership with LAJC.
• Past fellows have had the opportunity to assist with clinical supervision, staff high impact cases with nationwide implications, engage in movement lawyering and community organizing, and participate in legislative and other policy advocacy.
• LAJC hopes to hire fellows into full-time positions after the fellowship and is committed to supporting their long-term growth within the organization, though continued employment cannot be guaranteed and will depend on organizational budget and staffing needs at the time the fellowship concludes.

Immigrant Justice Program and Job Duties

The fellowship proposal should be focused on helping develop and implement strategies to end mass detention and deportation of immigrants in Virginia, break the ties between immigration enforcement and local and state government and law enforcement, ensure that immigrant communities remain intact and protected in Virginia, fight the separation of immigrant families and the exclusion of immigrant youth from state benefits like in-state tuition, and protect young immigrants across the Commonwealth whether they are in federal custody or in their communities.

Applying the principles of community lawyering and working on an interdisciplinary team, the fellow will work closely to develop a project proposal within the Immigrant Justice Program’s community centered priorities. The fellow will collaborate with organizers, families, community members, local, state and national-level partners, and other LAJC advocates to advance systemic change in immigrants’ rights in Virginia through a combination of individual representation, impact litigation, community outreach, and policy advocacy.

• Help monitor and advance the central Virginia docket of individual cases to ensure community needs are met. This includes handling direct representation cases and community immigration consultations.
• Take a leadership role in various impact campaigns (including federal litigation, state and local advocacy, and grassroots community lawyering) affecting immigrant communities in and around Central Virginia and statewide.

Location and Start Date

This role will be based in our Charlottesville office. LAJC expects this class of fellowship sponsorship candidate to begin Fall 2027.

Benefits

Salary and benefits depend on the terms of the fellowship.

Legal Aid Justice Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer

We are committed to inclusive hiring and dedicated to diversity in our work and staff. We strongly encourage candidates of all identities, experiences, and communities to apply.

Required Qualifications

• Rising third-year law student, third-year law student, or recent law graduate.
• Strong commitment to social, economic, and racial justice.
• A strong commitment to immigrant's rights and social justice work.
• A sufficient level of Spanish fluency to interview and counsel clients in Spanish without assistance of an interpreter.
• Willingness and ability to work in Charlottesville, VA at least three (3) times per week.
• Mission-aligned experience (work, volunteer, or lived) partnering with and advocating in low-wealth communities and communities of color.
• Outstanding oral advocacy, research, writing, organizational, and leadership skills.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and collaboratively.
• Commitment to taking and passing Virginia Bar Exam and fulfilling all requirements for licensure as an attorney in Virginia.
• Dedication to working in and sustaining an environment that enables staff members and clients to feel empowered, valued, respected, and safe.
• Ability and willingness to partner with the Legal Aid Justice Center to apply for public interest legal fellowship opportunities.
• An ability to balance and manage a variety of responsibilities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience (formal or lived experience) working directly with immigrant community members.
• Supervision experience, whether in a formal or informal capacity.
• Experience working for a public interest law firm, legal services organization, or other nonprofit.