The North Carolina Justice Center invites third-year law students and recent law graduates to apply for a two-year Immigrants’ Rights Fellowship. The Fellowship is generously funded by the N.C. Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts (IOLTA) Program. The Fellowship, a collaborative project with Inner Banks Legal Services, will be housed in North Carolina Justice Center’s office in downtown Raleigh North Carolina. The fellowship will begin in the Fall of 2024. 

The Justice Center is North Carolina’s leading private, non-profit anti-poverty organization. Our mission is to alleviate poverty in North Carolina by ensuring that every household has access to the resources, services, and fair treatment it needs to achieve economic security. In order to improve the ability of low-income families to access opportunity and share in the state's prosperity, the Justice Center pursues a broad policy agenda around the issues of affordable housing, transportation, workers’ rights, public education, supports for working families, consumer protections, immigrants' rights, and access to health care. The Justice Center has conducted extensive civil litigation for immigrant clients, including class actions for workers not paid minimum wage or overtime; civil cases for victims of human trafficking, class actions for clients who encountered unfair business practices when purchasing mobile homes; and administrative complaints against state agencies who fail to provide language access to immigrant residents of North Carolina.

Inner Banks Legal Services is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit law firm dedicated to equal access to justice that provides legal services to low-income immigrants in a variety of matters, including immigration law, bankruptcy, estate planning, guardianships, domestic violence and family law. 

We will review applications on a rolling basis.
 

Job Duties:

The goal of the Immigrants’ Rights Fellowship is to expand access to legal assistance for immigrants, regardless of their immigration status, in civil cases.  The fellow will work in three primary areas of law:  housing (including eviction and home purchase cases), workers’ rights (including wage and hour and discrimination), and family law (including custody and divorce).  The fellow will work closely with experienced attorneys at the NC Justice Center and Inner Banks Legal Services to provide advice and representation to callers, file administrative complaints, guide clients through pro se processes, and engage in community education events.  The fellow will be asked to develop pro se guides that will help individuals navigate court and government complaint processes.  Through the fellow’s advice, outreach, and individual representation of immigrant clients, he or she will help identify cases that may be appropriate for more extended representation such as class action litigation or administrative advocacy.

A focus of the fellowship will be to expand pro bono services to the immigrant population in these areas of law.  Together with other NCJC and IBX attorneys, the fellow will organize and provide trainings, and develop model pleadings and other materials, and serve as a resource for pro bono attorneys willing to take on these cases. 

The fellow will engage in special projects and other duties as assigned with the goal of expanding access to civil justice for immigrants in North Carolina.  

 Qualifications

• J.D.      or expected to receive a J.D. by the spring of 2024;,      the      Fellow must have passed the North Carolina bar exam and be eligible for      admission to the bar by the commencement of the Fellowship
• Strong writing, legal research,      and oral advocacy skills
• Fluency in written and spoken      Spanish and English
• Interest in creating and      conducting community presentations in English and Spanish.
• Demonstrated commitment to social      justice and ability to recognize the barriers facing immigrant communities
• Self-motivated with the ability      to take initiative, manage a variety of tasks, and see projects through to      completion   
• Demonstrated commitment to racial      equity
• Some travel, evening, and weekend      work is required.

The Justice Center offers skilled and committed co-workers, a competitive salary (minimum $65,000/annually DOE) and superior benefits to enhance staff quality of life including but not limited to: six weeks paid time off, paid maternity/paternity leave, thirteen holidays, retirement plan contribution and match, FSA, medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance coverage. This position is in the Justice Center’s bargaining unit, represented by the National Organization of Legal Service Workers, UAW Local 2320.

The Justice Center is an equal opportunity employer.  People of color and individuals from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply for available positions. NCJC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnic background, citizenship status, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, or disability. Furthermore, the NCJC is a second chance employer and encourage all qualified individuals to apply for our roles. 

To apply for the 2024-2026 Fellowship (beginning September 2024), applicants should submit a resume, the names of three professional or academic references, and a brief statement of interest (two pages or less) 

 We will review applications on a rolling basis.