About Transgender Law Center
Transgender Law Center (TLC) is the largest national trans-led organization advocating self- determination for all people. Grounded in legal expertise and committed to racial justice, TLC employs a variety of community-driven strategies to keep transgender and gender nonconforming people alive, thriving, and fighting for liberation.
About the California ChangeLawyers Legal Fellowship Program
California ChangeLawyers (formerly California Bar Foundation) is a statewide foundation that empowers the next generation of lawyers, judges, and activists to create a more diverse legal profession, a fair justice system, and a better California. The foundation believes that a state as diverse as California should have a justice system led by advocates of all ethnicities and races.
ChangeLawyers Fellowships support bright, diverse ChangeLawyers who are committed to righting historical wrongs. Grants are awarded to legal aid organizations to cover the cost of hiring legal fellows from diverse backgrounds. This is a double impact investment. The foundation supports organizations on the front lines of social justice while at the same time creating jobs for diverse lawyers. This creates better, and more authentic outcomes for communities—communities who can see and interact with lawyers who look like them.
Position Description
The position is within the Border Butterflies project and will provide direct legal support to LGBTQ asylum seekers living in the United States. This position will begin as a supportive role, with progressive responsibility and with the ideal candidate representing clients under supervision.
Border Butterflies is a project anchored by Transgender Law Center, Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement, and other Tijuana based organizations.
The Border Butterflies Project aims to support LGBTQ asylum seekers at the US-Mexico border with legal, humanitarian, post-detention, and organizing support. This position, which can be performed remotely anywhere throughout California, will be hosted by Transgender Law Center.
You will report to the Border Project Legal Coordinator/Supervising Attorney or Pro Bono Coordinator (to be determined.)
Current 3L’s and recent law graduates encouraged to apply.
Primary Responsibilities
Provide direct immigration services to LGBTQ asylum seekers in the United States including;
- Conflict-of-interest checks
- Over-the-phone and in-person intakes and consultations- including at community centers and shelters
- Preparing applications including but not limited to, asylum, parole, bond, u visas, t visas, and vawa
- Conducting research
- Represent clients at master calendar hearings and ICE check-ins
- Provide limited direct representation in immigration court for asylum merits hearings
Improve the quality of care that LGBTQ asylum seekers receive:
- Working with mental health providers, healthcare providers, and shelter services providers to improve the quality of care that asylum seekers receive
- Supporting the services being provided to be more holistic, coordinated, client-centered, strength-based, and trauma-informed.
Coalition Presence:
- Develop, sustain, and strengthen new and existing coalitions and collaborations, working with all the following;
- Immigrant legal service and advocacy organizations
- Social service & victim support agencies
- Government agencies
Community Education:
- Conduct immigration clinics, community meetings and Know-your-“rights” information sessions
- Develop written resources including know-your-rights material and sample legal documents;
- Develop, sustain, and strengthen educational outreach to immigrant communities
- Engage in education efforts for community members and attorneys, including speaking at conferences, trainings, and webinars;
Administration & TLC’s internal ecosystem:
- Daily attention to administrative and operational responsibilities to ensure reporting compliance, including detailed and comprehensive data collection
- Assist with the smooth transfer of cases to pro bono attorneys and other legal representatives;
- Attend relevant meetings, including;
- Border Butterfly meetings;
- All-staff meetings (1-2 hours per month)
- Racial caucus spaces (1-2 hours per month max)
- Other duties as assigned in support of the legal team and the organization at large
While TLC prides itself of prioritizing life-work balance for its staff, this position may require occasional long hours/weekends when on deadline. (We are currently unable to estimate the amount of late-night and weekend hours required for this job.)
Qualifications and Requirements
- Experience practicing immigration law including but not limited to law school clinics, internships, and volunteer work.
- Fluency in Spanish and English.
- Experience with legal or policy advocacy relating to immigration.
- Familiarity with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and gender-nonconforming communities.
- Experience working with communities of color and transgender communities.
- Deep understanding of intersecting oppressions including anti-Blackness, white supremacy, transphobia, ableism, misogyny, colonialism, and capitalism.
- Strong writing, editing, and legal research skills and experience with public speaking.
- Skill at working collaboratively both within the organization and with other groups.
- Strong personal organization and time management skills.
- Creativity and good judgment
- Enthusiasm for the work of the organization and its potential.
- Demonstrated ability to triage and manage multiple tasks under pressure in a fast-paced environment.
- Demonstrated capacity to provide a welcoming presence to clients experiencing trauma
- Demonstrated client-centered, trauma-informed perspective
- Cultural responsivity to the diverse populations we serve.
- This position requires occasional travel to detention facilities and courts throughout California. The applicant must be located within the state of California.
- This position may include additional local or national travel when the pandemic subsides.
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience working with immigrants at the Southern Border or in immigration detention.
Salary Range
The fellowship is a Full time, Exempt, Temporary (1 year position.)
The salary for this position is $68,500. The salary may be partially reduced for candidates who don't live within the Bay Area.
Benefits include:
- Medical & Dental Insurance (TLC pays 100% of premiums for employees, and 60% for dependents);
- Short-term and long-term disability insurance;
- 3 weeks of sick leave ;
- 12 organizational holidays;
- 19 days 'choose when you use it' paid time off ;
- Organizational breaks in winter and summer;
- 401(k) with partial organizational matching;
- Indemnity Insurance for critical illness, hospital confinement, and accidents;
- Professional development;
- Office setup, phone and internet reimbursement (if working from home)
To Apply
To apply, please submit a resume & cover letter through our hiring website by May 30th, 2022.
Candidates will be notified if we are seeking an interview; it may not be possible to respond to all inquiries.
Transgender Law Center is proud to be an affirmative action employer. All interested individuals, including Black, indigenous, and other people of color; women and femmes; people with disabilities; and people who are transgender, intersex, lesbian, gay, bisexual, or queer are particularly urged to apply. For more information about Transgender Law Center please visit: www.transgenderlawcenter.org.
