Job and Volunteer Opportunities

LIST OF JOB AND VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES – Click on the relevant link for more information.

______________________________

Immigration Senior Staff Attorney

Application deadline – February 28, 2012
Interviews conducted on a rolling basis
Applicants strongly encouraged to apply as soon as possible

As the nation’s oldest legal organization focusing on the civil rights of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, the Asian Law Caucus is a leader in defending the interests of low-income immigrants. Since 1972, ALC has litigated high-profile cases and provided an array of services including community education, advocacy, and direct client representation. Our current program areas include national security civil rights, immigration, housing rights, criminal justice reform, employment, and voting rights. The Asian Law Caucus is a Member of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice.

The Asian Law Caucus is seeking a Senior Staff attorney to provide leadership in challenging unfair and discriminatory enforcement policies facing immigrant communities. The Senior Staff Attorney is responsible for litigating issues including indefinite detention and habeas actions, illegal detention of United States citizens, constitutional claims in ICE raids cases, employment retaliation in immigration, contesting aggravated felony and other criminal immigration charges, post-9/11 issues, state and local anti-immigrant laws, ICE detainers, DREAM Act and prosecutorial discretion cases, representing detainees with mental health issues, and other immigration enforcement issues . S/he will also be responsible for keeping abreast of policy developments in the field. This position reports to the Deputy Director and joins an immigration team of four. Significant federal court litigation experience is highly desired.

Responsibilities

Litigate impact cases challenging anti-immigrant state laws
Carry active docket of 30+ removal defense, including detained, cases before the Immigration Court, Board of Immigration Appeals and Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
Support immigration clinics and direct services work
Develop public education materials, and make presentations including know your rights trainings to immigrant communities and local service providers regarding enforcement issues
Provide legal support for ASPIRE: Asian Students Promoting Immigrants Rights Through Education
Engage in advocacy, policy and facilitate organizing with coalition members and community members
Supervise staff, law clerks, and other volunteers
Coordinate activities with other Members of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice

Qualifications

B.A./B.S. and J.D. degrees with membership in good standing with the California State Bar
Minimum of eight years practice in immigration law and/or federal court litigation experience, including law and motion work, discovery, taking and defending depositions – ideally with familiarity in practicing in a non-profit organization
Highly motivated and self-starting
Excellent research, analytical, written, and oral communication skills
Ability to work with a highly diverse group of mission-driven lawyers and staff with a range of substantive law knowledge, experience, and expertise
Demonstrated leadership and ability to work independently and in collaboration with other attorneys, community advocates, and community-based organizations
Understanding of the role of lawyers in supporting grass-roots social justice movements, and the relationship between lawyering and community organizing
Demonstrated commitment to advancing the rights of low-income, API, people of color, and/or immigrant communities
Preferred experience in supervising non-attorney staff
Preferred bilingual skills in Cantonese, Mandarin, or other relevant Asian or Pacific Islander languages

Compensation and Benefits

Salary range for this position is $60,000 – $80,000, depending on experience. Salary is based on experience and principles of internal equity. A full benefits package is included.

Application Process

Interested candidates should submit via email (Microsoft Word compatible attachments) a cover letter and resume summarizing your interest, qualifications and experience, a legal writing sample (no more than 10 pages), and three professional references to jobs@asianlawcaucus.org. Target start date is April 2012. Please no phone calls.

The Asian Law Caucus is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified persons are encouraged to apply, regardless of race, color, creed, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, age, height, weight, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, HIV status, marital or domestic partner status, or religious affiliation.

______________________________

POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT
Permanent, Full-time position

Advancing Justice Fundraising Manager

About the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice

The mission of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice is to promote a fair and equitable society for all by working for civil and human rights and empowering Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other underserved communities. The Asian American Justice Center, Asian Pacific American Legal Center, Asian Law Caucus, and Asian American Institute, members of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice, work together as equal and independent partners to promote justice, empower our communities, bring local and national constituents together, and strengthen our multi-racial democracy. The Asian American Center for Advancing Justice seeks an experienced Fundraising Manager to oversee shared fundraising activities.

Position Summary

The Advancing Justice Fundraising Manager will work closely with Advancing Justice members to identify and develop fundraising opportunities and solicit funding for joint projects, including signature projects such as the annual Advancing Justice Conference, joint programmatic work, and common brand and capacity building projects among the affiliate members. In addition, the Fundraising Manager will also coordinate joint direct mail and individual donor fundraising campaigns for the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice. The position will also include monitoring revenue sharing agreements among affiliate members. This is a full-time, exempt position requiring travel among the four affiliate organizations (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.). The position will be based at one of the affiliate offices or remote.

Responsibilities

Work closely with affiliate development and program staff to develop a joint fundraising strategy
Coordinate joint program development funding from national or regional funders, including facilitating program development discussions, drafting proposals, and interacting with funders
Raise sponsorships for the annual Advancing Justice Conference, which rotates among the affiliate cities each year
Coordinate direct mail campaign, including developing joint message, acquiring lists, handling logistics
Coordinate individual donor solicitations for shared donors among affiliates, including managing mailing lists
Monitor affiliate revenue sharing, and lead auditing process for revenue sharing allocations for the Common Fund, where joint revenue is held
Develop major gift strategy for Asian American Center for Advancing Justice

Qualifications

Passionate commitment to advancing social justice, and the goals, mission, and values of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice
Minimum seven years of fundraising experience, ideally for social justice or immigrant issues, including experience writing grant proposals and managing a grant portfolio, experience with direct mail campaigns, and track record of building successful major donor relationships
Familiarity with major donor management donor software, such as Raisers Edge, ETapestry, or Salesforce
Self-Motivated self-starter
Collegial, collaborative working style and demonstrated commitment to the value and power of teams and staff;
Successful track record with managing collaborative projects
Effective interpersonal and communication skills, including ability to write and speak persuasively to diverse audiences, including general public, media, lawyers, advocates, funders, donors, and opinion leaders;
Experience working with community-based organizations and/or AAPI community

To Apply

All applications must be submitted by February 3, 2012. Send cover letter and resume to hiring@advancingequality.org or AAJC, Attention: Hiring Committee, 1140 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 1200, Washington DC 20036

______________________________

Pro Bono Coordinator

(Temporary, Full-time position)
Application deadline – February 28, 2012
Interviews conducted on a rolling basis

The Asian Law Caucus is seeking a Pro Bono Coordinator to help organize and strengthen our relationships with lawyers and law students. Annually, we receive more than $1 million dollars in donated pro bono legal services to our organization. The highest priority area will be the Civil Rights Outreach Project (CROP), a regional network of ethnic bar associations and law student organizations focused on staffing civil rights legal aid clinics focused on Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim and South Asian communities. Additional responsibilities to our other legal programs, particularly immigration, will also be required. Position reports to National Security Civil Rights staff attorney and Deputy Director. Significant legal administration experience is highly desired.

Responsibilities:

Coordinate annual schedule and all logistics related to CROP clinics throughout Northern California
Develop and disseminate multilingual civil rights outreach materials (including Know Your Rights materials) through CROP clinics and other referral networks
Provide support to law student leaders of local CROPs and facilitate coordination between local CROPs, where necessary
Increase outreach for CROP clinics by advertising clinics with local ethnic media, through community leaders, and leafleting in ethnic grocery stores and restaurants
Identify opportunities for expansion of CROP clinics
Expand case database from CROP clinics and improve consistency of data entry from partner organizations
Create and maintain web presence in regards to CROP work
Recruit and maintain relationships with pro bono counsel, bar associations, and law student associations to support ALC
Develop accurate and timely system for tracking cases and outcomes as well as tracking pro bono counsel relationships

Qualifications:

B.A./B.S. with paralegal or legal assistant background preferred
Minimum of two years experience working in a law office, preferably in the non-profit context
Highly motivated, self-starting, and detail oriented
Ability to work with a highly diverse group of mission-driven lawyers and staff with a range of substantive law knowledge and experience
Demonstrated commitment to advancing the rights of low-income, API, people of color, and/or immigrant communities
Familiarity with Microsoft Office and Google suites of applications as well as other legal databases
Knowledge of website creation and maintenance
Preferred bilingual skills in Arabic, Farsi, Hindi, Urdu, or other relevant languages

Compensation and Benefits

Salary range for this position is $34,000 – $40,000, depending on experience. Salary is based on experience and principles of internal equity. A full benefits package is included. This is a temporary, full-time, exempt position that is anticipated to last one year with the possibility of extension contingent on funding.

Application Process

Interested candidates should submit via email (Microsoft Word compatible attachments) a cover letter and resume summarizing your interest, qualifications and experience, and three professional references to jobs@asianlawcaucus.org. Indicate “Pro Bono Coordinator application” in the subject line. Target start date is April 2012. Please no phone calls.

The Asian Law Caucus is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified persons are encouraged to apply, regardless of race, color, creed, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, age, height, weight, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, HIV status, marital or domestic partner status, or religious affiliation.

______________________________

Apply for a Law Clerkship with the Asian Law Caucus!

The Asian Law Caucus is seeking law clerk applications for Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters. Located in San Francisco and founded in 1972, the ALC is the nation’s oldest legal and civil rights organization serving low-income Asian Pacific American communities. The ALC strives to defend and empower the APA community through a three-pronged strategy of community organizing, direct legal services, and strategic impact litigation.

PROGRAM AREAS: Law clerks will be matched with one of the below program areas and supervised by one or more staff attorneys. Preference for any program areas should be stated in the applicant’s cover letter.

Criminal Justice Reform Program: challenges inequities in the criminal justice system by providing community education, legal representation, and policy advocacy on behalf of low-income immigrants in the justice system, limiting local law enforcement collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by challenging programs such as “Secure Communities” (S-Comm), and promoting restorative justice as an alternative to punitive approaches to criminal justice.

Employment and Labor Program: counsels low-income immigrant workers on a full range of employment problems including employment discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, retaliation, and workplace safety. It provides direct legal representation on administrative wage and hour claims and limited unemployment insurance benefit appeals. The program also uses impact litigation and public advocacy to address broader systemic or industry-wide workplace abuses.

Housing Advocacy and Community Development Program: provides legal assistance to low-income tenants and seniors and seeks to build community infrastructure in low-income neighborhoods. The Program also represents community constituents in the public planning process.

Immigrants’ Rights Program: leverages litigation, legal services, and organizing/outreach for permanent resident and undocumented immigrants in the Bay Area around detention; deportation; constitutional and due process claims, including supporting community mobilization and education regarding comprehensive immigration reform.

National Security and Civil Rights Program: challenges national security practices that impinge on the civil rights of South Asian, Muslim, Sikh, and Middle Eastern descent, including unfair searches and interrogations of individuals returning to the United States after travels abroad. The Project uses litigation, policy advocacy, and community education to protect the civil rights and civil liberties of vulnerable communities.

THE LAW CLERK EXPERIENCE: During the Fall and Spring semesters, law clerks must be available a minimum of 15 hours per week. During the Summer, law clerks are full-time, 40 hours a week. Assignments include conducting legal research, client intake interviews, drafting declarations, researching and drafting briefs and motions, attending hearings and policy meetings, developing know your rights materials, and conducting research for pending state and federal bills.

How to Apply: Please E-MAIL ONLY a cover letter, a resume, a writing sample, and 2-3 references to. NO CALLS.

Angela Chan, Staff Attorney

Asian Law Caucus

E-mail: angelac@asianlawcaucus.org

Website: www.asianlawcaucus.org

IMPORTANT APPLICATION DEADLINES:

Fall 2011: Space remains available, please send in your applications asap if interested.

Spring 2012: December 9, 2011 or late applications accepted if space remains available.

Summer 2012: Jan. 27, 2012 or late applications accepted if space remains available.

______________________________

Undergraduate Volunteer/Internship Opportunities

Please complete our online Internship/Volunteer application. For more information about undergraduate internship and volunteer opportunities, please contact Mariam Hosseini at mariamh@asianlawcaucus.org or 415-896-1702.

ALC Internships/Volunteer Information Form

An undergraduate internship at the Asian Law Caucus offers a unique opportunity for students interested in public interest work to volunteer and gain exposure to a community law practice. Undergraduates are generally assigned tasks in administration and fundraising and are supervised by both legal and non-legal staff. Bi-lingual interns are also often assigned work in the underlying core program areas.

Requirements: Outstanding administrative/clerical skills are essential as this is the core foundation for any type of work. Language skills are not required, but are definitely a plus. Bilingual interns will be assigned accordingly to program staff depending on language ability.

The undergraduate internship also requires a minimum one semester commitment of at least 12 hours per week. You must be available during regular office hours from 9am-5pm. Very often, undergraduates can receive college credit or meet course requirements for volunteering.

Examples of tasks in each of the internship areas are as follow:

Program Area

translate for clients
community outreach and education

maintain program archives/databases
update informational brochures
assist in Community Education presentations
translate Community Education materials into Asian languages

write reports, draft documents such as letters and press releases

research
Video Editing
Graphic Design and Photoshop

Administration

answering phones/reception
opening/closing cases – obtaining key information to ensure files are complete
Access data entry
filing
information & referral
word processing – letters, memos, pleadings
web management, desktop publishing, graphic design, DOE
any other general clerical duties

Fundraising

donor file data entry – using Donor Quest
fundraising source research
topical research – background information for proposals
special events – mailings, follow-up calls, data entry for registration database, etc.
other miscellaneous duties

Please click here to submit an ALC Internships/Volunteer Application Form

______________________________

Korematsu Institute Internships

Summer 2012 internship deadline: Friday, March 9, 2012 (note: KI no longer offers spring internships. We offer only two internship cycles each year: 1) summer and 2) fall/winter.

Our internships offer unique opportunities for students interested in civil rights, education, historical research, communications and media, documentary film and multimedia work, community and youth outreach, and event planning.

For more information on the Fred T. Korematsu Institute For Civil Rights and Education, please click here.

______________________________

Pro Bono Opportunities

The Asian Law Caucus offers a variety of rewarding pro bono opportunities for volunteer attorneys in the following program areas: Criminal Justice Reform, National Security Civil Rights, Housing Rights, Employment, and Immigration. There is no minimum hour requirement to volunteer for pro bono work. Each situation that requires pro bono assistance is assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Please click here to submit an ALC Pro Bono Application Form

**For more information about pro bono opportunities, please contact Christopher Punongbayan, Deputy Director, at (415) 848-7723 or chrisp@asianlawcaucus.org.

Criminal Justice Reform – Angela Chan, Staff Attorney

The Criminal Justice Program offers pro bono opportunities for attorneys to challenge racial inequities in the criminal justice system by providing legal representation, policy advocacy, and legal education to low-income immigrants. Attorneys can assist with (1) disrupting the school to prison pipeline, (2) providing direct representation to limited English proficient immigrant families who have youth in the juvenile system (bilingual skills preferred), (3) promoting restorative justice as an alternative to punitive approaches to criminal justice, and (4) limiting local law enforcement collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

National Security & Civil Rights Program – Veena Dubal, Staff Attorney

The National Security & Civil Rights Program offers occasional opportunities to assist individuals subjected FBI surveillance and to repeated and inordinate scrutiny when they return to the United States after traveling abroad. Bilingual attorneys who speak Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Dari, Farsi, Arabic and other South Asian and Middle Eastern languages are also encouraged to volunteer with community outreach.

Housing Rights Program – Omar Calimbas, Staff Attorney

The Housing Rights Program offers opportunities for attorneys to represent tenants in eviction defense cases and in affirmative cases against landlords for substandard housing conditions. Eviction defense cases provide significant litigation experience for attorneys, including experience with discovery, motion drafting and argument, and jury trials all in a short timeline.

Employment Program – Winnie Kao, Staff Attorney

The Employment Program provides direct legal services on a variety of issues ranging from wage and hour violations to discrimination to health and safety. Attorneys may also have the opportunity to represent individual clients in administrative hearings. Bilingual volunteer attorneys are highly desired to work with limited English proficient community members in the clinical context or through community education events. Opportunities for litigation are also available including research and writing.

Detention and Deportation Defense – Immigration Program – Sin Yen Ling, Senior Staff Attorney

This Program offers opportunities for attorneys to represent immigrants in contesting removal proceedings challenging an immigrant’s deportation based on illegal detention and due process violations. Attorneys will be involved in direct service, motion practice and appellate briefing before Immigration Court, Board of Immigration Appeals, and the Ninth Circuit. There also may be opportunities to work on habeas claims in Federal District Court. Bilingual attorneys who speak Tagalog, Vietnamese, Tongan, and Punjabi are especially encouraged to volunteer.

Legal Clinics – Immigration Program – Anoop Prasad, Staff Attorney

The Immigration Program also offers opportunities for attorneys to volunteer for our evening legal clinics, which take place at the ALC office in downtown San Francisco on the first and third Tuesday of every month from 5:45PM to 7:45PM. At the clinics, attorneys provide advice to immigrants who have questions about naturalization, visas, and other immigration-related questions. Pro bono attorneys seeking to volunteer are not required to have expertise with immigration law as there will be several attorneys there providing guidance.