ABA | South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project: Staff Attorney–Adult Team

Position Title: ABA | South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project: Staff Attorney–Adult Team

Position Description: The South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project (ProBAR), a project of the American Bar Association, seeks a staff attorney to work in its legal team serving detained men and women in the Port Isabel Detention Center and the El Valle Detention Facility. ProBAR is located in Harlingen, Texas, less than an hour's drive from the Mexican border, from the Gulf of Mexico, and from South Padre Island.  

The staff attorney will engage in a significant amount of direct representation for immigrants facing deportation, handling primarily asylum and cancellation of removal cases as well as applications for other forms of relief. The staff attorney will also provide legal orientations to detainees and conduct individual orientations and prose workshops.  

Applicants should have experience working with immigrants as well as a fundamental knowledge of immigration law and immigration court procedures. Applicants must be fluent in Spanish, must have a law degree, and must be licensed to practice law in a U.S. state or territory. Currently unlicensed candidates, including law students and recent graduates, will be considered. Offers may be contingent on successful passage of a bar exam. 


Required Education, Qualifications, Experience:

• Possession of a Juris Doctorate degree from an ABA-accredited law school and be in good standing.  

• Licensed to practice law in a U.S. state or territory.

• Fluent in English and Spanish in written and spoken forms.

• Must be able to pick up on client verbal and non-verbal cues.

• Must have reliable internet and phone connection.

• Have reliable transportation to travel to off-site work locations.

• This position requires the ability to travel to and enter detention centers.


Preferred Education, Qualifications, Experience:

• Experience practicing immigration law.

• Prior work experience with clients from Central and South America, including indigenous language-speaking populations.

• Prior volunteer, community, or work experience regarding refugees, immigration or detention.

• Prior non-profit experience, particularly involving immigration detention or refugees.


For more information about ProBAR: https://linktr.ee/abaprobarvolunteer

To apply: https://us61e2.dayforcehcm.com/CandidatePortal/en-US/aba/Posting/View/2022

Deadline:

Eligibility: Recent Grads, Attorneys

Location: Harlingen, TX