Posted on November 5, 2012

print

Legal Administrative Assistant

The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation (ACLU), founded in 1920, is a nationwide, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with more than 500,000 members and is dedicated to the principles of liberty and equality embodied in the U.S. Constitution. The Immigrants’ Rights Project of the ACLU’s National office in New York City seeks applications for the full-time position of Legal Administrative Assistant.

OVERVIEW

The Immigrants’ Rights Project (IRP) works to defend the civil and constitutional rights of immigrants through a comprehensive program of impact litigation and public education. IRP conducts the largest litigation program in the country dedicated to enforcing and defending the constitutional and civil rights of immigrants and to combating public and private discrimination against non-citizens.

In recent years, state and local lawmakers around the country have adopted unconstitutional legislation and policies designed to take federal immigration regulation and enforcement into their own hands. These policies invite discrimination against immigrants, Latinos, and other communities of color and erode civil rights and civil liberties by, for example, permitting police officers to demand documentation from anyone who is subject to routine encounters with law enforcement. The civil liberties threats are especially dire in the southeastern region of the country, where state legislatures have enacted some of the nation’s harshest anti-immigrant laws and local law enforcement agencies have engaged in patterns and practices of racial profiling.

Current areas of litigation and advocacy also include detention; habeas corpus and access to the courts; immigration enforcement practices and racial profiling; discrimination in the criminal justice system; workplace rights; discriminatory language and education policies; due process in immigration removal proceedings; Freedom of Information Act proceedings; and post-9/11 policies and practices affecting non-citizens, including damages actions for unconstitutional detention and abuse.

IRP maintains offices in New York and California but also supports and coordinates the immigrants’ rights work of the ACLU’s affiliates around the country. The Legal Administrative Assistant will provide support to the IRP team, will attend regular staff meetings and will have the opportunity to learn about strategies for protecting the rights of immigrants.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Handle general administrative duties including acting as liaison with vendors to order and maintain office supplies, coordinate purchase and maintenance of office equipment, etc.
• Type, prepare proofread and edit legal and other documents.
• Assist lawyers with maintenance and tracking of case files, filing system, etc.
• Research case-related immigration issues as needed.
• Answer telephones, take messages and route calls.
• Respond to written and verbal inquiries.
• Process invoices and requests for attorneys’ expense reimbursements.
• Update and maintain various mailing lists.
• Organize travel arrangements & coordinate meeting logistics.
• Coordinate with Project’s California office and with Project Director. Perform other special projects and other duties as assigned by the Director and Staff Attorneys.
• Fax, copy, mail and complete other general administrative duties as assigned.

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree and/or 1-2 years related experience preferred.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, (i.e. Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.) and experience with Internet research is required.
• Must be able to work independently as well as within a team.
• Must have excellent organization skills and be detailed oriented.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Commitment to civil liberties, immigrants' rights and public interest legal work essential.
• Spanish language skills preferred.

COMPENSATION

Salary for this position is $41,586. Generous benefit package provided.

Application Instructions

Please submit letter of interest, current resume, names and telephone numbers of two references, and writing sample by email to hrjobsIRP@aclu.org - reference [IRP-11/PND] - or by mail to: