Legal Intern – Asylum Law

Job Description

Legal Intern | HIAS

The Tone:
This is a paid internship at HIAS, located in New York. HIAS focuses on direct legal services programs that benefit asylum seekers. This role is crucial for assisting these programs, offering the opportunity to learn about United States immigration law, with a focus on humanitarian relief, and gain practical legal experience in a nonprofit setting.

The TL;DR
• Role: Internship
• Type: Part-time, Temporary
• Location: In-person, New York, NY
• Pay: $900 monthly
• Team: Reports to Senior Staff Attorney; works with Legal and Pro Bono teams.
• Mission: Assist direct legal services programs that benefit asylum seekers.

What You’ll Actually Do
• Research: Conduct thorough legal and factual research on assigned topics for HIAS Attorneys.
• Writing: Draft memorandums, briefs, and other documents to support HIAS’ immigration legal cases.
• Client Interaction: Develop client declarations and complete application forms through direct interviews.
• Case Preparation: Assist the legal team in preparing and presenting asylum claims (affirmative and defensive), special immigrant juvenile cases, U-visa, and T-Visa cases.
• Program Support: Maintain records, contribute to program reports to ensure grant compliance, and finalize client benefit applications.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Current law student (2L or 3L) or recent law graduate; strong interest in asylum law, human rights, and international law.
• Experience: No specific professional experience required.
• Skills: Resourceful, thorough, and analytical for information development; excellent interpersonal, written, and oral communication; excellent organizational and problem-solving abilities.
• Bonus: Fluency in Spanish, French, and/or Russian is strongly preferred.