Children’s Legal Services Intern – Immigration Law

Job Description

NY Children’s Legal Intern (Unpaid) | International Rescue Committee

The Tone:
This is an unpaid legal internship at International Rescue Committee, located in New York, NY. The International Rescue Committee is a large international humanitarian non-governmental organization, founded in 1933, operating in over 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities. This role directly supports the Children’s Legal Services program by providing essential legal and administrative assistance to unaccompanied children, helping them understand and navigate complex immigration and state court systems to reclaim control of their future.

The TL;DR
• Role: Internship
• Type: Unpaid
• Location: In-person, New York, NY

• Team: Children’s Legal Services (CLS) program
• Mission: Provides legal representation to unaccompanied children who are under 18, lack immigration status, and have been designated as unaccompanied by the Office of Refugee Resettlement.

What You’ll Actually Do
• Client Engagement: Support in building and fostering relationships with young clients by participating in client meetings.
• Administrative Support: Provide administrative support to the Children’s Legal Services team, including checking for upcoming court hearings, communicating regularly with clients, preparing applications, drafting supporting documents, and filing with appropriate agencies.
• Legal Research: Perform research on immigration issues and country conditions.
• Professional Development: Partake in online immigration law trainings and webinars to enhance knowledge.
• Client Referral: Assist in tapping into other IRC NY programs to get additional support for clients when needed, such as educational resources.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Minimum qualification is completion of 1L at an ABA-accredited law school, for an Entry-Level role supporting legal services for unaccompanied children.
• Experience: No specific years required. Must have a demonstrated passion for working with children and/or low-to-moderate income immigrant populations, including refugees and asylum seekers.
• Skills: Motivated, flexible, able to manage time effectively, and able to work independently as well as within a dynamic team.
• Bonus: Proficiency in Spanish is strongly preferred.