VACANCY: Justice AmeriCorps Volunteer Attorney for Unaccompanied Child Migrants

The Thomas & Mack Legal Clinic at the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law has a vacancy for one of its two attorneys in its Justice AmeriCorps-funded program to provide legal representation to unaccompanied child migrants. We seek an attorney who is passionate about public service, a determined and creative problem solver, able to work with vulnerable clients, a strong legal advocate, and a reliable team player.

The Boyd School of Law’s Justice AmeriCorps program has won national and local acclaim for helping Southern Nevada respond to the arrival of unaccompanied children fleeing violence in Central America. Our two attorneys advise child-clients, and represent them in state courts and federal immigration proceedings as needed. We also develop pro bono resources in the local legal community. In the coming year, the Justice AmeriCorps program will be increasingly integrated with the law school’s Immigration Clinic, so that the volunteer attorneys will have the opportunity to supervise and teach law students in addition to representing clients.

Specific duties of the Justice Americorps attorneys include (but are not strictly limited to):

• representation in removal proceedings before the Las Vegas Immigration Court 
• representation in asylum, SIJS, and adjustment of status applications before USCIS 
• representation in guardianship proceedings before the Family Court 
• recruitment and supervision of pro bono attorneys coordinate referrals for counseling, medical, and dental services 

This position may be filled by a recent law school graduate, or by a more experienced attorney. A background in immigration law and/or ability to speak Spanish would be an advantage but is not essential. It is essential to be committed to clients, to be able to learn quickly on the job, and to be a flexible colleague in a collaborative, public interest law practice. Justice AmeriCorps attorneys will have an opportunity to attend one week training program in Washington D.C. to learn the basics of unaccompanied child representation. A license to practice law in a state of the United States is required, but Nevada is preferred. (Recent graduates who are awaiting bar results are encouraged to apply, though employment may be conditioned on successfully obtaining a license to practice.)

Justice AmeriCorps member attorneys receive a stipend and compensation for certain living expenses more than $40,000. Some benefits (including health insurance and retirement) are provided in addition. Details can be provided upon inquiry.

For more information about the vacancy, please contact Immigration Clinic Director Michael Kagan at michael.kagan@unlv.edu. To apply, please send a letter, resume, and names and contacts of three references to karen.brokaw@unlv.edu.

We will begin reviewing applications after August 23; to ensure full consideration apply before that date. However, we will continue to receive applications until the position is filled.

Confronting Invisible Punishments: The Collateral Consequences Project

Clinic students Geordan Logan and Keely Perdue
are bringing immigration law into Las Vegas
criminal practice.

After people are convicted of crimes and serve their sentences, they often discover that there are a myriad of other, invisible consequences that flow from criminal convictions, including impacts on child custody, parental rights, access to employment and housing, and the accrual of debt. For noncitizens, there is a danger of post-sentence detention by immigration authorities, followed by deportation. Because of these hidden collateral consequences, even minor crimes can shatter families and hobble individuals.

In the Collateral Consequences Project (CCP), students in the Thomas & Mack Clinic are at the frontlines of innovating new ways for lawyers to help their clients understand these invisible punishments, to avoid them through creative plea negotiating, and to be better prepared for the challenges they will face after conviction. Working with the Clark County Public Defender and other community partners, Clinic students are positioned to not only learn how to practice law, but to change the way law is practiced.

The Immigration Clinic has made the intersection of local criminal justice and federal immigration enforcement a primary focus. Clinic students consult with public defenders on cases involving immigrants to ensure that non-citizens know the immigration consequences of any plea bargain offered by prosecutors, and to help defense attorneys propose alternatives that meet the State’s objectives without a risk of deportation. Students in the Immigration Clinic have represented clients of the Public Defender in their immigration cases, and, as a pilot project this fall, are representing immigrants in misdemeanor cases in Las Vegas Justice Court.  Working with the National Immigration Law Center, students also helped persuade the Clark County Sheriff to change a policy that prevented immigrants from being released on bail.

A Laboratory for Scholarship: Immigration Clinic Advocates for Rights of Mentally Incompetent in Removal Proceedings

The Immigration Clinic is at the forefront of advancing the rights of mentally incompetent individuals in deportation proceedings.  In addition to providing representation to mentally incompetent clients, the Clinic is actively shaping the legal landscape on issues of mental competence through scholarship and leadership in helping implement national-level policies. 

Immigration Detention Project

In November 2013, the Immigration Clinic published a report on conditions for immigration detainees at the Henderson Detention Center. The report has attracted attention from the media, congressional representatives, and community organizations. In partnership with PLAN Nevada and Mi Familia Vota, the Immigration Clinic continues to work towards detention reforms. Congressman Steven Horsford will chair an ad hoc congressional hearing on immigration on March 17, 2014, in North Las Vegas, where the Immigration Clinic will present its key findings on detention conditions and concerns about ICE's failure to follow prosecutorial discretion policies.

Immigration

In an innovative pilot program designed to implement the Sixth Amendment rights of immigrants, students in the Immigration Clinic are advising the Clark County Public Defender on criminal cases that might have immigration consequences.