Part-Time Paralegal for Unaccompanied Children, Immigration Unit – Newburgh, NY

Part-Time Paralegal for Unaccompanied Children, Immigration Unit – Newburgh, NY

Overview

PLS is a non-profit legal services organization providing civil legal services to indigent individuals in New York State correctional facilities in cases where no other counsel is available. Founded in 1976 in response to the Attica uprising, PLS has regional offices in Albany, Buffalo, Ithaca and Newburgh.

As part of the Unaccompanied Children’s Program, PLS provides free legal representation to non­citizens detained at youth shelters funded by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, transferred to long term foster care facilities near Newburgh, New York or released from youth shelters to reside with sponsors in the Hudson Valley and who are in or facing immigration removal proceedings. Court proceedings will be primarily venued at the Buffalo Immigration Court. Proceedings to pursue guardianships and special immigrant juvenile status will be scheduled in state courts in upstate New York.

Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York (PLS) is seeking to hire an Unaccompanied Children Paralegal to work from its Immigration Unit, Albany office. The Unaccompanied Children Paralegal is a professional advocate for detained immigrant children who uses cultural competency, compassion, and training in immigration law to prepare children for successful client-attorney relationships and empowers them as respondents before immigration authorities. The Paralegal informs children about the immigration legal process and their rights in a child-friendly and trauma-informed manner. The Paralegal also conducts individual legal screenings to assist with referrals to pro bono counsel and provide follow-up services and specialized information where relevant to a child’s situation.

Responsibilities

  • Design age-appropriate Know Your Rights training materials
  • Under attorney supervision, screen unaccompanied children in ORR custody and provide them with trauma-informed, child-friendly, and age, language, and culturally appropriate legal orientations including Know Your Rights trainings and full legal screenings for immigration relief
  • Through region-wide outreach, identify, locate, and screen unaccompanied children who have been released to reside within PLS region
  • Conduct and interpret client interviews and follow-up meetings
  • Participate in regularly scheduled calls and meetings with stakeholders and team members
  • Work closely with government agencies, school districts, and social service providers to facilitate access to education, healthcare and other services
  • Prepare budgets and grant applications, maintain databases, monitor contract requirements, prepare and submit reports that accurately capture data
  • Support attorneys for completing applications and assist in preparation of court cases and applications with users
  • Interpret for clients and/or attorneys at interviews, hearings and presentations
  • Prepare written translation of documents as needed
  • Stay apprised of current legal framework relevant to orientation and interviewing related to child respondents in immigration removal proceedings, as well as current events affecting child migration from Central America and any other region commonly affecting detention facilities in New York
  • Perform other job-related duties as assigned
Requirements

The ideal candidate must be fluent in written and verbal Spanish and English and have a demonstrated commitment to advocating on behalf of immigrant children’s rights. Experience serving Spanish and non-Spanish speaking children from Central America preferred. Experience in trauma informed care practices and case management is required. Experience working with children and guardians in Special Immigrant Juvenile Proceedings required. Candidate must be willing to pursue and submit accreditation from EOIR. The candidate must demonstrate an ability to work collaboratively with multiple attorneys and staff members and with people of diverse educational, cultural and professional backgrounds. The candidate must be energetic, friendly and responsible and have demonstrated experience working independently and under pressure. The candidate must have his/her own transportation and be willing to submit to extensive background checks. Evening and weekend availability preferred. An IU Paralegal who works with minor clients must pass the background check for working with minors that is required by the Office of Refugee Resettlement.

Education

This position requires at least two years of paralegal experience with an immigration defense, criminal defense or legal services organization or a bachelor’s degree in human services or legal studies.

Salary and Benefits & EEO Policy

Salary is commensurate with experience. This is a part time position, but full-time opportunities may develop depending on client population needs. PLS offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, short and long-term disability, life insurance, and a 401 (k) retirement plan. All qualified applicants will be afforded equal employment opportunities without discrimination because of sex, race, color, age, national origin, religion, disability, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship, pregnancy or veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law.

Please send a cover letter, resume, and at least three (3) references by email to: James Milstein, jmilstein@plsny.org. Due to the volume of applications expected, only people who are contacted for interviews will receive a response. The review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

Washburn Martin – Assistant Controller

Washburn Martin

Assistant Controller

(518) 445-6050 ext. 1119

wmartin@plsny.org

Washburn Martin is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in New York and a member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He received a BBA in Accounting from Siena College. He joined PLS in 2021 as the Assistant Controller. Prior to joining PLS, he worked as a Business Manager and his responsibilities included strategic financial and operational planning, budgeting, and the overall management of financial resources. Earlier in his career, he managed and performed financial and tax audits for several organizations, including The New York Times Company and Buchbinder Tunick & Company. He is an experienced tax preparer of individual and business tax returns. For several years, he provided oversight services as the Treasurer of a Charter School Board of Trustees, and he also provided financial services as a volunteer at a local church.

Immigration Staff Attorneys – Albany, Buffalo & Newburgh, NY

Immigration Staff Attorney Positions – Albany & Buffalo, New York

Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York (PLS) is seeking the immediate hire of immigration attorneys in its Albany, Buffalo or Newburgh offices. Attorneys will provide free legal representation to individuals incarcerated in New York State in removal proceedings in the Institutional Hearing Program (IHP), and to individuals in immigration detention at the Albany and Clinton County Jails, whose cases are calendared at the Batavia Immigration Court in Batavia, NY.

Overview

PLS is a non-profit legal services organization providing civil legal services to indigent individuals in New York State correctional facilities in cases where no other counsel is available. Founded in 1976 in response to the Attica uprising, PLS has regional offices in Albany, Buffalo, Ithaca and Newburgh.

As part of the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP), PLS provides free legal representation to non-citizens incarcerated in New York State prison facing immigration removal proceedings under the Institutional Hearing Program (IHP) and individuals in immigration detention at the Albany and Clinton County Jails. These proceedings take place at the Bedford Hills, Downstate, and Ulster Immigration Courts, located inside New York State correctional facilities in upstate New York and at the Batavia Immigration Court in Batavia, NY.

Job Description

The ideal candidate would have strong research, writing, and oral advocacy skills; the ability to work in a collaborative and dynamic team environment; excellent organizational skills; and a commitment to serving indigent clients convicted of crimes. Clinical or professional background in immigration and / or criminal law is preferred.

Languages

Fluency in Spanish is preferred. Please note all language skills and level of proficiency in your application.

Salary and Benefits & EEO Policy

Salary is commensurate with experience. PLS offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, short and long-term disability, life insurance, and a 401(k) retirement plan. All qualified applicants will be afforded equal employment opportunities without discrimination because of sex, race, color, age, national origin, religion, disability, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship, pregnancy or veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law.

Deadline to Apply

Applications will be reviewed on an on-going basis.

How to Apply

Please submit your cover letter, resume, writing sample, and three (3) references by mail or email to: Sarah Spiak, Prisoners’ Legal Services of NY, 41 State St., Suite M112, Albany, NY 12207 or to sspiak@plsny.org. Include “PLS Immigration Attorney” in the subject line along with your preference for office location. No phone calls please.

Reentry Social Worker – Buffalo, New York

Reentry Social Worker – Buffalo, New York

Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York (PLS) is searching for a Re-entry Social Worker for PREP, our Pre-Release & Re-Entry Program,  located in our regional office in Buffalo, New York.


PREP is a holistic program staffed by licensed Social Workers  who help incarcerated persons serving their maximum sentence develop the psychological and practical skills necessary for successful re-entry into their communities.  Assisting clients with concrete services is equally prioritized. Re-Entry Plans are developed together with each client, modified as needed, and utilized to guide goal-setting and nurture personal accountability.  Re-Entry SWs work with  clients for a period of three (3) years post-release to provide therapeutic support and identify and address biopsychosocial barriers to successful re-entry. PREP is the only re-entry program in New York State  that provides combined individual and concrete re-entry planning services by licensed mental health professionals, followed by three years of post-release support and advocacy.


The position of Reentry Social Worker requires a trauma-informed practitioner with strong assessment, interviewing and engagement skills and the ability to develop and implement creative, non-traditional treatment plans that are appropriate to clients’ individual needs. The Social Worker must possess the ability to work with clients with various types and degrees of mental illness diagnoses and those with intellectual and cognitive limitations.  The position requires  the ability to become deeply familiar with the services available in the assigned re-entry catchment area and the ability to initiate and foster positive, collaborative relationships with local agencies and the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. This position requires  state-wide travel to prisons for client visits. Mitigation experience and Spanish fluency is preferred.  Excellent verbal and written communication skills are required.


Applicants must possess their MSW degree OR be a 2023 MSW candidate.  All applicants who are hired must obtain their LMSW within one (1) year of their hiring date. Clinical supervision towards LCSW licensure is provided.



PLS  offers a competitive salary and sets salaries depending on experience and offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, short- and long-term disability, life insurance, and a 401(k) Retirement Plan.  PLS’ Prep Social Workers engage in  weekly clinical supervision with the PREP Coordinator, which can be used towards obtaining LCSW licensure.  All qualified applicants will be afforded equal employment opportunities without discrimination because of sex, race, color, age, national origin, religion, disability, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship, pregnancy or veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law. PLS requires all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 unless an exemption is approved.


Please send a cover letter, resume, writing sample and at least three (3) references by email to:

 Jill Marie Nolan, LCSW, PREP Coordinator: jnolan@plsny.org.  Due to the volume of applications expected, only people who are contacted for interviews will receive a response. The positions will remain open until filled.

Gina Andrade – Immigration Paralegal/Administrative Assistant

Gina Andrade

Immigration Paralegal/ Administrative Assistant

(518) 694-8699 ext. 2112

gandrade@plsny.org

Gina is currently a graduate student at UAlbany and she will be completing her Master’s in May. She received her bachelor’s degree from UAlbany as well.  This fall Gina will be pursuing her PhD in the Latin American, Caribbean and U.S. Latino Department at UAlbany. She is currently doing research on the femicide cases in Mexico and the connection to protest songs.  She was raised in New York City but has now made Albany her new home. Gina likes to spend her summers in Mexico.

Evan DeWandler – Immigration Staff Attorney

Evan DeWandler

Immigration Staff Attorney

(716) 844-8266 ext. 1325

edewandler@plsny.org

Evan  grew up in Rochester, NY.  He graduated from SUNY Fredonia with a BS in Communications and began his first career in corporate and educational media.  After serving on some short-term international missions trips, he felt called to help those less fortunate and decided a law degree would best equip him to serve others.  He attended the Appalachian School of Law and passed the North Carolina State Bar in 2014.  Evan then started his own private  practice before specializing in immigration law.  After starting a family and moving back to Western New York, he’s now found a home at PLS and is proud to help a population that is often marginalized and ignored. In his free time, Evan enjoys the outdoors, cooking and most of all,  spending time with his family.

Executive Director, Karen L. Murtagh Receives the Prestigious 2022 NYS Senate Woman of Distinction award

Executive Director, Karen L. Murtagh Receives the Prestigious 2022 NYS Senate Woman of Distinction Award

PLS is extremely proud to announce the selection of our Executive Director, Karen L. Murtagh as a 2022 NYS Senate Woman of Distinction. Thank you to Senator Neil Breslin for bestowing this prestigious award on our Executive Director who has been with PLS since 1983 and has served as our Executive Director for the past 14 years. Congratulations Karen!

PLS CHALLENGES WITHHOLDING OF EVIDENCE REQUESTED THROUGH FOIL

PLS CHALLENGES WITHHOLDING OF EVIDENCE REQUESTED THROUGH FOIL

Timely access to prison records is critical to PLS’s ability to provide effective representation to our clients. Our primary means of obtaining records for initial investigations and advocacy is New York’s Freedom of Information Law (FOIL). We recently argued an appeal before the Appellate Division, Third Department challenging DOCCS’ withholding of videos and narrative incident reports requested through FOIL. DOCCS relied on several FOIL exemptions to justify withholding these records, including the “law enforcement,” “safety,” and “intra-agency materials” exemptions (Public Officers Law § 89[2][e], [f], and [g]).

 

 

The law requires that an agency articulate a “particularized and specific justification” when exempting records from disclosure, and our position was that DOCCS did not meet this standard. For example, some of the video at issue depicted a prison yard incident. DOCCS asserted that disclosure would create a risk of retaliation against individuals who could be identified from the video. We argued that DOCCS’ speculative concern about retaliation did not justify the safety exemption, in part because the video showed nothing more than what was readily observable to dozens of people present during the incident—a factor that weighs against withholding under the safety exemption (see Matter of Buffalo Broadcasting. Co. v. New York State Dep’t of Corr. Servs., 174 A.D.2d 212 [3d Dep’t 1992]). We also argued that DOCCS’ alleged safety concerns were undermined by the fact that prison officials had already shown the video to several incarcerated people in the context of disciplinary hearings to allow them to identify others, which was one of the very risks that DOCCS later claimed to justify withholding under FOIL.  

 

 

In addition to the videos withheld under the safety exemption, PLS challenged DOCCS’ denial of records that the agency eventually produced after litigation was pending. Ordinarily, production of records will make any challenge to their withholding moot. We asked the Court to grant an exception to the mootness doctrine and rule on the issues presented in order to address DOCCS’ misapplication of the law enforcement and intra-agency materials exemptions to surveillance videos and unusual incident reports. We argued that DOCCS’ withholding of those records presented novel and important questions about how the agency interprets the relevant FOIL exemptions, and that their misinterpretation of the exemptions is likely to continue in ways that will escape the Court’s review.

  

 

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP provided pro bono representation to PLS in this matter before both Albany Supreme Court and the Appellate Division. 

 

Luke Millar – Immigration Law Graduate

Luke Millar

Immigration Law Graduate

.

lmillar@plsny.org

Luke is a recent graduate of Washington and Lee Law School  where he interned in the Immigrant Rights Clinic. This unit provided Luke with experience in representing detained individuals in removal proceedings.  Luke also worked as an Immigration Research Assistant and interned for Harvard University’s Immigration and Refugee Clinic.

 

Luke was originally raised in Ithaca, New York and attended SUNY Geneseo.  He has a wide array of experiences from working to bring environmental justice to an indigenous community  in Guatemala to volunteering with a foundation committed to providing education for children in South African Townships. He also was the Manager of a restaurant in Geneseo during his time as an undergraduate student.