Legal Services Director jobs in Kalamazoo, MI

POSITION: Farmworker Legal Services (FLS) is seeking Spanish bilingual staff, including law clerks and interns, to join its team for the Summer of 2024. The positions are supported and based out of our Kalamazoo office with possibilities of a flexible remote work schedule or work out of our Grand Rapids or Ypsilanti (Ann Arbor) office. The tentative dates for the positions are May 13 to August 13, which can be adjusted based on availability and office needs. FLS is a non- profit and encourages applicants to apply for outside funding (e.g. school fellowships, Equal Justice America), but FLS has paid internship and summer positions available (Law Students/Graduates: $2250/month; Undergraduate/ Graduate Student Interns / Staff: $2000/month).

WHO WE ARE: Farmworker Legal Services (FLS) is a nonprofit, public interest law office that provides free civil legal services to indigent migrant and seasonal agricultural workers throughout Michigan and engages in a wide variety of advocacy with state and federal agencies. FLS attorneys litigate complex wage and hour, multi-party employment discrimination, and human trafficking cases in Michigan state and federal courts and provide representation in other matters such as T or U-visa applications for victims of employment-based crimes, housing, workers’ compensation, public benefits, or unemployment administrative proceedings. FLS is the largest migrant legal services program in the Midwest with four attorneys, two paralegals, a legal assistant, and 4 to 6 summer staff each year. FLS is a division of the Michigan Advocacy Program (MAP), which works to advance the safety, independence, and economic stability of those most affected by poverty, racism, and other structurally oppressive systems by increasing access to justice and working for systemic solutions.

SUMMER STAFF RESPONSIBILITIES: General responsibilities of summer staff include client intake, case support, and community outreach. Summer staff are expected to communicate with clients in English and Spanish orally and in writing and will be expected to interview clients and support the attorneys through fact investigation, litigation, and advocacy. Summer staff can expect to visit farmworkers at the migrant labor camps and farmworker events to inform workers about their rights, develop and distribute community legal education materials, give presentations, and attend meetings with community partners to identify and address challenges and gaps in services of the farmworker and immigrant community in Michigan. Summer staff can expect to do outreach one to three evenings per week, including occasional weekend farmworker events. Law Clerks can expect a highly educational, challenging, and rewarding experience as they work with FLS staff and Michigan’s farmworker population at the intersection of their employment and immigration cases. Clerks will handle cases involving impact litigation, employment rights, and immigration relief. Clerks should expect to gain experience drafting pleadings and written discovery, conducting legal research, attending court hearings or depositions, assessing legal problems, and conveying legal advice through oral and written communication.

APPLICATION PROCESS: Please complete this application and submit your resume and cover letter. You can also access the application by copying and pasting the following web address into your browser: https://miadvocacy.bamboohr.com/careers/97. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

For more information about FLS or the position, visit www.FarmworkerLaw.org or www.Facebook.com/farmworkerlaw. FLS can also be contacted by email at fls@farmworkerlaw.org.

The Michigan Advocacy Program is an equal opportunity employer, committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace.