About the Legal Aid Justice Center (LAJC)
The Legal Aid Justice Center (LAJC) is a nationally recognized, non-profit organization that partners with communities and clients to achieve justice by dismantling the systems that create and perpetuate poverty. Justice means racial justice, economic justice, and social justice.
From its offices in Charlottesville, Richmond, Petersburg, and Falls Church, LAJC is a fierce advocate for low-income clients and communities in Central and Northern Virginia, and its work broadly impacts the entire state. Just in the past year, we permanently repealed Virginia’s driver’s license suspension for court debt scheme, secured an injunction slashing the number of immigrants detained by ICE at the largest detention center in the Mid-Atlantic, won the nation’s first COVID-specific, statewide, and enforceable workplace safety standards, passed legislation enabling communities to set up civilian oversight for law enforcement, and decriminalized school-based disorderly conduct, which was a leading contributor to the school-to-prison pipeline, especially for Black girls.
Founded in 1967, LAJC provides services under four key program areas: Civil Rights & Racial Justice, Economic Justice, Youth Justice, and Immigrant Advocacy. The Civil Rights and Racial Justice Program (CRRJ) works to end the criminalization of poverty in Virginia by exposing and addressing criminal legal system policies that target people because of poverty and race. The Economic Justice Program (EJP) provides assistance to individuals and families in Central Virginia who face legal dilemmas related to housing, public benefits, employment, healthcare, consumer protection, or the rights of the elderly, and engages in systematic advocacy with and on behalf of low-income people in these issue areas. The Youth Justice Program (YJP) partners with youth, their families, and their communities to achieve racial justice, social justice, and economic justice for all young people by dismantling systems that create and perpetuate poverty. Our Immigrant Advocacy Program (IAP) supports low-income immigrants across the state in their efforts to find justice and fair treatment through representation in legal proceedings, legal advice regarding their rights, helping them take steps to empower themselves and prepare for the worst, recovery of unpaid wages they have earned, combatting workplace and housing discrimination, and fighting for civil rights. Within IAP, the Virginia Justice Project for Farm and Immigrant Workers provides legal services, resources, and community legal education to low-income workers in remote areas of the state, including farmworkers and seafood workers, poultry and meatpacking workers, and other immigrant and migrant workers.
LAJC boldly tackles issues of systemic injustice and aims to raise public and policymaker awareness of some of the most pressing challenges facing low-income Virginia residents. For more information, visit www.justice4all.org.
About the Position
LAJC seeks a law student intern to join our team for January and/or Spring terms of 2022. Current 1Ls, 2Ls, 3Ls and LLMs are eligible to apply. The intern will be working on immigration matters for primarily Spanish-speaking indigent clients, with a focus on preparing prosecutorial discretion applications. Fluency in Spanish sufficient to communicate with clients without the assistance of an interpreter is required. This position is unpaid.
Interns will be primarily virtual but “based” in one our Falls Church office. Minimum work commitment for January term is 30 hours/week, and for Spring term 10 hours/week.
Applicants must submit a cover letter and current resume. The application rolling and applicants will be considered as they apply. Please direct questions to Becky Wolozin, Senior Immigrant Rights Attorney, by email to becky@justice4all.org.
All applicants must be dedicated to working in and sustaining an environment that enables staff and clients to feel empowered, valued, respected, and safe. In reviewing applications, we look for evidence that applicants have experience and/or thoughtfulness in working with traditionally marginalized populations.
The Legal Aid Justice Center is an equal opportunity employer, committed to inclusive hiring and dedicated to diversity in our work and staff. We strongly encourage candidates of all identities, experiences, and communities to apply. The Legal Aid Justice Center is committed to strengthening the voices of our low-income clients, working in collaboration with community partners, and rooting out the inequities that keep people in poverty. We strive to take on the issues that have broad impact on our client communities and to be responsive to client input. Recognizing the particular impact of racism on our clients and staff, we devote special attention to dismantling racial injustice. All applicants must be dedicated to working in and sustaining an environment that enables staff and clients to feel empowered, valued, respected, and safe. In reviewing applications, we look for evidence that applicants have experience and/or thoughtfulness in working with traditionally marginalized populations.