Immigrants' Civil Legal Rights Fellowship

The North Carolina Justice Center (NCJC) is a progressive research and advocacy organization dedicated to expanding opportunity and protecting the rights of low-income individuals and communities in North Carolina. For over 29 years NCJC has worked across policy, legal, and community platforms to address poverty and systemic inequities through legislative advocacy, litigation, public education, and coalition building.

The North Carolina Justice Center invites third-year law students and recent law graduates to apply for a two-year Immigrants' Rights Fellowship. The Fellowship is generously funded by the N.C. Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts (IOLTA) Program. The fellowship will begin in the Fall of 2026. The Justice Center is North Carolina's leading private, non-profit anti-poverty organization. Our mission is to alleviate poverty in North Carolina by ensuring that every household has access to the resources, services, and fair treatment it needs to achieve economic security.

In order to improve the ability of low-income families to access opportunity and share in the state's prosperity, the Justice Center pursues a broad policy agenda around the issues of affordable housing, transportation, workers' rights, public education, supports for working families, consumer protections, immigrants' rights, and access to health care. The Justice Center has conducted extensive civil litigation for immigrant clients, including class actions for workers not paid minimum wage or overtime; civil cases for victims of human trafficking, class actions for clients who encountered unfair business practices when purchasing mobile homes; and administrative complaints against state agencies who fail to provide language access to immigrant residents of North Carolina.

Key Responsibilities

• The goal of the Immigrants' Rights Fellowship is to expand access to legal assistance for immigrants, regardless of their immigration status, in civil cases. The Fellow will work in two primary areas of law: housing (including eviction and home purchase cases) and workers' rights (including wage and hour and discrimination). The fellow will work closely with experienced attorneys at the NC Justice Center to provide advice and representation to callers, file administrative complaints, guide clients through pro se processes, engage in community education events, and, where appropriate, offer full legal representation.
• The Fellow will also help run the Justice Center's Power of Attorney program. This involves recruiting pro-bono volunteers, working with community groups interested in hosting clinics, and training and scheduling volunteers and assisting clients with filling out Power of Attorney paperwork.
• The Fellow will develop resources to help immigrants understand their rights and how to navigate court and government complaint processes. Through the fellow's advice, outreach, and individual representation of immigrant clients, he or she will help identify cases that may be appropriate for more extended representation such as class action litigation or administrative advocacy.
• The Fellow will engage in special projects and other duties as assigned with the goal of expanding access to civil justice for immigrants in North Carolina.

Work Environment

Hybrid work environment, including home and office.

Benefits

• Six weeks paid time off annually
• Paid parental leave and holidays
• Employer contributions to a 403(b)-retirement plan
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Disability and life insurance
• Flexible spending and health savings account options
• Part of the Bargaining unit

Equal Opportunity

The NC Justice Center is committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity for all persons without regard to race, color, creed, sex, religion, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, political affiliation, disability, pregnancy, personal appearance, citizenship, military service, genetic information, natural hairstyles, or any protected status. We are a Fair Chance Employer and strive to reduce barriers to employment for individuals with criminal records.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications:

• J.D. or expected to receive a J.D. by the spring of 2026, the Fellow must have passed the North Carolina bar exam and be eligible for admission to the bar by the commencement of the Fellowship.
• Strong writing, legal research, and oral advocacy skills.
• Professional fluency in written and spoken Spanish and English; ability to interview potential clients and communicate with existing clients in Spanish both verbally and in writing without interpretation assistance.
• Interest in and ability to create and conduct community presentations in English and Spanish.
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice and ability to recognize the barriers facing immigrant communities.
• Self-motivated with the ability to take initiative, manage a variety of tasks, and see projects through to completion.
• Demonstrated commitment to racial equity.
• Some travel, evening, and weekend work is required.

Physical Requirements

The employee should have the ability to maintain focus and productivity while performing at a workstation for prolonged periods, including working on a computer, managing documents, or engaging in virtual meetings.

Some travel, evening, and weekend work is required.