Internship Farm Worker Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Organization Overview

Colorado Legal Services (CLS) is Colorado's statewide nonprofit legal aid program, with thirteen offices providing civil legalassistanceto low-income Coloradans throughout the state. CLS provides free legalassistancein a broad variety of legal areas, including family law, public benefits, eviction defense, consumer protection, services to survivors of serious crime and human trafficking, and many others.

CLS has strengthened lives, assistedfamilies, and supported communities-one person at a time for over 100 years. We are committed to providing high-quality, free legal advice and representation to eligible individuals throughout Colorado. We have a long history of successful impact and advocacy. CLS strives to bring about substantive, transformationalchange in the lives of those we serve.

At CLS, we value representation. We value and respect our staff's wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. We ensure representation of our client communities in our staff, Board of Directorsand leadership teams. We also envision afair, just, trusted, and harm reductionist legal systemthatemphasizes access to and implementation of true justice for every Coloradan.

JobDescription

The Managing Attorney for the Farm Worker Rights Division(FWRD)leads legal advocacy for migrant and seasonal agricultural workers, focusing on employmentandcivil rightslaw. FWRDalso sometimesrepresents agricultural workers who have endured labor trafficking and other severe crimes in obtaining humanitarian visas for themselves and their derivatives.The Managing Attorney oversees a team conductingbothlitigationandoutreachwork. The role requires litigationexpertise, community partnership, and management skills to ensure the program provides impactfulandexcellentadvocacyfor Colorado's most exploited and vulnerable agricultural workers.

All ofour managers have theresponsibility of working with staff to meet CLS' statewide organizational, professional, and community goals,which emphasizeproviding high-quality civil legal services to low-income Coloradans and achieving thebest possible outcomes for our clients.They areguided by all four of our CLS values:excellent advocacy;empowerment,collaboration, andcourage.Theyare responsible forbeing leaders, mentors, counselors, role models, hiring managers, teachers, administrators,time managers, culture creators, community engagers, crisis managers, andperformance expectation setters.Managing Attorneysalso practice law and manage their own caseloads in addition to their other duties.Our managers alsocontinually work towards developing and growing competencies in the following areas:adaptive & collaborative management; coaching & empowering people; communication & active listening; community engagement; empathetic and trauma-informed leadership; and practice areaexpertise.While the responsibilities of amanagerat CLS are wide-ranging and challenging, carrying them out successfully is vital to the success of the organization and toserveour client communities.

Job Duties

• Provides the oversight,assistance, guidance, and supervision necessary to ensure the effective administration, operation, and management ofFWRD.

• Cultivates a culture that supports staff while holdingstaff tohigh expectationsof performanceby modelingpatience, empathy, and soundjudgment.

• Providessupervision and guidance forFWRD's attorneys,paralegal, outreach coordinator, and interns, including periodically reviewing their legal work and providing training, professional development, employee coaching, and performance evaluation.

• Oversees staff workloads, client relations,external partner relations,and interpersonalteam dynamics, andworks withSenior Leadershiponaddressing personnel issuesconsistent withourCollective Bargaining Agreement.

• Leads theFWRD teaminrepresentingagriculturalworker clients before federal and state courts and administrative agencies,in the following areas:

• • Employmentlaw(wagetheft, working conditions, discrimination, human trafficking,andcivil rights);

• • Humanitarian visas and naturalizationfor agricultural workerswho have survived labor trafficking and other severe crimes,andthose workers'derivatives.

• Maintains an active, but reduced, caseload,which includesdelivering sound legal counsel and exceptional advocacy that aligns with program objectives; clearly and transparently communicating with clients;performing client and witness interviews; carrying out case investigations; drafting pleadings and documents; ensuring comprehensive and up-to-dateclientcase notes;andstaying current inemploymentlawandaspects ofimmigration lawrelevant to agricultural workers such as humanitarian (T & U) visasand naturalization.

• Working with theFWRDoutreach coordinator, conducts and oversees extensive outreach, public education,training,and community relations withagricultural workers;service providers,promotoras,andotherkey partners across the state;anda Summer Outreach Program consisting of internsproviding legal information to agricultural workers across rural Colorado.

• Working with the FWRD outreachcoordinator,ensures that FWRD maintains and nurtures relationships throughout the state with trusted partnersandpromotoranetworkstomaintaintrust and credibility with the Coloradoagriculturalworker population.

• Ensures compliance withpolicies of CLS, the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), and other funders, including those related to theassistancewe provide toall individualseligiblefor our services.

• Whereconsistent with LSC regulations,engagesin policy work related to the rights of agricultural workers.

• Overseesand continually improves the dedicated FWRD intake system, including reviewingrequests forassistanceand makingdeterminationsas toeligibility and the extent of servicesFWRDis able toprovide, including referral, advice and counsel, brief services, and litigation.

• Facilitates case acceptance meetings and trains staffonidentifyingthe legal needs ofagriculturalworker clients, whileprovidingconstructive feedback to staff on cases discussed.

• Developsa strategicadvocacy plan and case acceptance priorities in line with FWRD's mission.

• Timely reviews and closes all unit casesin compliance with LSC regulations.

• Attendsmanagement meetings,participatesin statewide substantive task forces and working groups, andis available tooffercase support to other CLScasehandlersseekingassistancerelated tothe work of FWRD.

• Assistswith grant management activities,includingcommunicating with grantors, gathering dataforand completing grant reports, and working with Senior Leadership to apply for grant funding.

• Handles other administrative and supervisory tasks for the Unit.

Qualifications

We are looking to hire an empathetic and trauma-informed attorney who is energetic, excited about leadership,experienced withoutreach,and passionate about our mission. This individual must excel as a supervisor, attorney, and representative of Colorado Legal Services in the community. They must also have:

• An active license to practice law inColorado orthe abilityto obtain a Colorado license as soon aspracticable.

• Fluency in oral and written Spanish.

• Experience in direct client representationin employment and/or civil rights law.

• Excellentinterpersonalskills, includingabilityto treat clients and staff with courtesy and respect.
• Excellentwritten and verbal communication skills.
• Strong critical thinking,analytical, and organizationalskills, and strong workethic.
• Ability and willingness to travel to visit client populationsthroughout Colorado, especially during the summer months.
• Comfort and efficiency with Microsoft 365.

Preferred Qualifications

• Preferably experience in immigration law related to agricultural worker and humanitarian visa programs.
• Prior personal or professional experience with the agricultural worker community.
• Experiencewithleading outreach and/or community engagement initiatives.
• Demonstrated commitment to providing effectiveand trauma-informedlegal services toagricultural workers, includingcommunicating through translators and interpreters with clients who speak Indigenous languages other than English and Spanish.
  

How to Apply

To apply, please use the "Apply for This Job" link on ourcareers pageand submit your resume, cover letter, and legal writing sample. Please note that we will review applications on a rolling basis and we will accept applications until the position is filled. In your cover letter, please tell us aboutyour commitment to the workof this unit, yourmanagement style,andyour approach to building a strong working team.Pleasereach out to Karen Vilner, our Director of People & Culture, atkvilner@colegalserv.orgif you have any questions about the position.

Compensation and Benefits

Salaries are commensurate with years of experience. We offer a generous plan that includes 100% employer paid premiums for employee health, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability insurance, as well as partial employer paid premiums for spouses/dependents, based on a sliding scale. We also offer Dependent Care and Medical Flexible spending accounts, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). CLS contributes $200/month to each employee's 403(b) retirement account and matches 100% of employee contributions up to 3% of employee salary; vesting occurs gradually will full vesting after 3 years of employment. Additionally, CLS offers generous paid time-off and 13 paid holidays per year.

CLS values its employees' commitment to working hard for the population it serves and recognizes the importance of work/life balance.We promote and foster a culture of belonging and a psychologically safe work environment, striving to be a "Best Place to Work" in Colorado.