What are the responsibilities and job description for the Texas Immigration Law Council: Attorney Fellow position at National Legal Aid & Defender Association?
Position Description
Posting updated on 1/21/2025
About Us
Texas Immigration Law Council (TxILC) is a statewide nonprofit organization advancing immigrant and refugee rights through innovative legal strategies, advocacy, and systemic change.
We are launching a groundbreaking Economic Justice Initiative that will fundamentally reshape how legal services reach noncitizen communities. Through this project, we will mobilize over 30 fellows – both attorneys and non-attorneys – to legal service organizations throughout Texas. This initiative goes beyond traditional direct representation. Fellows will be among the first to implement Texas's new licensed legal paraprofessional program. Through a combination of direct representation, new service delivery models, and technological solutions, we bring innovation to the ongoing struggle to close the access to justice gap for noncitizens in Texas.
The fellowship program represents a unique opportunity to join a cohort of creative problem-solvers addressing critical legal needs in employment, housing, healthcare, family law, and other civil matters. Fellows will be part of transforming the legal services landscape while developing skills at the intersection of direct representation, community lawyering, and service delivery transformation.
Fellowship Summary
Fellows will develop and pilot innovative strategies and leverage cutting-edge technology to increase access to a broad range of civil legal services for noncitizens through this two-year fellowship. Fellows will be matched with a Project, each of which will focus on a distinct area of law. Depending on your Project, you will utilize a variety of advocacy tools to provide direct legal services in transactional matters, administrative proceedings and/or litigation. For instance, you may choose to work with noncitizen children and disabled adults who need guardianships or with noncitizen workers seeking to recover wages.
Fellows will be among the first to implement new Supreme Court of Texas rules that will allow community members to become licensed Court-Access Assistants or Legal Paraprofessionals. In collaboration with project partners, you will source, train, and coordinate Court-Access Assistants and Legal Paraprofessionals to represent clients in your project’s area(s) of law.
Through structured mentorship and hands-on experience, you will master client-centered lawyering and build expertise in community-centered advocacy. The fellowship features ongoing cross-training between projects, exposure to multiple areas of law, and development of broad legal competency. Your fellowship cohort will gather for two major convenings, to share insights, learn from peers, and build lasting professional relationships. Throughout the program, you will develop the leadership skills needed to transform how legal services reach noncitizens across Texas. You will join a powerful network of change-makers committed to reimagining legal services delivery – connections that will enhance your career and impact long after the fellowship ends.
As you will be directly engaging with community members, all fellowship positions are on-site with host organizations, with possible travel within Texas.
Project Placements
Please check our Project Placements Page at txilc.org/projects to see our list of current projects. Please check back periodically for updates and additional information, as projects and project details may change.
Project 1: Greater Houston or San Antonio | January - March 2025 start date
Preserve wealth for vulnerable & historically marginalized communities by providing noncitizens with estate, property, and probate matter assistance.
Project 2: San Antonio | January - September 2025 start date
Support the care of children, youth, and adults with disabilities by providing their families or caretakers with guardianships and other legal services.
Project 3: Lubbock | January - September 2025 start date
Provide trauma-informed services to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault victims, particularly those living in rural areas. Practice areas will include family law and some elder law services.
Project 4: Austin, Houston, or Dallas | January - September 2025 start date
Empower noncitizen workers and day laborers to recover unpaid wages, combat employment discrimination and workplace sexual assault, and get justice for labor violations.
Project 5: McAllen | March - September 2025 start date
Serve the patients of a border community hospital with a variety of legal areas, such as family law, housing law, workers' rights and health care access issues.
Project 6: San Antonio | April - September 2025 start date
Grow noncitizen businesses through a law school clinic that will assist in business planning, entity formation, and drafting and reviewing contracts. You will also create checklists for ongoing business maintenance and troubleshooting.
Posting updated on 1/21/2025
About Us
Texas Immigration Law Council (TxILC) is a statewide nonprofit organization advancing immigrant and refugee rights through innovative legal strategies, advocacy, and systemic change.
We are launching a groundbreaking Economic Justice Initiative that will fundamentally reshape how legal services reach noncitizen communities. Through this project, we will mobilize over 30 fellows – both attorneys and non-attorneys – to legal service organizations throughout Texas. This initiative goes beyond traditional direct representation. Fellows will be among the first to implement Texas's new licensed legal paraprofessional program. Through a combination of direct representation, new service delivery models, and technological solutions, we bring innovation to the ongoing struggle to close the access to justice gap for noncitizens in Texas.
The fellowship program represents a unique opportunity to join a cohort of creative problem-solvers addressing critical legal needs in employment, housing, healthcare, family law, and other civil matters. Fellows will be part of transforming the legal services landscape while developing skills at the intersection of direct representation, community lawyering, and service delivery transformation.
Fellowship Summary
Fellows will develop and pilot innovative strategies and leverage cutting-edge technology to increase access to a broad range of civil legal services for noncitizens through this two-year fellowship. Fellows will be matched with a Project, each of which will focus on a distinct area of law. Depending on your Project, you will utilize a variety of advocacy tools to provide direct legal services in transactional matters, administrative proceedings and/or litigation. For instance, you may choose to work with noncitizen children and disabled adults who need guardianships or with noncitizen workers seeking to recover wages.
Fellows will be among the first to implement new Supreme Court of Texas rules that will allow community members to become licensed Court-Access Assistants or Legal Paraprofessionals. In collaboration with project partners, you will source, train, and coordinate Court-Access Assistants and Legal Paraprofessionals to represent clients in your project’s area(s) of law.
Through structured mentorship and hands-on experience, you will master client-centered lawyering and build expertise in community-centered advocacy. The fellowship features ongoing cross-training between projects, exposure to multiple areas of law, and development of broad legal competency. Your fellowship cohort will gather for two major convenings, to share insights, learn from peers, and build lasting professional relationships. Throughout the program, you will develop the leadership skills needed to transform how legal services reach noncitizens across Texas. You will join a powerful network of change-makers committed to reimagining legal services delivery – connections that will enhance your career and impact long after the fellowship ends.
As you will be directly engaging with community members, all fellowship positions are on-site with host organizations, with possible travel within Texas.
Project Placements
Please check our Project Placements Page at txilc.org/projects to see our list of current projects. Please check back periodically for updates and additional information, as projects and project details may change.
Project 1: Greater Houston or San Antonio | January - March 2025 start date
Preserve wealth for vulnerable & historically marginalized communities by providing noncitizens with estate, property, and probate matter assistance.
Project 2: San Antonio | January - September 2025 start date
Support the care of children, youth, and adults with disabilities by providing their families or caretakers with guardianships and other legal services.
Project 3: Lubbock | January - September 2025 start date
Provide trauma-informed services to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault victims, particularly those living in rural areas. Practice areas will include family law and some elder law services.
Project 4: Austin, Houston, or Dallas | January - September 2025 start date
Empower noncitizen workers and day laborers to recover unpaid wages, combat employment discrimination and workplace sexual assault, and get justice for labor violations.
Project 5: McAllen | March - September 2025 start date
Serve the patients of a border community hospital with a variety of legal areas, such as family law, housing law, workers' rights and health care access issues.
Project 6: San Antonio | April - September 2025 start date
Grow noncitizen businesses through a law school clinic that will assist in business planning, entity formation, and drafting and reviewing contracts. You will also create checklists for ongoing business maintenance and troubleshooting.
