The Fragomen Fellowship

Thank you for your interest in the Fragomen Fellowship for 2023 - 2025. The Fragomen Fellowship is a fully-funded, two-year rotating fellowship established by Fragomen—the world’s leading provider of immigration services—to enhance the pro bono legal services provided to immigrants by the City Bar Justice Center, the pro bono affiliate of the New York City Bar Association. 

The Fragomen Fellow focuses on advocacy to enhance the access to and quality of counsel for immigrants in New York. The Fellow is also responsible for training and mentoring pro bono lawyers, and for community education and outreach. The Fellow will also have the opportunity to design and run presentations related to a range of immigration legal needs via Facebook and Instagram live.

The fellowship is open to applicants with a minimum of three years of immigration-related legal experience who are admitted to the New York bar. Please read the following information before you submit your application.

 

Fellowship Eligibility Requirements:

Fragomen Fellows are lawyers with a demonstrated commitment to representing immigrants of limited economic means.

• Applicants should have at least three years of immigration-related legal experience. Prior experience in a law school immigration clinic, an immigration-related internship or post-graduate employment in the field of immigration is a must.
• Applicants must be fluent in Spanish.
• Applicants must be admitted to the New York bar. Applicants should also be prepared to apply for admission to federal court (Southern District and/or Eastern District of New York, and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals) if they are not already admitted.
• Applicants must be proficient in MS Office 365 and be able to learn a new case management system where they will be expected to actively update records and manage their own caseload.
• The Fragomen Fellow should be prepared to start work at the end of May or in early June 2023.

The Fragomen Fellow must be prepared to represent immigrants in removal proceedings and in complex affirmative applications; to organize and lead short-term pro bono clinics; to participate in community outreach activities; and to mentor pro bono attorneys from private law firms. The Fellow will provide critical substantive and programmatic support for special projects as the emerging needs of the City Bar Justice Center require. The Fellow will also be involved in orchestrating online outreach programs via social media outlets.   

 

How to Apply:

Please submit the following documents where indicated at this link:

• Resume (no more than two pages)
• A writing sample (preferably related to an immigration matter on which you have worked).
• Statement of Interest (750 words or less): Please describe why you would like to be a Fragomen Fellow at the City Bar Justice Center. In your statement, please be sure to address the following questions:
  • What attracts you to the practice of immigration law?
  • Why are you interested in the Fragomen Fellowship?
  • What experience, if any, do you have in the areas of asylum, U visa applications, VAWA applications, general family-based applications, TPS and naturalization?
  • What can you in particular bring to the table to help serve underserved immigrant communities?

Application Period and Fellowship Start Date:

Applications will be accepted immediately and reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. The Fragomen Fellow should be prepared to start work at the end of May or in early June 2023. This individual will be expected to work on hybrid schedule of 2-3 days per week in the office at the New York City Bar Association and the remainder of the week remote.

 

 

 

A: The Fragomen Fellowship is a two-year rotating fellowship established by Fragomen—the world’s leading provider of immigration services—to enhance the pro bono legal services provided to immigrants by the City Bar Justice Center, the nonprofit pro bono affiliate of the New York City Bar Association.  The fully-funded fellowship is open to new lawyers with a minimum of three years of immigration-related experience.  The Fragomen Fellow focuses on advocacy to enhance the access to and quality of counsel for immigrants in New York. The Fellow is also responsible for direct representation of immigrants in removal proceedings and certain affirmative applications; training and mentoring pro bono lawyers; and community education and outreach.  Depending on previous experience, the Fragomen Fellow may also have the opportunity to design and run new programs related to immigration.

 

A: Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled.  Applicants selected for an interview will meet with one or more Fragomen Partners and with Fragomen’s Pro Bono Counsel. Semi-finalists will be called back for additional interviews at the Fragomen law firm. Finalists will also be interviewed by the Executive Director of the City Bar Justice Center.

 

A: No, you should submit your application as soon as it is complete. Ask your references to submit reference letters directly to [email protected], with your name and “Fragomen Fellowship Reference” in the subject line.

 

A: The Fragomen Fellow should be prepared to start work at the end of May or in early June 2023. The exact start date will be determined by the Executive Director of the City Bar Justice Center. The fellowship will run through August of 2025.

 

A: Please note that the salary range for this role takes into account many factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to the individual’s skills, experience, qualifications, licensure and certifications, and applicable laws. It is not typical for an individual to be hired at the top end of the range for their role and compensation decisions are dependent on the factors noted. The salary range for this role is $80,000 - $95,000. You may also be eligible to take advantage of our benefits offering, 401K, and paid time off plans. Please note that this fellowship is not 501(c)(3) employment and not eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs.

 

A: We are looking for smart, compassionate self-starters who are passionate about helping low-income immigrants navigate our complex immigration system.  The Fellow receives supervision and training from both Fragomen and the City Bar Justice Center, but must also be capable of working independently. Prior experience in a law school immigration clinic, an immigration-related internship or post-graduate employment in the field of immigration is a must.

 

A: The Fragomen Fellow must be fluent in Spanish. Fellows must be able to conduct professional presentations before native speakers of Spanish. Speakers of Mandarin Chinese, Haitian Creole, Arabic and other languages will also find their language skills put to good use when working with immigrant populations in New York. But Spanish is a must for this position.

 

A: Applicants must already be admitted to the New York bar to be eligible for the 2023-2025 Fragomen Fellowship. While licensed attorneys are permitted to practice immigration law in states where they are not admitted—because immigration law is a federal practice—the Fragomen Fellow may also have occasion to appear in Family Court (for Special Immigrant Juvenile Cases), or in rare cases in civil court or criminal court.  For these reasons, it is imperative that the Fragomen Fellow be admitted to the bar in the State of New York.

 

A: No. The applicant selected for the 2023-2025 Fragomen Fellowship must be ready to start in the end of May or in early June 2023.