Legal Assistance Undergraduate Internship at CENTRO ROMERO Summer 2007

DEADLINE: March 1, 2007

The Steans Center - Centro Romero Internship provides a $3400 stipend for a full-time ten-week internship at Centro Romero, a community-based organization that has been serving the refugee immigrant population on the northeast side of Chicago for over 22 years. Centro Romero’s Latin American Legal Assistance Services Program (LALAS) provides direct service representation and immigration education to a primarily lower-income, Spanish-speaking immigrant community. By assisting persons in attaining lawful permanent residency and United States citizenship, the LALAS Program literally and directly enhances the person, the family, and the American community at large.

The project seeks to place an undergraduate student with demonstrated interest in immigration or public interest work. Fluency in Spanish is preferred. During the course of the internship, the undergraduate student will have the opportunity to assist immigrants and refugees in a legal environment. The work may involve contacting clients, observing and participating in client interviews, drafting letters or client interview summaries, gathering documents, conducting factual research into conditions in the home countries of clients, providing translation and interpretation and assisting with application forms and participating in naturalization workshops and responding to other agency needs.

The student will work under the supervision of a law student, an on-site supervisor and receive additional training and support from DePaul College of Law faculty.

The student will maintain a weekly journal providing a summary of the work done as well as reflection on interpersonal, professional and global issues in providing services to low-income immigrants and refugees. At the end of the project the student will participate in a final evaluation or exit interview with the agency staff. The student will also provide Clinic faculty with an evaluation of the internship and a final report on the projects worked on during the course of the internship.

Students interested in applying for the summer internship program should submit a cover letter, resume, and statement of interest (no more than one page) to Prof. Sioban Albiol, Asylum and Immigration Clinic Coordinator, DePaul Legal Clinic, 25 E. Jackson, Room 1050-O’Malley, Chicago, IL 60604. Applications will then be forwarded to World Relief who will interview applicants and make a final selection. Applicants should indicate foreign-language ability.