Closing Date: 22nd April, 2024
Description:
As a result of their traffickers' exploitation, survivors of human trafficking accumulate criminal records by being coerced into engaging in criminal activities against their will for their traffickers' profits. Criminal convictions come with collateral sanctions attached, which are civil legal disabilities that exclude survivors from employment, housing, education, professional licensing, volunteering, and more, solely because they have certain criminal convictions. In response to this problem, the Ohio legislature established “safe harbor” expungement (R.C. 2953.36 and 2953.521) to erase criminal records resulting from human trafficking victimization.Montgomery County is home to over 500,000 people, including Ohio's sixth most populated city of Dayton, and yet only one of Montgomery County's six courts has ever handled safe harbor expungement applications. Therefore, human trafficking survivors do not have full access to resources to overcome the barriers of their records through safe harbor expungement.
A Non-Profit Organization will host an attorney fellow over two years to support its Second Chance Project's anti-human trafficking work. The attorney fellow will work with OJPC to accomplish the following objectives:
- Develop the safe harbor expungement processes and procedures for Montgomery County courts. Once trained and mobilized, the attorney fellow will assist with executing trainings and process development for purposes of establishing the court's trauma-informed safe harbor expungement process.
- Expand the availability of knowledgeable and trained attorneys and social service providers to assist survivors of human trafficking with safe harbor expungement. Once trained and mobilized, the attorney fellow will execute trainings to teach pro bono attorneys and social service providers about safe harbor expungement to expand access to resources for survivors of human trafficking. 3. Provide direct legal assistance to survivors of human trafficking survivors with criminal records in Montgomery County. The attorney fellow will work with attorneys and partner organizations to plan and execute Second Chance Legal Clinics to screen for eligible survivors of human trafficking with criminal records and assist them with safe harbor expungement applications (or other post-conviction tools to help mitigate the impacts of their criminal records).
- Communicate with local stakeholders that are knowledgeable about the problem that this fellowship project seeks to address, and supportive of this project.
- Collect accurate data and assist OJPC will assessing the impact of this fellowship project on serving survivors of human trafficking.
This fellowship position is an excellent opportunity to serve survivors of human trafficking in a meaningful way and invest in the development of resources to ensure that survivors have access to justice and relief.
Essential Functions:
- Engage with prospective clients to collect client and case backgrounds/histories, identify legal and non-legal issues, and research available tools to best address needs.
- Provide full, direct legal representation for individuals that are unable to adequately represent themselves.
- Participate in Second Chance Legal Clinics to screen for survivors of human trafficking, which includes evaluating eligibility for post-conviction legal services and providing brief pro se legal advice or full representation to clinic participants.
- Become knowledgeable on the legal services provided by the Second Chance Project, and provide assistance with record sealing and expungement (R.C. 2953.32), safe harbor expungement (R.C. 2953.36), Certificate of Qualification for Employment (CQE) (R.C. 2953.25), and pardons (R.C. 2967.04).
- Build and maintain rapport with clients to secure engagement and consistent communication.
- Collaborate with the Second Chance Project team to conduct community presentations and trainings on OJPC's services and the legal tools available to survivors of human trafficking with criminal records.
- Engage with legal, social service, and re-entry organizations in the community to understand what services are available for trafficking survivors with criminal records, and provide trusted referrals as needed.
- Cultivate and leverage relationships with professionals in the criminal legal system, such as attorneys, clerks, prosecutors, judges, law enforcement officers, policy makers, and/or politicians.
Administrative and Other Functions:
- Conduct client intake and information management, which includes organizing and maintaining digital and physical files. Input client information and data into OJPC's case management software. Regularly update Second Chance Project caseload tracker and other data-tracking tools.
- Review, analyze, and organize documents.
- Find, review, and discuss client case histories using online portals and/or documents like police reports and BCI/FBI background checks.
- Maintain and prepare data for funding and operational reports.
- Input timely and consistent updates to client files in OJPC case management software. Track resolution(s) of issues and input updates.
- Refer prospective or current client(s) to proper OJPC staff or other organizations.
- Meet with supervisor to review work plans, activities, and projects.
- Meet annually with supervisor for a performance review.
Competencies/Skills:
- Problem Solving
- Tenacity
- Thoroughness/Attention to Detail
- Teamwork Orientation
- High Level of Communication Skills and Interpersonal Skills
- Emotional Intelligence
- Personal Initiative
- Personal Effectiveness/Credibility
- Comfortable with using technology (e.g. Microsoft Suites, including Teams and Excel)
Minimum Qualifications:
- Admitted to the bar in the State of Ohio.
- Aptitude and compassion to work with survivors of human trafficking and people who have been impacted by the criminal legal system.
- Ability to serve for a 2-year term.