The Agricultural Worker Project (AWP) of Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, Inc. (SMRLS) is seeking a bilingual (English/Spanish) Paralegal/Outreach Worker to join its team. This position will serve agricultural workers in North Dakota and Minnesota and will include significant travel throughout North Dakota and Northwestern Minnesota, particularly during the summer and early fall.
The Paralegal/Outreach Worker will play an essential role in expanding access to legal services by conducting community outreach, providing legal rights education, supporting litigation efforts, and connecting agricultural workers with resources and representation.
Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services
SMRLS is a non-profit law firm providing free civil legal assistance to eligible low-income and elderly individuals throughout southern Minnesota and to agricultural workers served by its farmworker unit. SMRLS is committed to advancing justice by providing high-quality, client-centered legal services that help individuals protect their rights, achieve stability, and access equal opportunity.
The Agricultural Worker Project
SMRLS’ Agricultural Worker Project (AWP) provides free civil legal assistance to eligible agricultural workers in all counties of North Dakota and Minnesota. The AWP team focuses on improving clients’ working and living conditions through legal representation, outreach, and education. The AWP assists clients with matters involving wage theft, workplace health and safety violations, inadequate employer-provided housing, labor trafficking, employment discrimination or retaliation, H-2A contract violations, and other legal matters that specifically impact agricultural workers. The AWP provides legal rights education to agricultural workers through extensive outreach programming.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Build relationships with agricultural workers by conducting extensive in-person outreach throughout North Dakota and Minnesota, primarily during the summer and early fall. The position requires evening work, occasional weekend work, and periodic overnight travel.
- Support all stages of litigation by communicating with clients; gathering and organizing documents and evidence; drafting pleadings, correspondence, and other legal documents; and assisting attorneys with case preparation and management.
- Collaborate with the AWP outreach team to develop and deliver legal rights presentations, create additional materials, strategically plan outreach efforts, develop outreach maps, and maintain outreach data and records.
- Serve as an initial point of contact for clients by answering and returning phone calls, conducting client intake interviews, assessing legal needs, and providing referrals to appropriate resources.
- Deliver know-your-rights legal presentations and educational workshops to agricultural workers, community organizations, and partner agencies, including occasional evening and weekend events.
- Develop and maintain strong working relationships with community organizations, government agencies, healthcare providers, and other partners to expand access to legal services for agricultural workers.
- Participate in case reviews, outreach planning, staff meetings, trainings, and other program activities to support a collaborative team environment.
- Perform other duties as assigned to support the goals of the Agricultural Worker Project.
Required Qualifications
- Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish, with the ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, in both languages.
- Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build trust and rapport with individuals from diverse cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
- Excellent interviewing skills and attention to detail, with the ability to gather accurate, fact-intensive information during client intake and case development.
- Strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritize multiple assignments, meet deadlines, and adapt to changing priorities.
- Self-motivated and able to work independently in a remote environment while collaborating effectively as part of a team.
- Professional judgment, flexibility, and the ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office and other computer applications, with the ability to learn new technologies and case management systems.
- Ability and willingness to travel extensively throughout North Dakota and Northwestern Minnesota, including regular evening work and periodic overnight travel, during the summer and early fall.
- Ability to establish and maintain professional boundaries while working with clients experiencing workplace exploitation, housing instability, or other challenging circumstances.
- Possess and maintain a valid driver’s license and have reliable transportation.
Preferred Qualifications
- Paralegal certificate, bachelor’s degree, or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
- Experience working in a client-focused or community outreach role, such as a paralegal, legal assistant, or outreach worker.
- Experience using media and digital communication platforms, including radio, print media, Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, or similar platforms, to support outreach and education efforts.
- Familiarity with agricultural worker communities, employment law, immigration-related issues, or civil legal aid.
Compensation
Annual starting salary of $50,656+ depending on experience. Excellent benefits provided. Employees may be eligible for annual bonuses, including a $3,000 bilingual language bonus and/or $3,000 paralegal certificate bonus.
Office Location
The position will based in SMRLS’ Moorhead, MN office: 1015 7th Ave. N. In-office work is required 2 days per week with the other workdays occurring remotely or, during the outreach season, on the road.
Training and Professional Development
The bilingual Paralegal/Outreach Worker will receive comprehensive introductory and ongoing training in the federal and state laws that protect the rights of agricultural workers, including Minnesota’s Migrant Labor Law, North Dakota Wage Laws, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (AWPA).
As part of the AWP, staff participate in regional trainings and conferences with farmworker advocates and legal services organizations from across the Midwest, providing opportunities to build professional relationships and stay informed about emerging issues affecting agricultural workers.
The Paralegal/Outreach Worker will receive ongoing mentorship and training from AWP attorneys and experienced staff and will develop practical skills in client interviewing, legal issue spotting, fact gathering, case development, community outreach, and delivering know-your-rights presentations to agricultural workers and community partners.
The Paralegal/Outreach Worker will be jointly supervised by the AWP Lead Attorney and the AWP Project Manager and Outreach Coordinator. The position works closely with AWP attorneys, outreach staff, and other team members to provide high-quality legal services and expand access to justice for agricultural workers throughout North Dakota and Minnesota.
Physical Demands and Work Environment
This position involves a combination of remote office work and field-based outreach. Office work is primarily sedentary and requires prolonged periods of sitting while working on a computer, using a telephone, and performing other administrative tasks. The employee must be able to communicate effectively in person, by telephone, and through electronic communications, and regularly use a computer, keyboard, and other standard office equipment. Close vision is required for computer work.
The position also requires frequent travel by motor vehicle, including extended periods of driving or riding to outreach locations throughout North Dakota and Minnesota.
Field work involves walking and standing for extended periods of time while conducting outreach, interviewing agricultural workers, distributing educational materials, and delivering presentations. The employee must be able to walk on uneven terrain, navigate agricultural
housing sites and occasionally climb stairs. The position requires the ability to lift and carry materials weighing up to 20 pounds.
The work environment varies and includes a home office, community locations, and outdoor agricultural settings. Employees may be exposed to varying weather conditions, heat, dust, noise, and other environmental conditions commonly encountered during field outreach.
Application Deadline
Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled. Application materials will be reviewed upon receipt and virtual interviews scheduled for applicants.
How to Apply
Applicants must submit the following materials via SMRLS’ online application portal or via email to the hiring manager:
- Cover letter summarizing qualifications, skills, relevant experience, and bilingual proficiency (English/Spanish);
- Resume;
- Writing sample; and
- Names and contact information for three professional references.
Hiring Manager
Elise Sporre, Project Manager and Outreach Coordinator
Agricultural Worker Project
Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services
445 Minnesota Street, Suite 1800
Saint Paul, MN 55101
[email protected]
SMRLS IS COMMITTED TO EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL WORKERS, REGARDLESS OF RACE, GENDER, DISABILITY OR OTHER PROTECTED CLASS STATUS. SMRLS IS COMMITTED TO COMPLIANCE WITH ALL FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAWS AND REGULATIONS. ALL INTERESTED APPLICANTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY.
Pay: From $50,656.00 per year
Benefits:
- 403(b)
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Health insurance
- Paid sick time
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
