RFP: Immigration Legal Program

The Student Clinic for Immigrant Justice’s mission is bringing together college students and local immigrant communities to fight for immigrants’ safety and human rights by training and engaging students in legal advocacy and community organizing.

SCIJ has 3 core programs: training students in immigration law and community organizing, providing legal support to asylum seekers, and organizing for local change. SCIJ’s legal program involves pairing trained students with SCIJ’s partner immigration attorneys from other nonprofits and private firms and work with them on pro bono asylum cases, similar to a paralegal. Students work on all aspects of a case, including meeting with clients, collecting evidence, and drafting legal documents. SCIJ supports students through case rounds, workshops, and individual check-ins. As a result, SCIJ is able to ensure representation for asylum seekers and expand the capacity of immigration legal service providers.

Since 2020, SCIJ has trained nearly 200 students, partnered with over 50 attorneys, and supported close to 400 asylum seekers. Even with SCIJ’s innovative approach and numerous other organizations stepping up to meet this moment, nearly 50% of all individuals in immigration court from Massachusetts and Rhode Island are not represented. SCIJ’s model, which depends on partnering students with attorneys, is not sustainable to meet the need due to a severe lack of attorneys engaged in asylum work. There are simply too many people with immigration cases and not enough individuals trained to provide representation.

Representation is the difference between most people being granted relief rather than a removal order. In FY2025, someone in immigration court was nearly 2x as likely to receive a removal order if they did not have representation compared to someone who did. To meet this moment, SCIJ is interested in exploring other models for engaging college students in meeting this need, whether this is through pro se approaches, clinic models, or improving on what SCIJ already does.

As SCIJ enters the next phase of its five-year strategic plan, we are seeking an experienced immigration attorney and strategic advisor to conduct a comprehensive review of our legal advocacy program and help design its next iteration. The goal is to ensure our program is sustainable, high-quality, ethically rigorous, scalable, and aligned with SCIJ’s broader movement-building vision.

The selected consultant will:

1. Assess the strengths and gaps in SCIJ’s current legal advocacy model
2. Evaluate supervision structures and case quality controls
3. Explore opportunities to deepen impact, including the potential expansion of pro se asylum models
4. Provide concrete, implementable recommendations
5. Support SCIJ leadership in prioritizing and implementing agreed-upon improvements

The scope of the work requested includes:

1. Meeting with SCIJ staff to understand current programs
2. Review key program materials (training curriculum, supervision protocols, recruitment materials, case tracking systems, evaluation tools, etc.)
3. Organize and facilitate meetings with stakeholders to gather insights, including documentation of findings from any meetings
4. Conduct interviews and/or facilitated discussions with:
5. SCIJ leadership
6. Student participants (current and alumni)
7. Partner attorneys
8. Selected community stakeholders
9. A written report on what is working well and what could be improved upon in SCIJ’s legal advocacy program, including:
10. Executive summary
11. Summary of key findings
12. Strengths of the current model
13. Areas for improvement
14. Clear, prioritized recommendations (short-term, mid-term, long-term)
15. Risk analysis (if applicable)
16. Implementation roadmap with suggested sequencing
17. A comprehensive analysis of using pro se approaches to asylum advocacy and how this could be applied to SCIJ’s programming, including:
18. Conducting a comprehensive analysis of pro se asylum models nationally
19. Assessing legal, ethical, supervisory, and risk considerations
20. Identifying conditions under which pro se support could responsibly integrate into SCIJ’s programming
21. Provide clear recommendations regarding feasibility, risk mitigation, and implementation pathways
22. Providing clear and actionable improvements SCIJ can take for its legal advocacy program, in addition to providing limited advisory support during early implementation of agreed-upon changes.

We are not seeking a purely evaluative report; we are seeking a strategic partner who can help shape and operationalize the next phase of this work.

Estimated timeline:

• Month 1-2: Document review & stakeholder interviews
• Month 2–3: Analysis and draft recommendations
• Month 3–4: Presentation of findings and feedback integration
• Month 4–5: Final report and strategic planning sessions

We are open to proposed alternative timelines.

SCIJ is seeking someone who fits the following criteria:

1. Current or previously practicing immigration attorney with experience working on asylum cases
2. Knows how to work with students and understands the importance of mentorship for students
3. Strong understanding of ethical and supervisory considerations when working with non-lawyers and students
4. Experience designing or evaluating legal programs, clinics, or pro bono initiatives
5. Skill at facilitation of inclusive and participatory team processes
6. Clarity in writing and presentation of information

The deadline for proposals is March 31st. If you are interested in taking on this project, please email legal@scijimmigration.org and put in the subject line [Your name - RFP Legal Program] with the following materials:

1. 2-3 page proposal including,
2. Relevant experience
3. Proposed approach to the project
4. Why you are uniquely suited for this work
5. Cost estimate for the proposed Scope of Work, and any other project-related costs
6. Names, emails, and phone numbers of two references

All questions can also be directed to legal@scijimmigration.org.

The evaluation of each proposal will be based on demonstrated competence, compliance, format, and organization:

1. Approach, thoroughness, and completeness of the proposal (50%)
2. References and past performance with organizations engaged in social justice issues (30%)
3. Price (20%)