Paralegal - Immigration Division

Paralegal - Immigration Division

Salary

Depends on Qualifications

Location

Houston, TX

Job Type

Regular Full-time

Job Number

17125

Department

Public Defenders Office

Opening Date

08/19/2026

Closing Date

9/1/2026 11:59 PM Central

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Position Description

About the Harris County Public Defenders Office (HCPDO):

The Harris County Public Defenders Office (HCPDO) is one of the largest public defender offices in the nation, employing more than 350 professionals, including over 200 attorneys. Our office provides client-centered, holistic representation to individuals accused of criminal offenses in Harris County through interdisciplinary teams that include attorneys, investigators, social workers, mitigation specialists, psychologists, client advocates, paralegals, and administrative professionals. HCPDO is committed to providing high-quality legal representation and advancing excellence in indigent defense through client-centered representation and interdisciplinary advocacy.

Position Overview:

The Immigration Division supports defense counsel in identifying and addressing potential immigration consequences related to a clients criminal case. The Paralegal supports this work by coordinating immigration referrals, gathering immigration histories from clients and their families, accessing relevant records and immigration systems, and assisting the Division with case-related and administrative needs.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Responsible for handling all aspects of assigned duties, including but not limited to:

• Manage intake of immigration referral requests from defense counsel for advisal memoranda assignment.
• Process referrals in the case management system.
• Communicate with clients and/or client family members to obtain immigration histories.
• Act as a liaison between defense counsel and the Immigration Division Chief.
• Accompany Immigration Specialists to the jail to communicate with clients, when necessary.
• Assist Immigration Specialists in obtaining client immigration histories.
• Navigate the Harris County District Clerks website to access public information.
• Communicate with Harris County Sheriffs Office Central Records Sergeants to obtain ICE detainers, when necessary.
• Connect clients and client family members with local nonprofit immigration legal service resources.

Harris County is an Equal Opportunity Employer

https://hrrm.harriscountytx.gov/Pages/EqualEmploymentOpportunityPlan.aspx

If you need special services or accommodations, please call (713) 274-5445 or email ADACoordinator@bmd.hctx.net.

This position is subject to a criminal history check. Only relevant convictions will be considered and, even when considered, may not automatically disqualify the candidate.

Requirements

Education and Experience:

• An Associates degree or higher in Paralegal Studies from an accredited college or university and

• Relevant experience.

OR

• Paralegal Certificate and

• Relevant experience.

OR

• Bachelor's degree in legal support services/legal studies from an accredited college or university and

• Relevant experience.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Adobe Acrobat.
• Organizes and prioritizes multiple projects simultaneously to maintain a high level of productivity.
• Meets and prioritizes deadlines.
• Makes effective and efficient use of time in carrying out responsibilities.
• Is familiar with and adheres to established rules for professional conduct.
• Willing to learn new duties, approaches, and routines.
• Communicates with persons inside and outside of the organization in a prompt, positive, and professional manner.
• Recognizes public service as a high calling.

NOTE: Qualifying education, experience, knowledge, and skills must be documented on your job application. You may attach a resume to the application as supporting documentation but ONLY information stated on the application will be used for consideration. "See Resume" will not be accepted for qualifications.

Preferences

• Bilingual in English/Spanish strongly preferred.

• Experience supporting attorneys in the area of removal defense.

• Experience and knowledge of immigration law/removal defense.

• Knowledge of immigration-related agencies and use of portals such as EOIR, USCIS, and the ICE detainee locator.

• Self-starter able to work independently without supervision.

• Proactively seeks additional duties and responsibilities.

General Information

Position Type and Typical Hours of Work:

• Regular Full-time

• Monday Friday | 8:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.

Salary:

• Depends on Qualifications

• Based on 26 pay periods

Employment may be contingent on passing a drug screen and meeting other standards.

Due to a high volume of applications positions may close prior to the advertised closing date or at the discretion of the Hiring Department.

HARRIS COUNTY EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

Harris County offers a highly competitive benefits program, featuring a comprehensive group health plan and defined benefit retirement plan.

The following benefits are offered only to Harris County employees in regular (full-time) positions:

Health & Wellness Benefits

• Medical Coverage
• Dental Coverage
• Vision Coverage
• Wellness Plan
• Life Insurance
• Long-Term Disability (LTD) Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Healthcare Flexible Spending Account
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account

Paid Time Off (PTO)

• Ten (10) days of vacation leave per year (accrual rate increases after 5 years of service)
• Eleven (11) County-observed holidays
• One (1) floating holiday per year
• Paid Parental Leave*
• Sick Leave

Retirement Savings Benefit

• 457 Deferred Compensation Plan

The following benefits are available to Harris County employees in full-time and select part-time positions:

• Professional learning & development opportunities
• Retirement pension (TCDRS defined benefit plan)
• Flexible work schedule*
• METRO RideSponsor Program*
• Participation may vary by County department. The employee benefits plans of Harris County are extended to all eligible participants across various departments with the exception of the Harris County Community Supervision and Corrections Department, for which the cited Health & Wellness Benefits are administered through the State of Texas.

In accordance with the Harris County Personnel Regulations, group health and related benefits are subject to amendment or discontinuance at any time. Harris County Commissioners Court reserves the right to make benefit modifications on the Countys behalf as needed.

For plan details, visit the Harris County Benefits & Wellness website:

www.benefitsathctx.com

01

Which of the following best describes your highest level of education completed as it relates to this position?

• High School or GED diploma
• Associates Degree
• Bachelors Degree
• Masters Degree or higher
• None of the above

02

If you selected a college degree in response to the previous question, which of the following best describes your major?

• Paralegal Studies
• Legal support services/Legal studies
• Other Related Field
• Unrelated Field
• N/A; No Degree

03

Do you have a paralegal certificate? (To be considered, qualifying certificate MUST be documented in the "Certificates and Licenses" or "Education" section of your application.)

• Yes
• No

04

Do you have relevant experience? (To be considered, qualifying experience must be documented in your applications employment history)

• Yes
• No

05

Please indicate your experience by selecting all applicable options, if any, from the list below.

• Experience supporting attorneys in the area of removal defense.
• Experience and knowledge of immigration law/removal defense.
• Knowledge of immigration-related agencies and use of portals such as EOIR, USCIS, and the ICE detainee locator.
• None of the above.

06

Which of the following describes your level of proficiency using a personal computer and common office software such as MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook). Please select your level of proficiency based on the following descriptions: Advanced: A person with this level of skills is able to produce very large, complex formal documents that require a table of contents, footnotes, endnotes, bookmarks, and other special elements; a wide range of graphic effects, and use advanced techniques for analyzing and manipulating data. Has full mastery of Macro commands and skills to tie the objects together into a cohesive system by using Macros and Visual Basic for Applications code. Makes interactive presentations by using hyperlinks and action buttons. Intermediate: A person with this level of skills is able to customize toolbars, import and insert graphs, embed Excel data, and elaborate reports. Understands the concepts of databases and is able to work with charts and to use the list management capabilities of Excel. Able to use complex query techniques, create efficient forms and reports, and create Macros to automate these forms. Makes interactive presentations by using hyperlinks and action buttons. Basic: A person with this level of skills is able to use basic formatting, editing, printing functions, and understands the document page setup. Has the ability to enter and correct data, modify a workbook, format a worksheet, and use printing functions. Understands the different database concepts and structures and is familiar with data validation and is able to create a simple presentation in PowerPoint, run it, and print it. Entry Level: A person with this level of skills has the ability to open, create, save and modify documents in Word, send and receive email in Outlook and create spreadsheets in Excel. Format documents for printing, comfortable using the printer menu to preview documents. Has ability to change the font, the margins, insert or delete pages and use the built-in spellchecker and grammar check.

• Advanced
• Intermediate
• Basic
• Entry Level
• Not proficient

07

Are you bilingual in English and Spanish? If yes, do you consider yourself fluent?

• Yes, I am fluent in both of these languages
• No, I am fluent in only one of these languages
• No, I am not fluent in either one of these languages

Required Question

Employer Harris County

Address 1111 Fannin St

Ste. 600

Houston, Texas, 77002

Phone 713-274-5445

Website https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/harriscountytx