• Law school graduates with 3 years’ experience • Background in law / social services / project management • Confident •H  as experienced violations similar to those the program seeks to address • Open-minded, fast learner, willing to learn new skills RELATED RESOURCE • Computer-literate • Passionate about opposing injustice • Good judgement in trying to solve problems • Has leadership capacity This list is meant to show the range of different skills and depth of experience that programs have prioritized in recruiting paralegals. Not all programs would need to recruit law school graduates or paralegals with their own means of transportation, for example. • Community-based Paralegals: A Practitioner’s Guide, Open Society Justice Initiative: See 3.5 and 6.1 Identifying and Recruiting Staff and/or Volunteers. • “Hiring” and “Non-hiring options,” Refugee Rights Toolkit, Asylum Access (includes recruitment manuals for each). Below are sample job descriptions for paralegals. Use these to think through what is useful in your context. Role and Responsibilities of Council of Minorities Community Paralegals, Bangladesh RAISING LEGAL AWARENESS DATA COLLECTION AND REPORTING Assisting Urdu-speaking communities to prioritize and identify their citizenship-related issues by raising their awareness of related laws and processes. Done through door-to-door outreach. Community paralegals have primary responsibility for data collection, filling out a data collection form for every case, detailed action logs, monthly reports and other case-related documents to the project office every month. They provide the needed material for the program team (paralegal supervisors) to understand each case. Organizing regular group meetings to inform the community about citizenship law, the 2008 High Court decision confirming the citizenship rights of the community, the importance of legal identity documents, application processes and requirements, and other related issues. CLIENT CASEWORK Handling cases, including helping clients make decisions, helping them fill out application forms, prepare supporting documents, write complaint letters, interact with authorities, and follow up on the case, keeping clients informed and involved in all aspects of the case. Improving client knowledge, confidence, and overall empowerment in any way possible. COMMUNICATION Maintaining frequent communication with the program office, including notifying the office immediately if they receive threats or intimidation. CONTINUOUS LEARNING Attending trainings. Sharing experiences, successes, and challenges with the team, and listening to the same from others. Thinking strategically to develop responses to difficult cases and situations. Being open to feedback from the program team or other paralegals. A C O M M U N I T Y- B A S E D P R A C T I T I O N E R ’ S G U I D E : D O C U M E N T I N G C I T I Z E N S H I P A N D OT H E R F O R M S O F L E G A L I D E N T I T Y | 75