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Announcements
May 2023- Aust Schmiechen has an open position for an Associate Immigration Attorney
Aust Schmiechen, P.A. seeks an associate immigration attorney to work collaboratively with attorneys in its Minneapolis office. Aust Schmiechen is a boutique law firm practicing exclusively in immigration and nationality law. We are a client centered law firm with an emphasis on promoting and protecting our clients’ legal rights throughout the immigration process.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Provide full representation to individuals and their families in front of the U.S. government’s Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice and Department of State as it relates to family-based immigration, consular processing, waivers, naturalization, asylum, U visa, VAWA and SIJS applications as well as removal defense.
2. Collaborate with Aust Schmiechen, P.A. colleagues and members of the American Immigration Lawyers’ Association (“AILA”) Minnesota/Dakota’s Chapter
3. Assist with administrative office duties, as needed
QUALIFICATIONS
1. Licensed to practice law in any state, Minnesota preferred
2. Strong writing skills
3. Extraordinary attention to detail
4. Demonstrate a deep interest and significant experience in serving immigrant communities.
5. 2-3 years of experience in the practice of immigration law, preferred
6. Language proficiency in a non-English language, preferred
COMPENSATION
Salary is commensurate with experience. CLE attendance and license fees. Three weeks of paid vacation, plus nine recognized holidays. We subsidize transit/parking up to $90 each month. We also offer the opportunity to contribute to a SIMPLE IRA with a 2% employer contribution.
HOW TO APPLY
Please send a cover letter and resume to info@AustSchmiechen.com by June 1, 2023. No phone calls please.
April 2022- We are thrilled that MN Governor Walz just signed into law the “at risk juvenile guardianship,” which will give certain immigrant youth in MN between the ages of 18 and 21 the ability to seek guardianship as a protection from abuse, abandonment and neglect and will open up a pathway to legal status that federal law already permitted, but a gap in the MN law made impossible for these kids. We are proud that our Associate Attorney Alison Griffith helped draft the bill language for this legislation. We will take at-risk juvenile guardianship cases at Aust Schmiechen, so please DM us or give our office a call at 612-724-4860 if you think you or someone you know could be eligible! If you’re a lawyer wanting training on these cases, please feel free to get in touch. Shout out to our many immigration lawyer and nonprofit colleagues who made this a reality! You can view the new law on the Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes website at https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=Senate&f=SF2736&ssn=0&y=2021 .
March 2022- Our associate attorney Alison Griffith will be speaking on a panel in March to immigration attorneys in MN and the Dakotas regarding what to do with delays in adjudication or other challenges with asylum cases. Alison will also share with attorneys in MN and the Dakotas what assistance Alison, our law partner Malinda Schmiechen and our colleague Kim Boche at The Advocates for Human Rights can provide to colleagues when they have challenges in their asylum cases, as liaisons with the Chicago Asylum Office for MN and the Dakotas. For more information or to register for this training, please visit: https://www.ailamndak.org/events-and-cles/.
November 2021- Aust Schmiechen Associate Attorney Alison Griffith moderated a training for immigration attorneys in Minnesota, the Dakotas, and across the country on using the Freedom of Information Act to help clients.
Aust Schmiechen attorneys Alison Griffith and Malinda Schmiechen, along with their colleague Kim Boche of The Advocates for Human Rights were excited to offer a training for immigration attorneys across the country through AILA on November 3rd regarding how to use the Freedom of Information Act to benefit immigrant clients. This is one of the most important tools available to immigration attorneys! We were excited to learn from the national experts who have agreed to speak on the Freedom of Information Act!
April 2021- Aust Schmiechen attorney Alison Griffith will be providing updates and tips for attorneys at the MN State Bar Association’s “Hot Topics” CLE on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. Alison is excited to have the opportunity to present alongside co-panelists Michael Davis and Natalie Xiong.
February 2021- Malinda Schmiechen will present on collaborating with mental health professionals when representing asylum seekers at The Advocates and St. Thomas’ Asylum Conference on Friday, February 26, 2021.
March 2019 – The 2019 Minnesota/Dakotas’ AILA Spring Conference features both Malinda Schmiechen and Brian Aust, presenting on asylum updates and consular processing procedure.
February 2018 – Malinda Schmiechen publishes a blog entry for Hamline Mitchell School of Law entitled “Closing Borders through Visa Restrictions and a Wall will not Stop the Flow of People into the U.S.”
May 2017 – Brian Aust moderates a panel on 601 waivers at the 2017 AILA Upper Midwest Immigration Law Conference in Minnesota.
April 2017 – Malinda Schmiechen leads a workshop on immigration at the city of Minneapolis’ Community Connections Conference.
February 2017 – Malinda Schmiechen is the Keynote speaker at a West African community meeting in Brooklyn Center on the new Executive Orders, DED and TPS.
September 2016 – Brian Aust speaks on September 23, 2016 at the local AILA MN/Dakotas’ Chapter CLE on Hot Topics in Immigration Law for LGBTI Clients. Brian will be presenting on family-based matters and the impact of HIV as it relates to medical examinations for persons applying for IV’s at Consulates.
September 2016 – Malinda Schmiechen guides students at the University of Minnesota Law School’s Health Clinic on immigration law generally and the availability of public benefits and emergency aid for individuals without immigration documentation.
May 2016 – Brian Aust and Malinda Schmiechen speak at the 2016 AILA Upper Midwest Immigration Law Conference in Minnesota.
August 2015 – Brian Aust participates in a CLE on Family Detention in Dilley, Texas.
July 2015 – Brian Aust appears in an article in the LA Times highlighting the CARA Pro Bono Project in Dilley, TX (http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-immigrant-family-detention-20150727-story.html#page=1)
January 2015 – Brian Aust leads CLE on Consular Processing Basics.
November 2014 – Malinda Schmiechen speaks at The Advocates for Human Rights’ Annual Asylum Conference.
September 2013 – Brian Aust publishes article in Lavender Magazine entitled Marriage and Immigration.
