Summer 2020 Legal Intern, Speech, Privacy, & Technology Project

The Speech, Privacy, & Technology Project of the National ACLU has an opening for a Legal Internship in New York, NY or San Francisco, CA. Interns will have the opportunity to gain valuable experience by working alongside the team assisting in all aspects of litigation, policy advocacy and communications campaigns.

For nearly 100 years, the ACLU has been our nation’s guardian of liberty, working in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Whether it’s ending mass incarceration, achieving full equality for the LGBT community, advancing racial justice, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties and civil rights cases and issues to defend all people from government abuse and overreach. With more than one million members, activists, and supporters, the ACLU is a nationwide organization that fights tirelessly in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C., for the principle that every individual’s rights must be protected equally under the law, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, national origin, and record of arrest or conviction. 

INTERNSHIP OVERVIEW

The ACLU has long worked to defend the freedom of expression guaranteed by the First Amendment and the right to privacy guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment. It has litigated numerous free-speech and privacy cases before the United States Supreme Court. Historically, the ACLU has been vigilant in fighting government censorship and surveillance that disproportionately impact marginalized individuals and communities, including immigrants and people of color.

The Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project is part of the ACLU’s Center for Democracy, which works to strengthen democratic institutions and values, to advocate for government transparency and accountability, and to reinforce the United States’ commitment to human rights and the rule of law. The Center for Democracy includes, in addition to the Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, the Human Rights Program, the National Security Project, the Immigrants’ Rights Project, and the Voting Rights Project. 

The Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project is dedicated to protecting and expanding the First Amendment freedoms of expression, association, and inquiry; expanding the right to privacy and increasing the control that individuals have over their personal information; and ensuring that civil liberties are enhanced rather than compromised by new advances in science and technology. The Project is currently litigating cases and conducting other advocacy efforts on a variety of issues, including political protest, freedom of expression online, privacy of electronic information, journalists’ rights, scientific freedom, and openness in the courts.

Time Commitment: The internship requires a full-time commitment of 35 hours per week.

Internship Duration: Internships are a 10-week period. Summer interns are expected to start on June 1st, 2020 or June 22nd 2020.

Stipend: A stipend is available for those students who do not receive outside funding and/or course credit. Arrangements can be made with educational institutions for work/study or course credit.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Interns will gain valuable experience by working with the team on a wide variety of issues. Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to the following:

Drafting memoranda, affidavits and briefs.

Conducting legal and policy research.

Researching prospects for new litigation, including both factual and legal claims.

Researching and drafting materials for public education.

Legislative bill tracking and analysis.

Other projects as assigned.

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

The internship is open to law students who will have completed at least one year of law school before the internship commences. Interns should possess the following:

Excellent research skills, including conducting internet and legal database research.

Excellent communication skills, both verbal and writing.

Attention to detail, excellent organizing and time-management skills.

Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.

The initiative to see projects through to completion.

A commitment to civil liberties, civil rights, and social justice.

Commitment to the mission of the ACLU

 

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis and accepted until the position is filled.

 

This posting provides a general but not comprehensive list of the opportunities of the internship. It does not represent a contract of employment. The ACLU reserves the right to change the posting at any time without advance notice.

The ACLU is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please e-mail benefits.hrdept@aclu.org. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.