Summer 2020 Legal Intern, Criminal Law Reform Project
The Criminal Law Reform Project of the National ACLU has an opening for a Legal Intern in New York City. 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
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:
Conducting legal and policy research
Drafting memoranda, affidavits and briefs
Researching prospects for new litigation, including both factual and legal claims
Researching and drafting materials for public education
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
The ability to analyze complex legal issues
A commitment to civil liberties, civil rights, particularly as they relate to criminal justice reform and racial 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.