Immigration Law Intern — Public Interest & Impact

Legal Aid DC; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 54,000 - 71,000; Full time

Job summary

Legal Aid DC in Washington, DC, seeks a Summer Intern for the Immigration Law Unit. The internship runs 10 weeks in Summer 2027, typically 40 hours per week, primarily at the NW DC office with possible remote work if approved.

Interns are mentored and will engage in research, case support, document review, and client interactions to support diverse immigration matters. Applicants must be current law students or graduates interested in public interest and immigration law.

Qualifications

• Current law school student or law school graduate interested in public interest and immigration law.
• Interns will work full-time (40 hours per week) for ten weeks in Summer 2027.
• Interns mainly work out of Legal Aid’s NW DC office, with the option to perform some work remotely if approved by their supervisor.

Responsibilities

• Legal Research: Conduct in-depth legal research on a wide range of issues relevant to immigration law, with a focus on humanitarian relief such as asylum, the U & T visas, special immigrant juvenile status, TPS and DACA.
• Case Support: Assist attorneys with case development, including drafting legal briefs and pleadings, conducting country conditions research and obtaining primary evidence.
• Document Review: Review and analyze case-related documents, statutes, regulations, and precedent to support legal arguments and strategies.
• Client Interaction: Interact with clients, witnesses, and experts to gather information, draft declarations and assist in immigration form filling.
• Courtroom Support: Attend court hearings or USCIS interviews to observe and assist attorneys as appropriate.
• Administrative Tasks: Provide administrative support including organizing case files, scheduling meetings, and managing correspondence.
• Collaboration: Collaborate with other interns, attorneys, and advocacy organizations to support collective efforts in advancing social justice and systemic change.
• Scholarship funding: Legal Aid DC can provide scholarship funding to ensure that summer law students receive no less than $6,440 per summer, including scholarships from the Lee Horton Memorial Scholarship for Aspiring Public Interest Lawyers.
• Funding requirements: Summer law students are required to apply for outside funding to fund their internships in order to receive supplemental scholarship funding; we will provide up to $6,440 to interns when outside funds are limited.
• Example: if a student receives $5,000 of outside funding, Legal Aid will pay them $1,440 in scholarship funding.

Job description

Legal Aid DC in Washington, DC, seeks a Summer Intern for the Immigration Law Unit. The internship runs 10 weeks in Summer 2027, typically 40 hours per week, primarily at the NW DC office with possible remote work if approved.

Interns are mentored and will engage in research, case support, document review, and client interactions to support diverse immigration matters. Applicants must be current law students or graduates interested in public interest and immigration law.