Intern, Legal (2L) (Summer 2027)

Southern Poverty Law Center; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 25,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) invites highly motivated law students to apply for summer internships designed for 2Ls who are passionate about civil rights and public interest work.

Selected interns will support six ALIT teams, gain professional development, and assist attorneys on litigation and community-focused strategies to advance justice and equality.

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in a law school as a second-year law student.
• Strong academic background; and
• Excellent writing skills.

Responsibilities

• Work on cutting-edge civil rights issues within one of six Advocacy and Litigation Impact Teams (ALIT).
• Participate in professional development and networking opportunities throughout the summer.
• Assist attorneys with litigation and help implement community-focused strategies to influence positive change.

Skills

Law student 2L

Strong academics

Excellent writing

Job description

The SPLC is seeking highly motivated legal interns who are passionate about civil rights!

The Southern Poverty Law Center offers summer internships to exceptional first- and second-year law students who possess strong academic backgrounds, excellent writing skills, and a commitment to public interest work. The Center is a catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond, working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the human rights of all people. As an internationally recognized nonprofit organization, the Center is dedicated to reducing bigotry and oppression through outreach, education, and litigation.

Note: This posting is for 2L students only. 1Ls opportunities will be posted separately.

Who You Are

Passionate. Demonstrated passion for advancing civil rights work, social justice issues and interest in supporting our work.

Advocate. Desire to work in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the human rights of all people.

Driven. Ability to help our attorneys bring litigation and implement community-focused strategies to influence positive change in the lives of children, workers, people impacted by hate and extremism, detained and incarcerated people, and those experiencing or facing economic hardship.

Mission, Vision & Culture Alignment. Demonstrates an understanding of and a commitment to SPLC’s mission, vision and values.

What You'll Do

Work on cutting-edge legal issues within one of our six Advocacy and Litigation Impact Teams (ALIT):

• Economic Justice. Through litigation, the EJ team reclaims land and wealth unjustly taken from Black and Brown
  communities in the Deep South, and defends the rights of people experiencing homelessness to be sheltered, safe and
  housed.
• Criminal Legal System Reform. In courts, the CLSR team challenges unconstitutional laws and practices that
  reinforce racial inequities in the justice system, and seeks to end inhumane prison conditions and mass incarceration
  across the Deep South.
• Democracy: Education and Youth. Through litigation and advocacy, the DEY team challenges the school-to-prison
  pipeline, which traps young people in a cycle of institutionalization, and opposes censorship and exclusionary policies
  in schools.
• Democracy: Voting Rights. Through litigation, the DVR team pushes back against racial gerrymandering; challenges
  discriminatory tactics to disenfranchise voters; and advocates for Black and Brown communities to fully exercise their
  rights at the ballot box.
• Inclusion and Anti-Extremism. Using federal, state and local laws, the IAE team brings lawsuits against hate and
  extremist groups to cripple their operations, and challenges exclusionary policies aimed at marginalized communities.
• Immigrant Justice. Employing multifaceted legal advocacy strategies, the IJ team rapidly responds to emerging issues facing immigrant communities, collaborates with partner organizations to provide community supports, and challenges unconstitutional detention and enforcement policies at the local, state, and federal levels.

Participate in professional development and networking opportunities throughout the summer.

Assist our attorneys with litigation and help to implement community-focused strategies to influence positive change in the lives of children, workers, people impacted by hate and extremism, detained and incarcerated people, and those experiencing or facing economic hardship.

Uphold our JEDI principles by seeking diverse collaborators and partners that can deliver genuine, authentic and impactful work while ensuring their contributions are directed towards the shared mission, vision and values of the center and department’s goals.

Minimum Qualifications

We are committed to equitable hiring practices; therefore you must meet the minimum qualifications to be considered for the role.

• Currently enrolled in a law school as a second-year law student;
• Strong academic background; and
• Excellent writing skills.

Compensation & Benefits

The Center pays $18.40 per hour. Interns are expected to work 40 hours a week and there may be opportunity for supervisor-approved overtime.

Where & How You'll Work

This role has the following work-designation options:

• Local Remote: Will work remotely, but is expected to attend work-related activities that occur at the SPLC offices or in the states in which the SPLC operates.
• Telework: Will work at an SPLC office at least three days per week and may work two days per week from an alternative work location.

Other Special Considerations

This job is performed under general office conditions and is not subject to any strenuous physical demands or dangerous conditions.

Due to the high volume of applications received, we are unable to respond to inquiries by telephone.

Interns are expected to begin June 7, 2027 (ending August 12th, 2027). A minimum commitment of ten consecutive weeks is expected. We unfortunately are not able to split summers.

Please note that, as Legal Department team members are based throughout the Deep South, interns and team members typically collaborate on projects remotely.

An Equal-Opportunity Employer with a Commitment to Diversity

Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and as an organization committed to diversity and the perspective of all voices, we consider applicants equally without regard to age, caregiver status, color, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, gender identity, marital status, national origin, on the basis of genetic information, political affiliation, pregnancy, or veteran status.