Law Reform Legal Intern, 2L- Summer 2027

Yourlegalaid; New York (NY); On-site; USD 10,000 - 12,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

In-person internship at LAS

Stipend opportunity

Job summary

The Legal Aid Society invites law students to participate in impact litigation and policy initiatives across its law reform units in New York City. Interns will be assigned to Criminal Defense, Civil Practice, Juvenile Rights, or LGBTQ+ initiatives, with emphasis on advocacy and public education strategies.

Internships run 8–10 consecutive weeks, require full-time on-site work, and offer a stipend opportunity through the Howard Rossbach fund for eligible applicants.

Qualifications

• Open to 2L students in good standing.
• Excellent research, writing, and communication skills.
• Ability to analyze complex legal and policy issues.
• Commitment to racial and social justice.

Responsibilities

• Engage in various aspects of Legal Aid’s law reform work, including legal and factual research.
• Rank unit preferences and be matched based on experience and unit needs.
• Contribute to legal papers, policy memos, or legislative testimony; assist with discovery and trial practice as opportunities arise.

Skills

Legal research

Legal writing

Communication skills

Analytical thinking

Commitment to racial and socialjustice

Education

2L student in good standing

Job description

The law reform units of the Legal Aid Society (LAS) have opportunities for law school students to participate in LAS’s ground-breaking work on impact litigation and policy initiatives that seek to address systemic issues facing Legal Aid’s clients.

CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAW REFORM TEAM

• Special Litigation Unit
• Prisoners’ Rights Project
• Incarcerated Client Services Unit
• Decarceration Unit

2. LAW REFORM UNIT OF THE CIVIL PRACTICE (INCLUDING HOMELESS RIGHTS UNIT)

3. SPECIAL LITIGATION AND LAW REFORM UNIT OF THE JUVENILE RIGHTS PRACTICE

4. LGBTQ+ LAW AND POLICY INITIATIVE UNIT

Each of these units engages in impact litigation, policy reform, coalition building, and public education strategies to grapple with novel legal issues arising in the daily practice of Legal Aid's direct services work. Interns applying to this position will be assigned to one of these units for the duration of their internship, depending on the preferences of the intern and the needs of the units.

Applicants should review The Legal Aid Society's website for more specific descriptions of the work of each of these units and identify in their application which unit or units they are interested in. Applicants will be offered positions depending on their preferences and the needs of the units.

Internship Duration and Work Schedule

This internship requires a full-time commitment for 8-10 consecutive weeks and is conducted fully in person. Candidates must be able to work on-site at their assigned Legal Aid Society office location. Remote or hybrid schedules are not available for this program.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

These internships offer the opportunity to engage in various aspects of Legal Aid’s law reform work, depending upon the specific needs of the unit to which the intern is assigned. This may include legal research; factual research; client interviewing; participating in discovery and trial practice as opportunities arise; contributing to legal papers, policy memos, or legislative testimony; and other tasks. Interns will be asked to rank which of the law reform units they would most prefer to work in and will be matched depending on experience and organizational needs. Descriptions of each law reform unit can be found at https://legalaidnyc.org/programs-projects-units/?what-we-do=50.

Internships are open to 2L students in good standing. Applicants should demonstrate the following:

• Interest in working on the issues affecting the rights of Legal Aid’s clients, particularly tailored to the unit(s) prioritized by the applicant
• Excellent research, writing, and communication skills
• The ability to analyze complex legal and policy issues
• The initiative to see projects through to completion
• A commitment to racial and social justice

SALARY TRANSPARENCY

As an intern position, this role has no salary.

STIPENDS

Interns who meet the eligibility criteria have an opportunity to receive a $1,000 stipend from the Howard Rossbach fund. The Stipend was established in memory of Judge J. Howard Rossbach, Attorney-in-Chief of The Legal Aid Society (1950-1952, 1953-1955), whose mentorship encouraged young lawyers’ dedication to civic engagement through legal aid. The J. Howard Rossbach Internship Stipend, awarded through a lottery system, aims to support 4-5 interns annually who demonstrate financial need and lack funding for their internship at The Legal Aid Society. To be considered for this stipend, interns must:

• Applicants must be enrolled as a law student at any accredited institution.
• Ultimately be accepted to participate in an internship program at LAS
• Demonstrate financial need
• Lack funding for their internship

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

As an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer, The Legal Aid Society prohibits discriminatory employment actions against and treatment of its employees and applicants for employment based on actual or perceived race or color, size (including bone structure, body size, height, shape, and weight), religion or creed, alienage or citizenship status, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity (one’s internal deeply-held sense of one’s gender which may be the same or different from one’s sex assigned at birth); gender expression (the representation of gender as expressed through, for example, one’s name, choice of pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, or body characteristics; gender expression may not conform to traditional gender-based stereotypes assigned to specific gender identities), disability, marital status, relationship and family structure (including domestic partnerships, polyamorous families and individuals, chosen family, platonic co-parents, and multigenerational families), genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, arrest or pre-employment conviction record, credit history, unemployment status, caregiver status, salary history, or any other characteristic protected by law.

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

The leadership of The Legal Aid Society is committed to a work culture of zealous advocacy, respect, diversity and inclusion, client-oriented defense, access to justice and excellent representation. We are dedicated to building a strong professional relationship with each of our clients, to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us.