Summer Public Interest Law Clerk — Equity & Justice

Public Advocates; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 23,000 - 28,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Living allowance $5,000

Arc of Justice Fellowship $3,000

Job summary

Public Advocates Inc. invites law students to join a summer clerkship focused on racial and economic justice in California. Clerks will work full-time for 10 weeks in either San Francisco or Sacramento, collaborating with experienced attorneys on Education and Metropolitan Equity teams.

Responsibilities include legal research, policy writing, and community engagement. A mandatory commitment to public interest work is emphasized, with hybrid scheduling and structured supervision.

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in a Juris Doctor program or equivalent.
• Interest in public interest law and social justice.

Responsibilities

• Conduct legal and policy research and draft memos.
• Assist in education, housing, transit equity advocacy.
• Support client communications and coalition-building.
• Contribute to data analysis and reporting for campaigns.

Skills

Legal research

Legal writing

Policy analysis

Education

Law student

Job description

Internship Timeline:The summer program begins the Tuesday after Memorial Day. Summer clerks commit to working full-time for 10 weeks (Monday through Friday, 7.5 hours/day).

Stipend: $5,000

Build community power to advance racial & economic justice this summer at one of California’s leading civil rights law firms!

Public Advocates Inc.— a more than 50 year old civil rights law firm —is currently hiring law clerks for the summer of 2027 to collaborate with esteemed attorneys leading historic reforms for equity, through advocacy, enforcement and power building in education, housing, transit and climate justice in our San Francisco or Sacramento offices. Our law clerks play a critical role in community partnership and using legal tools to empower impacted communities of color across the state to advance racial and economic justice. We are committed to providing high quality training and supervision to help advance the career goals of our clerks and to foster a true community of public interest lawyers.

Our Mission

Public Advocates, a non-profit law firm and advocacy organization, challenges the systemic causes of poverty and discrimination by strengthening community voices in public policy and achieving tangible legal victories advancing education, housing and transit equity, and climate justice. Since 1971, Public Advocates has focused on “making rights real” across California by collaborating with grassroots groups representing people of color, immigrants and low-income individuals to achieve strategic policy reform, enforce civil rights, and support movement-building.

Our Legal Clerkship Program exposes students to the diverse strategies of our impact work in an environment designed to help them develop as public interest attorneys. Each law clerk is assigned to a supervising attorney on one of our two teams (Education Equity or Metropolitan Equity) who has primary responsibility for giving constructive feedback in a positive learning environment.

• Law clerks on the Education Equity Team support attorneys in K-12 and Higher Education advocacy in partnership with community-based organizations. Examples of cases and campaigns include legal advocacy to defund school police, enforcement actions to hold districts accountable for transparent and equitable budgeting, and enforcement actions to hold community colleges accountable for remedial education reform.
• Law clerks on the Metropolitan Equity Team (Housing and Transit Justice) support attorneys and community groups to win investment and development that meets the needs of the region’s low-income residents and workers. Public Advocates, along with our community, regional, and statewide partners, works to secure more affordable housing, robust and affordable local transit service, investment without displacement, healthy and safe communities, and greater power for low-income communities of color in local and regional decision-making. Examples of our work include campaigns and coalition work that aim to create more homes that families can afford and more protections for tenants facing rising rents.

Law clerk duties may include legal and policy research and writing, drafting legal and policy memos and reports, client communication and leadership development, community training and resource development, coalition-building, and data analysis. In addition to providing substantive legal advocacy experience, the Legal Clerkship Program includes brown bag sessions, visits with legislative and state leadership in Sacramento, team-building events, meetings with community partners, and more activities intended to complement the day-to-day work of our law clerks.

We value applicants with a demonstrated commitment to public interest work.

The summer program begins the Tuesday after Memorial Day. Summer clerks commit to working full-time for 10 weeks (Monday through Friday, 7.5 hours/day).

Public Advocates currently has a hybrid schedule and we expect all of our clerks to be able to commit to working at least 2 days per week in Public Advocates’ San Francisco or Sacramento offices.

Living Allowance

Public Advocates provides a $5,000 living allowance (subject to taxes) to each summer clerk who commits to and completes a 10-week internship. The allowance can be used to supplement any additional outside funding law clerks may receive.

How to Apply

Applicants should provide a cover letter explaining:

• Your specific interests and qualifications (please do not simply recap your résumé);
• Your experiences and commitment to working with low-income communities, communities of color, and immigrant communities;
• Your reasons for applying to Public Advocates;
• Your preference (if any) for placement with our Education Equity or Metropolitan Equity Teams; and
• Your preference (if any) for placement in our San Francisco or Sacramento offices.

We are currently accepting applications and plan to finalize our class by the end of February, 2027.

Public Advocates and the Charles Houston Bar Association (CHBA) are proud to announce the seventh annual Arc of Justice Summer Fellowship opportunity for law students committed to advancing the legal and policy priorities of low-income African American communities in the Bay Area. The Arc of Justice Fellowship is a collaboration between Public Advocates and CHBA to help increase the number of law students of color who pursue careers in public interest law. The Arc of Justice Fellow will receive an additional summer stipend of $3,000. If you are applying for the Arc of Justice Summer Fellowship, please do not submit a separate summer clerkship application.

Public Advocates is an equal opportunity employer and believes that to best serve our team and clients, our staff needs to reflect the diverse communities with which we partner. We value and celebrate the unique differences of our employees because we understand this to be what drives critical thinking, innovation, and organizational success. We do not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, place of birth, religion or creed, color, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, marital or domestic partner status, veteran status, ability status, medical condition, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information, political affiliation, height and weight, AIDS/HIV status, or any other status protected by applicable law. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. We look at each applicant’s full experience and encourage people from all backgrounds and experiences to apply.

Accommodations are available for applicants with disabilities. Please email [e-mail] or call 415-625-8462 for assistance.