Law Reform Legal Intern, 1L- Summer 2026

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 – This team has three internship programs. Candidates applying to the Criminal Law Reform team must indicate their unit/project preferences in their cover letter. The options are:

• Special Litigation Unit (which includes the Cop Accountability Project)
• Prisoners’ Rights Project
• Incarcerated Client Services Unit

 

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

 

SPECIAL LITIGATION AND LAW REFORM UNIT OF THE JUVENILE RIGHTS PRACTICE

 

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.

 

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.

 

QUALIFICATIONS

Internships are open to 1L 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.

 

HOW TO APPLY

All applications must be completed online. We do not accept paper submissions. Please visit our Careers Page to review all current job postings, and instructions on the application process. For technical difficulties or questions regarding this posting, please email jobpostquestions@legal-aid.org.

 

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

Please submit a Cover Letter and Resume as a single PDF.

Applicants, in the Cover Letter be sure to identify one or more of the Law Reform Units of interest. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis so applicants are encouraged to apply early. Applicants will be notified whether or not they have been selected for an interview.

 

STIPENDS <