The ACLU-DC is an affiliate office of the American Civil Liberties Union, a national nonprofit organization devoted to the protection of civil liberties and civil rights through litigation, legislation, and public education. The ACLU-DC works primarily on issues that directly impact people who live in, work in, and visit the District of Columbia, and also on challenges to certain federal government policies and practices where they fall within the jurisdiction of the D.C. federal courts. 

Among the matters currently on our docket are: representing Black Lives Matter-DC and individual activists in challenging the attack by federal and local law enforcement on civil rights demonstrators in Lafayette Square on June 1, 2020; two lawsuits over inadequate COVID-19 precautions to protect detainees at the D.C. Jail and a psychiatric hospital; a challenge to the D.C. Department of Public Works’ failure to provide a reasonable accommodation for an employee who uses medical marijuana off duty to treat a disabling medical condition; a lawsuit attacking discriminatory policies regarding the housing of transgender individuals in the custody of the D.C. Department of Corrections; an appeal seeking to broaden the scope of Title VII’s protections against employment discrimination; and defending on appeal an injunction we won against new rules implemented by the administrative arm of the federal judiciary that would prohibit more than 1,000 federal employees from expressing their views publicly about partisan candidates for office. To learn more about our work, visit acludc.org.  

NATURE OF INTERNSHIP 

The ACLU-DC seeks second-year law students for full-summer internships in the summer of 2022. (A posting for first-year law student internships, if available, will follow later in the fall semester.)

Legal interns will be exposed to and participate in the process of developing and litigating impact cases to advance civil rights and liberties. The legal intern’s primary duties will be conducting legal research for current and potential cases (and some research/analysis regarding proposed legislation in support of our policy advocacy before the D.C. Council), and drafting memoranda, pleadings, motions, and/or discovery requests. Legal interns will also likely be asked to interview potential clients and help investigate the facts of potential cases.  

Depending on the state of our docket in summer 2022, interns are likely to have additional opportunities to become immersed in the work of the ACLU-DC’s Legal department, including legal strategy sessions; and court proceedings, depositions, and client meetings. ACLU-DC staff believe strongly in mentorship and in thorough and timely feedback on all work product. 

Financial stipends may be available for candidates not receiving summer funding from their law schools.  

-You are currently a second-year law student. 

-You have excellent work ethic, including dependability, diligence, the ability to take ownership over projects, and the commitment to see projects through to completion in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.   

-You are receptive to feedback, enthusiastic about learning and self-improvement, and eager to incorporate feedback into future work. 

-You have (or are well along in developing) excellent legal research skills, including the judgment to discern what cases are relevant to a particular research question, and thoroughness in covering the question asked.  

-You have (or are well along in developing) the capacity to engage in thoughtful and perceptive legal analysis, including the ability to build a logical argument, to read and understand legal decisions and statutes, and to grasp whether and how legal authorities apply to a new set of facts.  

-You have (or are well along in developing) excellent legal writing skills, including the ability to present ideas in a clear and organized manner and to write a memo that teaches the reader what you have learned through your research by synthesizing (rather than just summarizing) the relevant authorities. 

-You have the empathy and interpersonal skills necessary to connect with, listen to, learn from, and ask questions of clients and other community members. 

TO APPLY 

The deadline for applying is 11:59pm Eastern time on Wednesday, September 22, 2021. To apply, complete the application available online. If you have a disability and need any reasonable accommodations regarding any part of the application process, please email operations at acludc dot org. To complete the application, you will need to upload: 

1. A copy of your resume that lists relevant experience. 

2. A statement of interest of no more than 600 words that addresses the following three topics: 

   1. What civil rights/liberties issue do you feel is most pressing right now and why?   

   2. How do your skills and experiences make you a good fit for this position? 

   3. Describe a specific example of when you took ownership of (or primary responsibility for) a project or assignment. What did it mean to you to take ownership? What was the end result?  

3. A list of three references, including a sentence about each one identifying what information the person can provide. We find particularly helpful the perspective of a practicing attorney or clinical supervisor who has worked with you, but we are also interested in speaking with professors, community members, coworkers, or others who can speak to your relevant skills and experience. 

4. In place of a transcript, a list of all law school courses that you have taken, are currently taking, or (where available) are scheduled to take next semester. 

The ACLU-DC is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. The ACLU-DC encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, or any other classification protected by the D.C. Human Rights Act or federal employment law.