Legal Aid has academic year (fall and spring semester) and summer internship opportunities for law and undergraduate students. We expect summer interns to work full time from May 29, 2024, to August 9, 2024. We expect academic year interns to work a minimum of 12 hours per week -- to be arranged according to their class schedules – or more if their class schedule allows them to do so.
Legal Aid’s academic year internships are generally unfunded, but we can work with law schools to ensure that interns receive course credit.
We have limited funding for full-time summer interns to help eliminate financial hardship for those who wish to pursue a career in public interest law and increase racial diversity and diversity of lived experiences in the legal profession, specifically in legal services.
Because our funding is limited, we work with prospective interns to help secure funding from other sources (including their colleges or law schools, or other fellowship programs). Interns who are unable to secure funding from another source can apply to Legal Aid for funding to cover living and other expenses. Please see here for more information about our scholarship opportunities and eligibility.
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Law student interns: learn more about the Lee Horton Memorial Scholarship for Aspiring Public Interest Lawyers,
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Undergraduate interns: apply for a Legal Aid Intern Scholarship using this application.
Law Student Interns
Law student interns are assigned to one of Legal Aid’s substantive practice areas or to the Barbara McDowell Appellate Advocacy Project and should express an area(s) of interest in their cover letter when submitting their applications.
Law student interns assist our attorneys in a variety of ways, depending on the practice area or project where they are working. Interns generally have the opportunity to interact with clients and may attend client meetings, hearings, trials, administrative proceedings, or arguments before the D.C. Court of Appeals. They also may help staff our units’ court-based projects or hotlines. We give our summer legal interns a good mix of assignments, including legal research and writing, client follow-ups, and factual investigation, where possible.
Undergraduate Student Interns
Undergraduate interns are generally not assigned to a practice area or project. Undergraduate intern responsibilities include answering telephone inquiries from persons seeking legal assistance; filing and retrieving court documents; greeting potential clients who come to Legal Aid for assistance; serving subpoenas; reviewing and organizing legal files; drafting correspondence; and summarizing intake interviews. Interns participate in internal meetings and are responsible for some administrative duties. Undergraduate interns also may have the opportunity to conduct factual research and investigations, attend client meetings, and observe hearings and trials.
To apply for an internship, please email a cover letter, resume, writing sample, and proof of matriculation (e.g., unofficial transcript, matriculation letter, etc.) to Sylvia Soltis, Director of Pro Bono, Volunteer, and Intern Programs, via intern@legalaiddc.org.
Please note that positions are open until filled (please see the top of this page for our current hiring status). Additionally, because of the volume of applications that we typically receive, we regret that we will only be able to contact those candidates whom we would like to interview.
When you submit your application, you should receive an auto-response indicating that it has been received. Please do not send follow-up email messages or contact us by phone to inquire about your application. Thank you for your interest.