Legal Intern - Summer 2025

Working for Equity Residential (EQR), an industry leading multi-family REIT headquartered in downtown Chicago, means being part of a community and striving to provide the best in apartment living, speaking boldly about new ideas for innovation, and inspiring creativity in the ways we work together. Our portfolio of high-quality properties in growth markets – New York City, Boston, Washington DC, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Denver, to name a few – provides homes where people most want to live. We've got the best people in the business, and our experience shows in our dedication to residents and in how much we value each other as colleagues. That’s why our employees say they are proud to work at Equity, a company that knows how to Live Remarkably. 

Equity Residential’s corporate intern program is a full-time, 10-week paid internship based in Chicago. The selected intern will work with the legal group for the length of the program and will have the opportunity to collaborate with various interns in other business areas (Property Operations, Marketing, HR and Communications). 

The purpose of Equity's Corporate Internship Program is to attract emerging diverse talent and promote learning about Equity and the multi family housing industry. Participants will have the opportunity to accelerate their professional growth and diversify their work experience by engaging with different business partners throughout the program. 

Please note: Our internship experience will be a hybrid in person/remote platform for 2025, with three days of required on-site participation at our corporate office in Chicago. Relocation is not provided for this internship.

WHO YOU ARE

• Organized, Flexible, and Adaptable. You have a keen eye for detail and pride yourself on delivering quality work. You multitask well, re-prioritize accordingly, and meet deadlines consistently. You keep your cool during stressful situations, remain resilient, and quickly find solutions in order to meet the changing needs and priorities of the business.
• A Collaborator and Trusted Team Player. You enjoy partnering with others —whether internal or external— and build constructive working relationships that foster cooperation in order to get work done and deliver great results. You are united with teammates and follow through on commitments. 
• A Strong Communicator. Your writing and speaking skills are clear, articulate, and effective, demonstrating your ability to interact with all levels and helping you connect well with others.
• Creative. You like thinking outside the box to come up with smart solutions to new challenges, and you embrace the opportunity to live in the gray. 
• A Solution-Oriented Team Player. You are united with teammates and follow through on commitments.  
• Passionate. Motivated. Eager to Learn. You ask smart questions, challenge the status quo, and regularly seek to understand. You invest extra energy to reach your goals.

OVERVIEW OF THE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

• A first-hand experience of day-to-day life at a REIT and resources to learn the programs/tools and processes used in the industry.
• Perform research and prepare reports on assigned topics and/or projects.
• May create or update systems or databases for specific department needs. 
• Present project results to department personnel or management. 
• Work collaboratively across EQR departments and functions to establish and update a strategic plan that maximizes value and enhances returns for every asset within the portfolio.
• Represent Equity Residential in a professional manner at all times.  Consistently maintains a professional courteous attitude when dealing with residents, coworkers and the general public.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Work primarily on Labor, Employment and Fair Housing matters and assist on small claims and subpoenas.
• Shadow the paralegal and attorney on meetings with clients, outside counsel, inside counsel  and administrative agencies.
• Conduct interviews of legal department staff to learn about the various areas of legal practice.
• Participate in witness interviews and court preparation.
• Create chronologies for ongoing cases.
• Assist in gathering documents in response to document subpoenas and discovery requests.
• Draft and organize various correspondence and documents.
• Research potential legal issues in various matters.
• Additional involvement in other types of legal  issues, including but not limited to operational and risk management issues and class action and general liability litigation.
• Network and engage with key stakeholders across the organization to establish and accomplish key deliverables.

 REQUIREMENTS

• Interest in pursuing a career in a legal related field and pursuing a Bachelor’s degree. 
• Ability to effectively and objectively communicate and work with internal and external customers, as well as strong organizational skills and a keen eye for detail. 
• Must be comfortable working autonomously and multi-tasking in a fast paced environment with changing deadlines.  
• Excellent writing, research, and problem solving skills are strongly preferred. 
• Familiarity and previous experience with Microsoft Excel and Google Applications (Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Sheets) preferred.
• Unrestricted authorization to work in the United States (currently, we are not offering this program under OPT or CPT or sponsoring work visas for these roles).

Salary:  $20.50 / hour

Working for Equity Residential means being part of a community – employees and residents – striving to provide the best in apartment living, speaking boldly about new ideas for innovation, and inspiring creativity in the ways we live and work. Our portfolio of high-quality properties in urban growth markets – New York City, Boston, Washington DC, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Denver – provides homes where people most want to live, work and play. We've got the best people in the business, and our experience shows in our dedication to our residents and in how much we value each other as colleagues. That’s why our employees say they are proud to work at Equity, a company that gives our residents a place where they can “Live Remarkably,” and offers a culture where our employees have the opportunity to make their mark.