Summer 2025 Legal Internship

Summer 2025 Legal Internship:

Deadline to Apply – February 1, 2025

Who We Are:

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a 501(c)(4) organization, is the premier coalition of more than 230 organizations that promotes and protects civil and human rights in America. The Leadership Conference has coordinated national lobbying efforts on behalf of every major civil rights law since 1957. To learn more about The Leadership Conference, please visit www.civilrights.org. 

The Leadership Conference Education Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization, builds public will for federal policies that promote and protect civil and human rights in the US. Founded in 1969 as the education and research arm of The Leadership Conference, the Education Fund’s campaigns empower advocates to push for progressive change in the US. To learn more about the Education Fund, please visit www.leadershipconferenceedfund.org. 

About the Role:

The Legal Intern will be part of a substantive, fast-paced internship program that provides real-world work experience in the policy arena to law students interested in civil and human rights and social justice. Interns are fully integrated into staff activities and involved in communications, development, field, organizational management, and policy work. The program provides interns with the chance to increase their knowledge about civil and human rights issues, enhance their understanding of coalition politics, and observe the processes of all three branches of the federal government.

This position will report to the Senior Advisor to the President and is not part of the collective bargaining unit.

What you will do:

• Track legislation on a variety of core civil rights issues
• Monitor media coverage of policy issues
• Attend coalition meetings
• Help to coordinate grassroots events
• Attend congressional hearings and briefings
• Conduct legal and legislative research
• Draft testimony, advocacy letters, blog posts, and other documents
• Attend skills-building workshops and trainings 
• Provide administrative support
• Together with fellow interns, plan and carry out a civil rights-focused event
• Perform other duties as assigned

What you will bring:

• Strong research and writing skills
• Desire and ability to work with diverse groups of people
• Ability to work collaboratively
• Ability to multitask
• Strong commitment to social justice issues
• Current enrollment in an accredited law school.

Internship schedule:

Legal internships are twelve weeks long. 

Tuesday, May 27, 2025 – Friday, August 15, 2025

For the summer, we require a 40-hour minimum weekly commitment. We strongly prefer that interns be able to work on Mondays.

Compensation:

Legal interns are paid an hourly rate of $24 per hour for a minimum of 40 hours per week.

Internship FAQs:

Q: Which students are eligible for the internship?  

A: To be eligible for the legal internship, you must be currently enrolled in an accredited law school. 

Q: Is the internship virtual this spring?

A: Yes, our internships will remain entirely virtual for the foreseeable future. There may be optional events in Washington, DC, that interns may be invited to attend. 

Q: Can I receive school credit for the internship?

A: Yes, many of our interns receive school credit for this internship. We are happy to work with you to accommodate this if you are selected.

Q: What do I need to do to apply? When can I expect to hear back?

A: Please submit your resume, cover letter, a writing sample, and two references in our career center portal. Applications must include all of these components to be considered to be complete. Unfortunately, due to the sheer volume of applications we receive, we are unable to respond to everyone individually. If you are selected for an interview, you will hear from us within a month after the application deadline. 

Q: What if I am not selected? Can I reapply? 

A: Yes, absolutely! We strongly encourage you to reapply for a future semester.

To apply, please visit our Career Center and submit your resume and cover letter. Cover letters are required and should be attached.

Telework Policy:

Staff may work from the office or remotely until March 1, 2025, which is when our updated telework policy will take effect. The policy will be implemented in three phases. 

The first phase begins March 1, 2025; staff members will be required to work in-person from the office at least two days per month. The second phase begins September 2, 2025; staff members will be required to work in-person from the office at least one day per week. The final phase begins January 1, 2026; staff members will be required to work in-person from the office at least two days per week. 

All positions are subject to the telework policy summarized above. (A more detailed description of the telework policy – to include how in-office workdays are to be scheduled – is available upon request from People & Culture.) 

Please note staff members are exempt from working in-person if they have received medical accommodation or their position is designated as temporarily or permanently remote. 

Our Commitment to an Inclusive Workplace

The Leadership Conference and The Education Fund are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability.