Who We Are
Columbia Legal Services (CLS) is a nonprofit civil legal aid organization that advances social, economic, and racial equity for people living in poverty. We support communities and movements by bringing deep legal expertise that is grounded in – and strongly guided by – an understanding of race equity.
We seek systemic solutions by bringing class action lawsuits, using cutting edge legal theories, engaging in policy advocacy, and supporting communities in building their own power. We have a special responsibility to serve people whose access to free legal services is restricted, due to institutionalized or immigration status.
At CLS we seek a team that reflects our organizational values of community, race equity, and justice. This includes hiring staff with connections to the communities we serve whenever possible, and a commitment to strive for justice and equity in our hiring practices and in our staff culture.
Internships Summary
Columbia Legal Services seeks up to four Legal Interns to join our Advocacy Team in Summer 2025. CLS has two primary types of internships available: Laurel Rubin Farmworker Justice Interns and CLS Advocacy Interns. Interns are given the opportunity to participate in systemic advocacy on behalf of low-income people by engaging in legal research and writing, policy advocacy, and/or community outreach and education, depending on the type of internship and the needs of CLS. Internships for Summer 2025 are expected to be hybrid positions that will include both in-person and remote work.
Our paid summer internships are full-time with a 35-hour workweek and require a 10–12-week commitment, or a total of 350 hours.
CLS requires that all employees adhere to our COVID-19 vaccine mandate through proof of vaccination or by requesting a medical or religious accommodation. Staff are also required to follow CLS COVID-19 protocols while engaging in in-person work in our offices and in the community.
Available Positions
Prospective interns should indicate which internship type (or types) they are interested in and qualified for in their application materials. Interns offered a position will be notified of which type of internship is being offered (Advocacy, Laurel Rubin).
Advocacy Interns (All Locations)
Advocacy Interns will work with members of the Advocacy Team to assist with litigation and policy advocacy to address two systems that work to harm and oppress communities living in poverty and communities of color in Washington: the immigration system and system of mass incarceration.
Ending Mass Incarceration (EMI) advocacy priorities include treatment of youth in the juvenile and adult criminal legal systems, conditions of confinement in Washington’s jails and prisons, significant and permanent reduction of the state prison and jail populations, and the protection and creation of rights for people reentering the community following incarceration. Promoting Immigrant Equity (PIE) priorities include litigation and policy efforts to improve wages and work conditions in concert with farmworker groups engaged in self-organizing, and to address systemic civil rights issues for immigrants in farmworker communities.
Strong research and writing skills and interest in the criminal legal and immigration systems are preferred, as is lived experience as a person directly impacted by these systems.
Some examples of previous Advocacy assignments include:
- Researched available claims for monetary damages for class action members
- Researched the history of correctional industries law
- Wrote a memo detailing any existing processes due to young adults prior to their removal from juvenile adult facilities
- Wrote a memo that addressed the constitutionality of accountability provisions in a senate bill
Laurel Rubin Farmworker Justice Interns (Yakima or Wenatchee Preferred)
The Laurel Rubin Farm Worker Justice interns will work with members of the Advocacy Team focusing on our Promoting Immigrant Equity (PIE) advocacy priorities to support litigation and policy efforts to improve wages and work conditions in concert with farmworker groups engaged in self-organizing, and to address systemic civil rights issues for immigrants in farmworker communities. Interns will engage in investigation, legal research and writing, and community outreach, primarily to labor encampments.
Interest in or existing knowledge of challenges faced by immigrant farmworker communities, including wages, work conditions, and civil rights is preferred; Laurel Rubin interns must speak fluent Spanish. Because Laurel Rubin interns conduct in-person outreach in farmworker communities, living in or near Yakima or Wenatchee is preferred.
Some examples of previous Laurel Rubin Farmworker Justice assignments include:
- Joined Ostrom Mushroom Farms workers in support of their community-led advocacy efforts
- Conduct outreach trips in Yakima Valley and Skagit Valley to share information about workers’ safety during extreme heat and fire conditions
- Reviewed worker declarations for farmworker justice case
This job description is not designed to contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee; others may be assigned.
Qualifications
Applicants must:
- Be committed to advancing systemic advocacy on behalf of low-income communities;
- Have excellent written and oral communication skills;
- Be able to work independently and collaboratively;
- Possess dependable computer skills in word processing and legal research.
- Proficiency in Spanish is for Laurel Rubin, and preferred (but not ) for Advocacy interns.
Preferred:
- Be a rising 2L or 3L Law Student in Summer 2025
CLS brings its core values of community, race equity, and justice into all aspects of its work, and we seek an individual for this role who aligns with these values.
Compensation and Benefits
Compensation will be a minimum of $7,500 - CLS is currently reviewing this amount and will share an update of any changes with interested candidates. CLS is committed to compensating interns and offers fair compensation through one or a combination of the following: school or externship credit, work-study, external fellowship or public interest grants, the Laurel Rubin stipend, or at an hourly rate (for up to 350 hours of work). We will partner with the selected candidate(s) to determine which compensation method makes the most sense once an offer is extended.
To Apply
Submit a resume, a cover letter indicating which internship type(s) you would like to be considered for, and a short writing sample through our application portal in BambooHR. We accept and review applications on a rolling basis, with priority given to applications received before December 9, 2024. We will remove the position from our website once it is filled.
If you need a reasonable accommodation for the application process, please email the Human Resources Department at careers@columbialegal.org.
We are committed to an environment of mutual respect, collaboration, and equal opportunity for all employees, and strongly encourage applications from people of color, immigrants, people who have been affected by mass incarceration, and other underrepresented and historically marginalized groups. We believe in building and sustaining an organization that is reflective of the communities we serve, and is diverse in work background, experience, education, race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, ancestry, national origin, or sensory, mental and physical abilities. We believe that the resulting diversity is both a source of program strength and a matter of fundamental human fairness.
