Summer 2027 Legal Intern, National Security Project

Summary

The ACLU is a civil liberties organization that defends and preserves individual rights and liberties. The Legal Intern will support the National Security Project’s legal and advocacy work by conducting research, drafting legal documents, investigating potential litigation, and preparing public education materials.

Responsibilities

• Conduct legal and policy research
• Draft memoranda, affidavits, and briefs
• Research prospects for new litigation, including both factual and legal claims
• Research and draft materials for public education

Skills

• Qualifying applicants must currently be matriculated legal students
• Must be based in the U.S. for the entire duration of the internship
• The internship is open to students enrolled at U.S. law schools who will have completed at least one year of law school before the internship commences
• Excellent research skills, including conducting internet and legal database research
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
• Ability to analyze complex legal issues
• Initiative to see projects through to completion
• Commitment to civil liberties, civil rights, and social justice, particularly as they relate to national security, and to the mission of the ACLU
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite

Qualifications

Must Haves

• Qualifying applicants must currently be matriculated legal students
• must be based in the U.S. for the entire duration of the internship
• The internship is open to students enrolled at U.S. law schools who will have completed at least one year of law school before the internship commences
• Excellent research skills, including conducting internet and legal database research
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
• Ability to analyze complex legal issues
• Initiative to see projects through to completion
• Commitment to civil liberties, civil rights, and social justice, particularly as they relate to national security, and to the mission of the ACLU
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite

Benefits

• A stipend is available for those students who are lawfully authorized to work.
• Students who receive outside funding are eligible for a partial stipend to bring their total funding up to the level of the ACLU’s stipend amount for the summer.
• This internship can be remote or hybrid based in our New York office.