Internships for Prospective Law Students: A Comprehensive Guide

For those considering a career in law, internships offer invaluable opportunities to gain practical experience, explore different areas of law, and make informed decisions about their future. These experiences can range from assisting attorneys with legal research to working directly with clients. This article explores various internship options available to prospective law students, including those for undergraduates and law students.

Internship Opportunities for Law Students

Legal Aid DC: A Public Interest Internship

Legal Aid DC provides internships to both undergraduate and law students eager to gain experience in public interest work. These internships offer hands-on experience across various practice areas.

Law Student Internships

Law student interns at Legal Aid DC are assigned to one of the organization’s practice areas, including:

Housing
Domestic Violence and Family Law
Public Benefits
Consumer Law
Immigration Law
Appellate Advocacy
Systemic Advocacy and Law Reform

Responsibilities may include participating in client meetings and follow-ups, attending hearings, trials, administrative proceedings, or arguments before the DC Court of Appeals, assisting staff with court-based projects or hotlines, conducting legal research and writing, and performing factual investigations.

Undergraduate Student Internships

Undergraduate internships at Legal Aid DC focus on supporting legal staff, research, fundraising, and operations. These opportunities are typically within the Intake and Development departments. Responsibilities may include speaking with potential clients in person and by phone, filing and retrieving court documents, reviewing and organizing legal files, drafting correspondence, participating in internal and client meetings, and conducting factual research and investigations.

Hours and Location

Legal Aid DC offers both summer and academic year internship opportunities. Summer interns are expected to work 35 hours per week. Academic year interns must work at least 12 hours per week, scheduled around their classes. All internships are hybrid and based in Washington, DC.

Scholarship Funding

Legal Aid DC provides scholarship funding to ensure that summer law students receive no less than $6,283 per summer, including scholarships from the Lee Horton Memorial Scholarship for Aspiring Public Interest Lawyers. Summer law students are required to apply for outside funding to fund their internships in order to receive supplemental scholarship funding. Legal Aid DC will provide up to a $6,283 scholarship to summer law school interns when:

They attend a school that does not provide funding OR they are not approved for at least $6,283 of funding from their schools AND
They do not get funding from any other outside sources that gets them to total funding of $6,283 for the summer

For example, if a student receives $5,000 of outside funding, Legal Aid would pay them $1,283 in scholarship funding. Students may waive funding if they are prohibited from receiving remuneration by their law school. Summer undergraduate interns will receive a $6,283 scholarship for the 10-week internship. Interns will not receive scholarship funding if they receive outside funding for their internship. Semester law students will receive a $2,585 scholarship for the 12-week internship. Interns will not receive scholarship funding if they receive outside funding for their internship or they are interning through a school program that precludes them from being paid. Semester undergraduate students will receive a $2,585 scholarship for the 12-week internship.

Further Internship Opportunities for Aspiring Lawyers

Broadening Horizons: Diverse Internship Avenues

An internship is a crucial step for anyone aspiring to a career in law. It provides practical experience and a glimpse into the daily life of legal professionals. These opportunities are not limited to law students; undergraduates can also benefit from internships in the legal field.

Law Firms: Gaining Exposure to Practice Areas

Many law firms offer internships that involve assisting with legal research and administrative tasks. These internships provide exposure to different practice areas, helping students understand the nuances of various legal fields.

Read also: Unlock summer legal internships

Government Agencies: Public Service Experience

Government agencies such as the Department of Justice, district attorney’s offices, and public defender’s offices offer valuable experience in public service. These internships provide insights into the workings of the legal system from a governmental perspective.

Corporate Legal Departments: Insight into Corporate Law

Large corporations often have in-house legal teams and may offer internships to pre-law students. These internships provide insight into corporate law and compliance, which can be beneficial for those interested in this area.

Courts and Judicial Chambers: Hands-On Experience

Interning with a court or a judge’s chambers offers hands-on experience in the legal system. This can provide a deeper understanding of judicial processes and the role of the judiciary.

Legal Aid Societies: Serving the Underserved

Local legal aid organizations provide legal services to individuals who cannot afford representation. Interning with these organizations allows students to contribute to the community while gaining legal experience.

Nonprofit Legal Organizations: Working on Public Policy

Legal nonprofits and public interest organizations offer internships for pre-law students to work on public policy issues. This can be a great opportunity for those interested in advocacy and social justice.

Volunteer Opportunities: Community Engagement

Volunteering in legal-related roles can also enhance your understanding of the legal field. Websites like VolunteerMatch can help you find opportunities related to your areas of interest.

The Pre-Law Project: Real Legal Experiences

The Pre-Law Project, under JEP, is dedicated to providing USC students interested in law careers with real legal experiences. The goal is to provide these opportunities so that students can explore the field of law before ever making the decision to apply to law school. By partnering with public interest law firms and civil rights organizations, students are able to secure law-related internships of a variety of commitment levels.

Pathway Programs and Scholarships

Overcoming Barriers: Pathway Programs to Law School

Pathway programs to law school are designed to help undergraduate students from a variety of backgrounds prepare for and gain admission to law school. These programs often mitigate barriers to entry into the legal profession.

Chapman University: Investing in Future Lawyers

Chapman University actively supports organizations that help middle and high school students from underserved communities succeed. They provide scholarships and paid internships that encourage high school students, college students, and recent graduates to pursue a legal career.

Finance Law Development Program: Exploring Finance Law

The Finance Law Development Program offers summer internship programs designed for college students who want to gain hands-on experience in finance law or law firm administration.

Chapman and Cutler LLP Maynard H. Jackson Jr. Scholarship

In honor of their former partner and first African-American mayor of Atlanta, Chapman and Cutler LLP offer the Maynard H. Jackson Jr. Scholarship.

Department of Labor (DOL) Internship Opportunities

SOL's Role: Providing Legal Advice

As the Secretary of Labor and other Department officials seek to accomplish the Department's overall mission and further specific priorities, SOL provides legal advice regarding how to achieve those goals. In doing so, SOL ensures the nation's labor laws are forcefully and fairly applied and enforced to protect the Nation's workers.

SOL National Office: Divisions and Services

The SOL National Office at their Washington, D.C., headquarters includes nine divisions that provide program advice and litigation services to Department agencies. The divisions advise client agencies within DOL regarding regulations and legislative initiatives. They are also involved in litigation in federal courts and/or before administrative law judges.

SOL Regional Offices: Litigation and Engagement

About half of SOL's attorneys are located in Regional and Branch Offices across the country and are regularly engaged with litigation in federal district courts and before administrative law judges.

Internship Opportunities: Applying and Participating

SOL's National Office divisions as well as Regional and Branch Offices often accept current law students for internships and externships. SOL provides internship/externship opportunities for those participating in designated hiring authorities, such as the Pathways Program, as well as those receiving stipends or academic credit. Interested applicants should reach out to the individual SOL Division or Regional Offices to find out more information about currently available opportunities. Opportunities under the Pathways Program or other hiring authorities are posted on USAJOBS.

Responsibilities as a Legal Intern

As a legal intern, you will perform a variety of legal assistance responsibilities including significant legal research and writing related to advice, litigation and/or rule-making projects for client agencies; and analyzing the legal impact of legislative developments, administrative and court decisions, rulings and opinions on Departmental programs. Interns may also attend meetings with DOL client agencies, other SOL divisions, and other executive agencies, as appropriate.

SOL National Divisions: Internship Details

Here are some specific internship opportunities within SOL National Divisions:

Division of Black Lung and Longshore Legal Services (Washington, D.C.)

The Black Lung and Longshore Legal Services Division (BLLLS) supports the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) in administering the Black Lung Benefits Act and the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act and its extensions. Courts of Appeals, advise OWCP on legal issues that arise in administering the statutes, prepare regulations implementing the statutes, and enforce the payment of benefits by liable employers or their insurers. Interns work with attorneys on projects in all of these areas, including assisting with drafting program regulations and helping litigate an enforcement case against a liable employer or insurer. The ideal candidate has experience or a sincere interest in public service. Subject matter experience is not required. They look for research and writing skills, academic achievement, and a positive and collaborative work ethic.

Civil Rights and Labor Management Division (CRLM)

In general, CRLM's client agencies administer and enforce a variety of civil rights, EEO, and labor laws. Duties will include significant legal research and writing in connection with advice, litigation and/or rulemaking projects for client agencies, such as drafting memoranda, analyses, and briefs, and may include attending meetings with the client agencies and other SOL divisions as appropriate. Students who can commit to a full-time schedule (35-40 hours/week) are preferred. They look for excellent research and writing skills; a demonstrated interest in civil rights, labor and employment issues; and a strong academic record.

Division of Employment and Training Legal Services (ETLS)

SOL's Division of Employment and Training Legal Services (ETLS) provides advice to a range of clients. Our summer law clerks will be primarily assisting the attorneys that provide legal advice to the Department's Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) and to the Department's Veteran's Employment and Training Service (VETS) staff administering the Uniform Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA), a Federal law that establishes rights and responsibilities for uniformed Service members and their civilian employers. ETLS also provides legal advice to VETS with regards to employment and training programs. The type of assignments and work product will vary, but all involve legal research and analysis. A law clerk typically comes away with a writing sample as well, such as a draft memorandum of referral. In years past, law clerks have spent significant time analyzing foreign countries' laws for compliance with international child labor standards in connection with legal review of an annual report to Congress on the worst forms of child labor in over 100 of our trade partners and that is expected to be a focus of work this summer as well. Law clerks may also work on projects assisting attorneys in ETLS in analyzing other countries' compliance with international labor provisions and with their compliance with international labor standards. Candidates must demonstrate strong research and writing abilities, and academic achievement.

Management and Administrative Legal Services

During previous internships, interns have prepared memos, drafted sections of briefs, and assisted with presentations. The ideal candidate has expressed interest in working for the public sector as well as experience or interest with federal procurement and/or appropriations law matters.

Mine Safety and Health (MSH) Division

The MSH Division supports the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the agency that enforces the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, as amended (Mine Act). The Mine Act protects miners' safety and health at every mine in the United States. Attorneys assist MSHA with rulemaking, provide legal advice in a wide variety of situations, and perform nationwide trial and appellate litigation. Interns work with attorneys on projects in all of these areas, including analyzing legal questions and writing litigation memos, reviewing rulemaking and guidance documents before they are published, and attending meetings and strategy sessions with MSHA.

Office of Legal Counsel (OLC)

The Office has three major areas of responsibility. First, the Office plays a major role in the Department's legislative activities by analyzing legislation impacting the Department, helping prepare testimony presented by Departmental at congressional committee hearings, and drafting proposed legislation. Second, the Office manages the Department's ethics program by providing advice and training and by administering the financial disclosure requirements. Third, OLC provides legal advice on a number of areas relating to government organization and operations, most notably administrative law and procedure. The law student intern will assist OLC in providing the legal services listed above. Duties may include reviewing testimony and draft legislation, drafting legal advice about ethics-related matters, researching administrative law issues, and writing memos as appropriate. Candidates must demonstrate strong research and writing abilities, academic achievement, and an interest in a career in public service.

Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Division

The Division of the Office of the Solicitor (SOL) provides legal services to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Courts of Appeals when they are challenged after promulgation. OSH attorneys advise OSHA on rulemakings and enforcement policy, and provide advice on novel, significant, and complex cases, including potential cases considered for referral to DOJ for criminal prosecution. Interns in the Division of Occupational Safety and Health will receive a variety of assignments throughout the office's practice areas. Representative assignments may include assisting OSH Division attorneys in the research and writing of legal briefs to be filed with the US Court of Appeals and the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission; providing research, analysis and other appropriate support to a rulemaking team; researching and preparing legal memoranda on a wide variety of topics covered by the OSH Division; providing legal advice to SOL Regional Offices and OSHA on litigation and other OSHA enforcement matters; and shadowing OSH Division attorneys at meetings with OSHA to develop client counseling skills. Applicants must be 2Ls at the time of their application and must expect to have completed their 2L year by the summer of their internship. Applicants must be students in good academic standing with strong writing, research, and analytic skills.

Department of Justice (DOJ) Summer Law Intern Program (SLIP)

SLIP: A Competitive Internship Program

The Department’s Summer Law Intern Program (SLIP) is the Department’s competitive recruitment program for compensated summer internships. Law students who participate in the SLIP benefit from an exceptional legal experience and invaluable exposure to the Department of Justice. Interns come from a wide range of law schools throughout the country.

Eligibility for SLIP

Law students who have completed at least one full semester of legal study by the application deadline are eligible to apply. Most successful applicants intern the summer between their second and third year of law school; however, graduating law students who will enter an honors program eligibility-preserving activity may intern following graduation. Part-time law students are also eligible to apply.

Skills and Majors

There are no required or specifically recommended majors for students interested in going to law school. Traditional liberal arts majors like history, English, and political science are popular. One potential exception is if you are interested in working in patent law.

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