Navigating Legal Aid Internships: A Comprehensive Guide

An internship in legal aid offers invaluable experience for aspiring legal professionals, providing a firsthand look at the practice of law while serving the community. These internships can range from administrative roles to assisting attorneys with complex legal tasks. This article provides a comprehensive overview of legal aid internship requirements, drawing upon insights from various organizations and programs.

Understanding the Landscape of Legal Aid Internships

Legal aid organizations, such as Legal Aid Services of Oregon (LASO), play a crucial role in representing low-income clients in civil cases. These organizations often seek interns and clerks to support their work. Similarly, government entities like the Department of Labor (DOL) offer internships through various divisions and regional offices.

Key Requirements and Qualifications

The requirements for legal aid internships vary depending on the organization and the specific role. However, some common qualifications include:

Educational Background: Internships are often open to law students, paralegal students, and even undergraduate students. Some organizations, like the DOL, may specify that applicants must be 2Ls (second-year law students) at the time of application and expect to have completed their 2L year by the summer of their internship.
Academic Standing: A good academic record is generally expected. For example, the Undergraduate Legal Aid Office at the University of Maryland recommends a minimum GPA of 3.0 for its interns.
Skills: Strong research, writing, and analytical skills are essential. The ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, is also important.
Commitment to Public Interest: A demonstrated interest in and commitment to advocacy for the legal rights of low-income and other vulnerable populations is highly valued.
Cultural Competency: An understanding of and commitment to anti-bias principles, cultural competency, and addressing systemic racism and other forms of oppression are increasingly important. LASO, for example, seeks candidates who can serve diverse client communities effectively and work effectively with colleagues from different backgrounds.
Bilingualism: Bilingual abilities, particularly in Spanish or other languages commonly spoken by client populations, can be a significant asset.

Finding Internship Opportunities

Several resources can help aspiring legal professionals find legal aid internships:

Organization Websites: Many legal aid organizations, such as LASO, post internship opportunities on their websites.
USAJOBS: The federal government's official job board, USAJOBS, lists internship opportunities with agencies like the DOL, including those under the Pathways Program.
PSJD.org: This website maintains lists of summer funding sources for public interest internships across the country.
Law School Career Services: Law schools often have career services offices that can provide information about internship opportunities and funding options.

The Application Process

The application process for legal aid internships typically involves submitting a cover letter, resume, and transcript. Some organizations may also require a writing sample or other supporting materials. It is important to tailor your application to each specific opportunity, highlighting your relevant skills, experience, and commitment to public interest law.

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Internship Responsibilities and Experiences

Legal aid internships offer a wide range of responsibilities and experiences, depending on the organization and the specific role. Some common tasks include:

Client Interaction: Conducting client intake interviews, providing information and brief advice, and assisting with client communication.
Legal Research and Writing: Conducting legal research, drafting legal memoranda, briefs, and other documents.
Litigation Support: Assisting with trial preparation, including drafting pleadings, preparing witness examinations, and organizing exhibits.
Administrative Tasks: Maintaining administrative records, managing files, and providing general office support.

Interns may also have the opportunity to attend court hearings, meetings with attorneys and clients, and other professional events.

Specific Examples from the Department of Labor (DOL)

The DOL's Office of the Solicitor (SOL) offers internships in various divisions and regional offices. 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.

Black Lung and Longshore Legal Services: Interns in this division may assist with drafting program regulations, helping litigate enforcement cases, and advising the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) on legal issues.
Civil Rights and Labor Management: Interns in this division will perform 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.
Employment and Training Legal Services: Interns may assist attorneys in analyzing foreign countries' laws for compliance with international child labor standards or research legal issues arising under the Uniform Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA).
Mine Safety and Health: Interns may analyze legal questions, review rulemaking documents, attend meetings, and assist with litigation related to mine safety and health.
Office of Legal Counsel: Interns may review testimony, draft legislation, research administrative law issues, and write memos related to the Department's legislative activities and ethics program.
Occupational Safety and Health: Interns may assist with research and writing legal briefs, providing research and support to a rulemaking team, and providing legal advice to SOL Regional Offices and OSHA on litigation and enforcement matters.

Specific Examples from Legal Aid Services of Oregon (LASO)

LASO offers clerkships in various locations and specialized programs.

Regional Offices (Bend, Newport, Pendleton): Clerkships in these offices focus on domestic violence, family law, housing, and/or public benefits, within a framework of providing trauma-informed care.
Native American Program (Portland): Clerkships in this program focus on legal issues affecting Native Americans.
Farmworker Program (Salem, Hillsboro): Clerkships in this program focus on legal issues affecting farmworkers.

LASO clerks may conduct client intake interviews, provide information and advice, provide litigation support, draft documents, conduct legal research and writing, and represent clients as certified law students in protective order hearings and administrative hearings.

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The Commons Law Center

The Commons Law Center provides clerks with real experiences in lawyering. It’s absolutely a learning environment, where clerks are given real work and the space to explore their interests in the law. My experience working on the Tenant Eviction Defense team allowed me to go to court four days each week, working alongside the team’s attorneys to assist unrepresented individuals in negotiations with landlords’ attorneys. My clerkship was filled with experiential opportunities in the legal field that most law school courses are unable to provide. The whole team is extremely helpful and I have never been in a more healthy workplace environment! I especially appreciate how The Commons focuses on attorney personability with clients, which the legal profession can always use more of.

Funding and Compensation

Many legal aid internships are unpaid, but some organizations offer stipends or academic credit. The DOL, for example, requires interns not hired through the Pathways Program to receive the equivalent of $15/hour in funding from an outside source or to earn academic credit. LASO is committed to pay equity and funds law clerk positions, but the exact amount may vary depending on funding availability.

Several funding sources can help students finance their legal aid internships:

Federal Work-Study: Provides partial funding for eligible government and nonprofit legal employers to hire paid law clerks.
PILP Awards: Funds students to perform summer work at public interest organizations.
Lezak Social Justice Fellowship Program: Funds students to work in public interest law positions for the summer.
Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps JD: Awards education awards for students working in specific public interest priority areas.
Law School Funding Programs: Many law schools offer funding for students who participate in public interest internships.

Benefits of Legal Aid Internships

Legal aid internships offer numerous benefits for aspiring legal professionals:

Practical Experience: Interns gain valuable hands-on experience in a variety of legal tasks, such as client interaction, legal research, and writing.
Skill Development: Internships help students develop and refine essential legal skills, such as communication, analysis, and problem-solving.
Networking Opportunities: Interns have the opportunity to meet and work with attorneys, judges, and other legal professionals.
Career Exploration: Internships provide a firsthand look at the practice of law and can help students determine their career interests.
Community Service: Interns contribute to the important work of providing legal assistance to low-income and vulnerable populations.

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