Paid Law Internships: Opportunities and Pathways to a Legal Career
Embarking on a career in law requires dedication, insight, and practical experience. Paid law internships offer a unique avenue for students to gain first-hand exposure to the legal field, develop essential skills, and build a strong foundation for future legal studies. These internships provide invaluable opportunities to apply learned concepts in real-world settings, deepen understanding of legal principles, and establish a professional network.
Opportunities for High School Students in NYC
For high school students in New York City, several internships provide valuable experiences in the field of law. These internships extend beyond the classroom, offering a platform to apply learned concepts in a real-world setting.
- Ladder Internships: This virtual program allows high school students to work with nonprofits and start-ups across the world, including legal-tech start-ups. Interns work on real-world projects, collaborate with managers and Ladder Coaches, and participate in training sessions for soft skills and professional development.
- The United States Attorney’s Office Eastern District of New York Student Internship: This internship offers specialized placements in areas such as Information Technology, Automated Litigation Support, and Paralegal-Legal Studies. Interns may assist with courtroom setups, legal research and analysis, trial preparation, and managing legal evidence and data.
- Thurgood Marshall Summer Law Internship | NYC Bar: This program connects NYC public high school students with employers in the legal field, including law firms, corporations, non-profit organizations, and government agencies. Interns receive practical training, attend panel discussions and networking events, and may assist paralegals, file paperwork, maintain records, and organize documents.
- Manhattan District Attorney Internship Program: Interns at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office explore the criminal justice system from the inside. They participate in workshops and discussions, engage in a mock trial program, develop professional skills, and learn about policy development and implementation.
- New York City Office of the Mayor Internship: This internship offers high school students a chance to explore various departments of city governance, policy, and planning. Interns work with government officials and mayoral staff on projects such as conducting research, attending meetings, analyzing data, and drafting briefings.
- Summer Law Institute (SLI) Program: This five-week summer law program for rising ninth-grade students includes interactions with successful role models, collaboration in professional activities, practical experience through simulations, and studies in law taught by law students.
- Internships at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office: These internships offer high school and college students the opportunity to be part of a district attorney’s office. Interns may assist in investigations, attend trials, prepare documents and financial data, conduct legal research, and support community outreach programs.
- FBI Teen Academy: This program gives high school students an inside look at the FBI's operations, including its investigative techniques and career paths. Participants engage in hands-on activities, discussions with FBI personnel, and presentations on topics such as cybercrime and forensic science.
- Judicial Intern Opportunity Program (JIOP) by American Bar Association (ABA): This program allows high school students to intern with federal or state judges, promoting diversity and inclusivity in the legal profession. Interns gain hands-on experience in a court environment, observe trials, and engage in legal research.
- Department of State: The Pathways internships allow students to explore federal careers in various offices of the government, including the judiciary. Students will get firsthand experience in various aspects of the government.
- City Limits CLARIFY Program: Location: CUNY Brooklyn or CUNY York, NY | Virtual. Eligibility: NYC juniors, seniors, and graduating seniors are eligible.
Opportunities for College Students
College students also have access to various paid law internships that can provide valuable experience and insight into the legal profession.
Manhattan District Attorney's Office
The internship program with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office enables college students to gain first-hand exposure to the criminal justice system and local law enforcement in the borough of Manhattan. Students work closely with Assistant District Attorneys and other staff who are investigating and prosecuting criminal cases, providing support to crime victims, assisting with investigations, and analyzing pending legislation, among other tasks.
Applicants should have a solid academic record, but academic performance is only one indicator of an applicant’s potential. Equally important are the qualities of personal character, integrity, judgment, and maturity. Prior leadership experience and a demonstrated commitment to public service and the community are valued qualities. Students are encouraged to have taken at least one criminal law-related class.
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Students will be required to work at least one full day and a half day for a minimum of 12 hours weekly, with a minimum twelve-week commitment to the internship. Depending on the assignment, students may assist in investigations, hearings and trials; prepare, compile and analyze legal and non-legal documents and financial data; perform research, observe witness interviews, participate in community outreach programs and attend trials.
The office is firmly committed to a policy against discrimination based on race, creed, ethnicity, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, credit history, military status, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics or genetic information, unemployment status, caregiver status, marital status, partnership status, hair or hairstyle, alienage or citizenship status, prior record of arrest or conviction, status as a victim of domestic violence, status as a victim of a sex offense or stalking. The term “gender” includes actual or perceived sex and a person’s gender identity, self-image, appearance, behavior or expression, whether or not that gender identity, self-image, appearance, behavior or expression is different from that traditionally associated with the legal sex assigned to that person at birth.
As a current or prospective employee of the City of New York, students may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs.
Summer Internship Program at the United States Attorney’s Office
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York offers an unpaid summer internship program for first-year and second-year law students each year. Interns are placed in either the Criminal or Civil Division and are paired with one or two AUSAs to gain unparalleled hands-on litigation experience.
Typical assignments include research and writing projects, participating in witness interviews, document analysis, assisting in preparing for depositions and oral arguments in court, and assisting with trials. The Office also hosts a variety of summer events, training sessions, and brown bag lunches to educate interns about government lawyering.
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The internship program lasts 10 weeks starting the first Monday in June each year. If applying to the criminal division and preferring to work in the Office’s White Plains location, this should be indicated in the cover letter.
Applications should include a resume (not to exceed two pages), a writing sample (not to exceed five pages), and a law school transcript (unofficial copies are acceptable). First-year law students may apply before they receive their law school grades and supplement their application when their grades become available.
Fall and Spring Semester Externships at the United States Attorney’s Office
The United States Attorney’s Office accepts a certain number of law student externs during the school year, in both our Civil and Criminal Divisions in Manhattan, and in our White Plains branch office. Law students interested in committing to no less than ten hours per week for 12-16 weeks during the spring or fall semester, may submit an application for an externship.
An application for an externship consists of a resume (not to exceed two pages), a law school transcript (an unofficial copy is acceptable), a writing sample (no longer than five pages), and a cover letter explaining interest in working in the Office and preference for a work location (Civil, Criminal, or White Plains). citizens.
Students who have been preliminarily selected for an internship or externship position must thereafter supply information for a background check and be granted a favorable security clearance in order to work in this Office.
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The law school must execute a Volunteer Agreement as part of the final clearance process for students who have been preliminarily selected for an internship or externship position.
Internships and externships are unpaid. Summer interns may apply for stipends that are offered by private fellowship associations with funds administered by a committee of the Federal Bar Council. Interns and externs are also prohibited from participating in any law school or other legal clinic involving litigation with or proceedings before the United States or any federal entity during the period of the internship or externship.
Summer Honors Program at the Law Department
The Law Department selects approximately 50 Summer Honors Program interns from over 2,500 applications submitted each year. The Law Department is perhaps the only public sector/public interest employer in the country to make offers of permanent employment to its second-year summer interns based on their performance during the summer. In the past few years, about half of our entry class attorney positions have been filled with former participants of our Summer Honors Internship Program.
The Law Department’s varied divisions offer summer interns hands-on practical experience. Summer interns regularly draft motion papers and briefs that are filed in court. Interns in our Tort Division take or defend depositions and take part in pre-trial court proceedings. Interns in the Special Federal Litigation Division are assigned to work on a trial with a trial team over the course of the summer. Interns in the Family Court Division regularly interview victims and witnesses and appear in court. The majority of second year summer interns work in one of our litigating divisions. These divisions include, in order of numbers of placements each year, our Tort, Labor and Employment, Special Federal Litigation, Family Court, Administrative Law and Regulatory Litigation, General Litigation, Commercial and Real Estate Litigation, and Workers’ Compensation Divisions. On occasion, we have placed an individual in our Affirmative Litigation, Appeals, Environmental Law, Legal Counsel, and Tax and Bankruptcy Litigation Divisions. Generally, we do not place second year summer interns in our transactional divisions, which include our Economic Development, Contracts and Real Estate, and Municipal Finance Divisions. First year summer interns may be placed in any of the Law Department’s 18 legal divisions.
Candidates are encouraged to include in their cover letter the names of divisions that they are most interested in. If you are interested in more than one division, please only submit one application indicating your primary division of interest and note the additional division(s) of interest in your cover letter.
Key Skills Developed During Law Internships
A law internship during high school or college offers several advantages. It can provide early exposure to the legal field, allowing you to understand the day-to-day operations of legal work and observe professionals in action.
Interns develop valuable skills such as legal research, writing, and analytical thinking, which are beneficial for both future legal studies and academic success in general. They build a strong foundation of knowledge in legal principles, terminology, and procedures, making future legal studies more approachable.
Internships often provide opportunities for professional mentorship, offering guidance, career advice, and insights from experienced legal professionals. A law internship on your resume can boost your college applications by demonstrating initiative, dedication, and real-world experience, making sure you stand out to admissions committees.
Eligibility and Application Process
Eligibility requirements vary depending on the specific internship program. High school internships may require applicants to be a certain age, reside in New York City, or be enrolled in high school. College internships may require applicants to be current sophomores or juniors, have completed a minimum of two years of college, or be enrolled in law school.
The application process typically involves submitting a cover letter, resume, personal statement, and unofficial college transcript. Some internships may also require a writing sample or letters of recommendation. It is important to submit a complete application and adhere to the specified deadlines.
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