acluinternships · Remote/Hybrid- San Francisco · San Francisco, California, United States
<h2><strong>About the Role</strong></h2> <p>The ACLU seeks a <strong>Summer</strong> <strong>Legal</strong> Intern in the <strong>Immigrant Rights Project </strong>of the ACLU’s National office.<strong> </strong>This position may be remote or hybrid and can be based in San Francisco.</p> <p><strong>Qualifying applicants must currently be matriculated legal students and must be based in the U.S. for the entire duration of the internship.</strong></p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><strong>The Team:</strong></span></p> <p>The Immigrants’ Rights Project is part of the Legal Department of the national ACLU and has offices in New York and San Francisco. For nearly 40 years, the Project has litigated in trial and appellate courts across the country, including the U.S. Supreme Court, to protect the civil rights and civil liberties of immigrants and seek equal justice under the law. Our work has focused on due process, access to the courts, unfair detention, equal treatment, and state and local laws and policies. For example, we have challenged removals under the Alien Enemies Act; the targeting of student activists for arrest, detention, and deportation; family separation; the Muslim ban; multiple attacks on the asylum system; indefinite and mandatory detention; immigration detainers; state and local anti-immigrant laws; racial and language profiling connected to immigration enforcement; and attempts to eliminate judicial review. We work closely with partners at the national ACLU and affiliates, as well as allied organizations, to pursue litigation and to engage in and support other forms of advocacy and education.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><strong>What You’ll Do:</strong></span></p> <p>The interns will have the opportunity to gain valuable experience working with <strong>IRP</strong>. They will learn about impact litigation and other legal advocacy tools on immigrants’ rights issues by working closely with attorneys in developing and litigating cases across various jurisdictions.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Your Day to Day:</strong></span></p> <ul> <li>Drafting memoranda, affidavits, and briefs</li> <li>Conducting legal and policy research</li> <li>Researching prospects for new litigation, including both factual and legal claims</li> <li>Researching and drafting materials for public education</li> <li>Legislative bill tracking and analysis</li> </ul> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>What You’ll Bring:</strong></span></p> <p><span data-olk-copy-source="MailCompose">The internship is open to students enrolled at U.S. law schools who will have completed at least one year of school before the internship commences</span>. Interns should possess the following: </p> <ul> <li>Excellent research skills, including conducting internet and legal database research</li> <li>Excellent communication skills, both verbal and writing</li> <li>Attention to detail, excellent organizing and time-management skills</li> <li>Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite</li> <li>The initiative to see projects through to completion</li> <li>A commitment to civil liberties, civil rights, and social justice</li> </ul> <h2><strong>Future ACLU'ers Will:</strong></h2> <ul> <li>Be committed to advancing the mission of the ACLU</li> <li>Center and embed the principles of equity, inclusion and belonging in their work by demonstrating commitment to diversity with an approach that respects and values multiple perspectives</li> <li>Be committed to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and conflicts</li> </ul> <h2><strong>Internship Logistics</strong></h2> <ul> <li><strong data-olk-copy-source="MailCompose">Location</strong>: Our internship program offers a limited number of remote or hybrid intern positions. This internship can be <strong>remote or hybrid based in our San Francisco, CA office.</strong></li> <li><strong>Time Commitment</strong>: This internship is full-time (35 hrs/wk) for a duration of 10 consecutive weeks.</li> <li><strong>Internship Duration</strong>: This internship has a start date of <strong>May 24 or June 7.</strong></li> <li><strong>Stipend: </strong>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. Legal interns receive a stipend amount of $24/hour (stipends are taxed)</li> </ul> <p><strong>Priority Application Deadline: October 14, 2026.</strong></p> <p>While there is a priority deadline, our project is committed to reviewing all applications on a rolling basis until the closing of posting.</p> <h2><strong>Why the ACLU</strong></h2> <p>For over 100 years, the ACLU has worked to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Whether it’s ending mass incarceration, achieving full equality for the LGBTQ+ community, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an a