One of the many resources the UNC Center for Media Law and Policy offers to law students is our Media Law Jobs Board. The jobs board is updated regularly with full-time jobs, fellowships, post-docs, and seasonal internships in a variety of media law and related fields such as journalism, intellectual property, technology, and business affairs.

For law students who are currently seeking a summer job/internship, there are a number of great media law opportunities available for students interested in litigation, digital civil rights, First Amendment issues, and many more exciting areas of media law! If you’ve already nailed down your summer plans, this list may give you ideas for where to apply next summer or after graduation.

Students who accept unpaid or low-paying summer internships in the fields of media law or media policy may be eligible for a summer grant from the Center—check back soon for information about how to apply for summer funding.

Here are some of the highlights of the summer jobs listed on the jobs board (please remember that you will need to contact these employers directly, we simply post the jobs and are not responsible for hiring): 

• Summer Legal Internship at University of Georgia School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic
  • The First Amendment Clinic at the University of Georgia School of Law seeks a full-time legal intern to start on or after May 16, 2022 for a 10-week, paid summer position. The Clinic defends and advances the rights of free speech, press, assembly, and petition via direct client representation and advocacy, particularly on behalf of individuals and organizations who cannot afford or do not otherwise have access to counsel with First Amendment expertise. The Clinic also serves as a resource for journalists, students, government employees and members of the public on issues of open access and free expression in order to promote a better-informed citizenry.
• Summer Legal Internship at the Knight First Amendment Institute 
  • The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University is looking for legal interns for the summer of 2022 to do ground-breaking First Amendment litigation and help us in the early stages of building an exciting new free-speech advocacy and research organization. The Knight First Amendment Institute defends the freedoms of speech and the press in the digital age through strategic litigation, research, and public education. We aim to promote a system of free expression that is open and inclusive, that broadens and elevates public discourse, and that fosters creativity, accountability, and effective self-government.
• Legal/Public Policy Internship at New America’s Open Technology Institute
  • New America’s Open Technology Institute seeks enthusiastic and motivated current or recent law, graduate, or undergraduate students, with academic or work experience in technology or public policy, for multiple full-time internships during the summer of 2022. We’re looking for people who are passionate about tech policy and eager to learn about complex issues in a rapidly-changing environment. OTI works at the intersection of technology and policy to ensure that every community has equitable access to digital technology and its benefits. 
• Legal Internship at the First Amendment Foundation
  • The First Amendment Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and advancing Florida’s constitutional right to access government records and meetings, has a remote paid legal internship available for rising 2L and 3L law students. Monthly stipend available. The intern will work closely with the FAF executive director and staff attorney on open government and speech issues. The intern will help develop training on public records and open meetings laws. The intern will have the opportunity to respond to inquiries to the Freedom of Information Helpline from journalists and individuals, assist in litigation in which FAF is involved, and research legislation affecting open government and the First Amendment. The ideal candidate has an interest in public policy, government accountability, freedom of speech and of the press.
• First Amendment Internship at the Center for Investigative Reporting
  • The CIR is accepting applications for a First Amendment intern in its legal department. Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting engages and empowers the public through investigative journalism and groundbreaking storytelling that sparks action, improves lives and protects our democracy. The intern will work closely with in house and outside counsel.
• Summer First Amendment Fellowship at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education
  • FIRE has revitalized its highly competitive summer law student program to establish the Arthur D. Hellman Fellowship in First Amendment Litigation to train a new generation of First Amendment litigators. The Hellman Fellowship is a paid opportunity offering a $6,000 stipend for a 10-week program that runs from June through August. As a Hellman Fellow, law students will have the opportunity to work with FIRE’s civil rights attorneys, advancing FIRE’s mission to defend freedom of speech, expression, and thought at U.S. colleges and universities. 
• Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic Summer Fellowship at Yale Law School
  • The Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic at Yale Law School invites applications for summer fellow positions. The summer fellows will assist in all aspects of the Clinic’s ongoing litigation and other activities. The Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic is a law student clinic dedicated to increasing government transparency, defending the essential work of news gatherers, and protecting freedom of expression. It provides pro bono legal services to journalists and news organizations, pursues impact litigation, and develops policy initiatives in support of the Clinic’s mission. 
• Summer First Amendment Clinic Fellowship at Cornell Law School
  • The First Amendment Clinic at Cornell Law School invites applications for its 2022 Summer Fellowships. The First Amendment Clinic provides law students interested in the fields of freedom of the press, freedom of information, freedom of speech, freedom of association, and where applicable, freedom of religion, with the opportunity to enrich their understanding of these vital rights by working on cutting-edge litigation, advocacy, and policy work. A key component of the Clinic’s efforts will be to support journalists and media outlets in their critical work.
• Summer Internship at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society Cyberlaw Clinic
  • The Cyberlaw Clinic is hiring summer interns for 2022! Current U.S. JD candidates with an interest in the intersection of tech, law, and social justice are invited to join our dynamic team! Summer legal interns work on all aspects of the Cyberlaw Clinic’s caseload and, like Fall and Spring semester students, take the lead on the projects they join, supported by the Clinic staff. Although Clinic projects vary from summer to summer, they often include substantive law related to the First Amendment, computer security, digital privacy, intellectual property, civic innovation, emerging technologies such as AI, human rights, and media and the arts. Interns will be involved in supporting the Clinic’s ongoing docket and in planning decisions about clients, cases, and topic areas to be addressed in the Clinic’s work during the upcoming academic year. Interns are supervised and mentored by the Cyberlaw Clinic instructors, and are provided with feedback and growth opportunities. 

And, of course, current law students should also reach out to their school’s career offices. UNC students can contact the Career Development Office through My Carolina Law.

Check the board regularly for summer and post-grad opportunities!