Description
For nearly 100 years, the ACLU has been our nation’s guardian of liberty, working in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country. Whether it’s achieving full equality for the LGBT community, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age, ending mass incarceration, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties cases and issues to defend all people from government abuse and overreach. With more than a million members, activists, and supporters, the ACLU is a nationwide organization that fights tirelessly in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C., for the principle that every individual’s rights must be protected equally under the law, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or national origin.
The Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project (SPT) of the ACLU’S National Office in New York City seeks legal interns for the Fall of 2015. Stipends are available for those students who do not receive outside funding and/or course credit. Arrangements can also be made with the student’s law school for work/study stipends or course credit.
OVERVIEW
The Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project is part of the ACLU’s Center for Democracy, which works to strengthen democratic institutions and values, including the values of government transparency and accountability, and to reinforce the United States’s commitment to human rights and the rule of law. The Center for Democracy includes—in addition to the Speech, Privacy and Technology Project—the Human Rights Project and the National Security Project, and also works closely with staff from the ACLU’s Communications Department, Affiliate Support and Advocacy Department, and Washington Legislative Office.
The Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project is dedicated to protecting and expanding the First Amendment freedoms of expression, association, and inquiry; expanding the right to privacy and increasing the control that individuals have over their personal information; and ensuring that civil liberties are enhanced rather than compromised by new advances in science and technology. The Project is currently litigating cases and conducting other advocacy efforts on a variety of issues, including political protest, freedom of expression online, privacy of electronic information, journalists’ rights, scientific freedom, and openness in the courts.
INTERNSHIP OVERVIEW
Interns will have the opportunity to work on a variety of litigation projects. The internship requires a semester long commitment, with a preferred start date in September.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Interns will have the opportunity to gain valuable experience by working alongside the SPT team on all aspects of litigation, and will gain experience by working on the following:
- Conducting legal and policy research.
- Drafting memoranda, affidavits, and briefs.
- Researching prospects for new litigation, including both factual and legal claims.
- Supporting research and drafting public education materials.
DESIRED EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS
This Legal Internship is open to law students who will have completed their first year of law school before the internship commences, and who have a commitment to civil liberties, digital rights and an interest in working towards social justice. Interns should possess the following:
- Excellent research, writing, and communication skills.
- A strong commitment to human rights and civil liberties issues.
- The initiative to see projects through to completion.
HOW TO APPLY
Applicants should send a cover letter explaining their interest in the internship, including a description of any relevant life or work experience gained before or during law school; a resume; a list of three references; an official or unofficial transcript; and a legal writing sample, of 10 pages or less to: hrjobsCFD@aclu.org (please reference SPT Fall 2015 Legal Internship/ACLU-W in the subject line).
Please indicate in your cover letter where you learned of this internship opportunity.
Students are encouraged to submit applications as early as possible, as decisions are made on a rolling basis.
This posting provides a general but not comprehensive list of the opportunities of the internship. It does not represent a contract of employment. The ACLU reserves the right to change the posting at any time without advance notice.
The ACLU is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. The ACLU encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, and veteran status.
The ACLU undertakes affirmative action strategies in its recruitment and employment efforts to assure that persons with disabilities have full opportunities for employment in all positions.
We encourage applicants with disabilities who may need accommodations in the application process to contact: HRJobsINCLReq@aclu.org. Correspondence sent to this address that is not related to requests for accommodations will not be reviewed. Applicants should follow the instructions above regarding how to apply.
The ACLU comprises two separate corporate entities, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU Foundation. Both the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU Foundation are national organizations with the same overall mission, and share office space and employees. The ACLU has two separate corporate entities in order to do a broad range of work to protect civil liberties. This job posting refers collectively to the two organizations under the name “ACLU.”
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