Legal Intern - Special Litigation & Appeals

Location: We expect our Summer 2027 internships will proceed in-person (in a hybrid model) at our offices in San Francisco, Sacramento, and Fresno. In your application materials please include your preference and willingness to be based in each of these locations.

Deadline: Open until filled. Applications from first year law students will not be reviewed until November 2026.

The ACLU of Northern California’s Legal Advocacy Department invites law students to apply for a legal internship with a focus on appellate advocacy. Students willing to work with intensity and focus will find an internship at ACLU NorCal to be a rewarding learning experience. Qualified applicants are enthusiastic, creative, and detail-oriented; have strong research, writing, and oral communication skills; and can articulate a commitment to work for social justice and the ideals of the ACLU. 

About the Legal Advocacy Department

The Legal Advocacy Department promotes policy change and pursues cutting edge impact litigation to defend and expand the civil liberties and civil rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. The Department’s work focuses on three broad issue areas: Criminal Law & Immigration; Democracy, Speech & Technology; and Special Litigation & Appeals. The Department’s staff is based in San Francisco, Sacramento, and Fresno. Department staff work closely with other departments within ACLU NorCal, including Organizing, Communications, Development, as well as with ACLU National and California Action.

Legal Intern (Special Litigation & Appeals)

The Intern will work directly with the Director of Appellate Advocacy and Senior Supervising Attorney to advance the goals of the Legal Advocacy Department writ large. This work may include contributing to litigation at the Department level and/or within one of the Department’s issue-based programs. While the Intern will focus on appellate advocacy projects, the intern will also work on projects at various stages of litigation, including investigating, developing, and initiating affirmative cases; and drafting pleadings, motions, and briefs. The Intern is encouraged to participate in strategy meetings with other ACLU staff and coalition partners, as well as monthly department meetings where prospective litigation and policies strategy are discussed. At times, assignments may arise that provide the intern the opportunity to work across the Department’s three broad issue areas, including Criminal Law & Immigration and Democracy, Speech & Technology.   

Applicants must currently be attending law school. Applicants must demonstrate a passion for and a commitment to work for social justice and the ideals of the ACLU. The Legal Advocacy Department accepts one to two Special Litigation & Appeals Interns per term.

Application Process

Summer internships are full-time for 10 – 12 weeks and generally begin the day after Memorial Day. “Split” summers may be considered where the intern is available for a minimum of 10 weeks. Part-time internships are not available during the summer.

Funding and Scholarship Opportunities

For summer internship funding, students should seek funding through their institutions to the extent it is available. At ACLU NorCal, we strive to create equitable opportunities for student-applicants and recognize that not all institutions provide funding (or adequate funding) for students pursing public interest internships and career paths. As such, for students coming from schools that do not offer summer funding, ACLU NorCal will provide you with funding to compensate for you work with us over the summer.

Application deadlines

Applicants are encouraged to apply early in the hiring cycle. 

• Summer term: Applications will be accepted beginning in early September for the following summer term. ACLU NorCal staff will not begin to review applications from first year law students until November 2026.

How to apply

Applications from all interested law and graduate students are welcome. Please note that ACLU NorCal does not consider applications from undergraduate students. Applications must include the following in PDF format: (1) Cover Letter that includes (a) a brief statement about why you want to work on the particular Program/Issue Area you’ve applied for, (b) your preference and willingness to be based in each of our three office locations for the summer (San Francisco, Sacramento, and Fresno), and (c) how you encountered the internship opening; (2) Resume; and (3) Writing Sample.

The ACLU of Northern California advances equity and inclusion in the workplace by providing equal employment opportunity to support a work environment free from discrimination on the basis of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age (over 40), sexual orientation, military and veteran status, arrest or conviction record, and any other basis prohibited by law. The organization also provides reasonable accommodations for qualified applicants and employees with disabilities.This equal employment opportunity policy applies to all aspects of employment, including recruitment, selection, advancement, training, problem resolution, and separation from employment. Through this policy, ACLU NorCal strives to establish and maintain an equitable and accessible work environment that is supportive and free from discrimination.