Legal Intern

About the Role

The ACLU seeks a Summer Legal Intern in the LGBTQ & HIV Project of the ACLU’s National office in New York City. This position can be remote or hybrid.

Qualifying applicants must currently be matriculated legal students and must be based in the U.S. for the entire duration of the internship.

The Team:

The LGBTQ & HIV Project seeks to create a just society for all LGBTQ people and people living with HIV regardless of race or income.  Through litigation, lobbying, public education, and organizing, the ACLU works to build a country where our communities can live openly without discrimination and enjoy equal rights, personal autonomy, and freedom of expression and association. 

The LGBTQ & HIV Project was founded in 1986, but the ACLU has advocated for the rights of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people at least since 1936, and for the rights of transgender people at least since 1967.

What You’ll Do:

Legal interns serve a vital role in the LGBTQ & HIV project by completing research and writing projects in furtherance of the project’s core work. They are regularly given assignments by attorneys across the project working on a wide range of substantive issues that aim to advance strategic goals through litigation, policy advocacy, and public education. Their work is closely supervised by the primary intern supervisor as well as the assigning attorneys to ensure that the interns are exposed to a range of attorneys with varying experiences, management styles, and skills. The goal of the internship program is both to gain creative insights and substantive contributions from the interns, while also investing in the development of future civil rights advocates fighting for LGBTQ people and people living with HIV.

Your Day to Day:

• Drafting memoranda, affidavits, and briefs
• Conducting legal and policy research
• Researching prospects for new litigation, including both factual and legal claims
• Researching and drafting materials for public education

What You'll Bring:

The internship is open to current law student who will have completed at least one year of law school by the start of the internship.  Interns should possess the following:

• Demonstrated commitment to the advancement and protection of the civil liberties of LGBTQ+ people and people living with HIV
• Excellent research skills, including conducting internet and legal database research
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and writing
• Attention to detail, excellent organizing and time-management skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite
• The initiative to see projects through to completion

Future ACLU'ers Will:

• Be committed to advancing the mission of the ACLU
• 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
• Be committed to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and conflicts

Internship Logistics

• Location: Our internship program offers a limited number of remote or hybrid intern positions. This internship may be remote or hybrid and based in our New York City office.
• Time Commitment: Summer internships require a full time (35 hour/week) commitment.
• Internship Duration: Summer internships span 10 consecutive weeks with a start date of May 26 or June 8.
• Stipend: A stipend is available for those students who are lawfully authorized to work. Legal interns receive a stipend amount $24/hour (stipends are taxed)

Priority Application Deadline: October 13, 2025 for 2L applicants; December 5, 2025 for 1L applicants. 

While there is a priority deadline, our project is committed to reviewing all applications on a rolling basis until the closing of posting.

Why the ACLU

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 abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties cases and issues to defend all people. 

Our Commitment to Accessibility, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

Accessibility, equity, diversity, and inclusion are core values of the ACLU and central to our work to advance liberty, equality, and justice for all. For us diversity, equity and inclusion are not just check-the-box activities, but a chance for us to make long-term meaningful change. We are a community committed to learning and growth, humility and grace, transparency and accountability. We believe in a collective responsibility to create a culture of belonging for all people within our organization – one that respects and embraces difference; treats everyone equitably; and empowers our colleagues to do the best work possible. We are as committed to anti-oppression and anti-racism internally as we are externally. Because whether we’re in the courts or in the office, we believe ‘We the People’ means all of us.  

With this commitment in mind, we strongly encourage 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, veteran status and record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.  

The ACLU is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please email [email protected]. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request accommodations for the interview process.

In order to be considered for this position, all candidates must formally submit an application. The ACLU does not accept unsolicited calls or emails from candidates regarding their application status.