Summer 2026 Legal Intern

About the Role

Interns do critical work to support our litigation and will gain valuable experience by working with the team on a wide variety of issues.

Your Day to Day:

• Conducting legal research and analysis 
• Aiding in drafting memoranda, motions, declarations, and legal pleadings 
• Providing general assistance on active litigation, including cite-checking  
• Supporting development of new litigation projects 
• Additional responsibilities could include working on fact development, conducting background research, or tracking and analyzing bills.

What You'll Bring:

The internship is open to law students who will have completed at least one year of law school before the internship commences. Interns should possess the following: 

• Excellent legal research and writing skills and the ability to conduct complex legal analysis.
• Strong oral communications skills and the ability to explain complicated legal issues. 
• The ability to balance multiple assignments, to communicate with colleagues, and to accept and incorporate feedback. 
• A collaborative attitude – be a team player. 
• Demonstrated commitment to public interest law, civil rights and liberties, and social justice; a demonstrated commitment to reproductive health rights and justice is a plus, but is not required.

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 can 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 17, 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.