Internship Prison Policy Initiative Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Legal Intern - 2026/2027 Academic Calendar (Two Positions)

Priority deadline will be Friday, August 21st at 5pm PST

About UnCommon Law

UnCommon Law fights to ensure that all people incarcerated for violent crime have access to healing, justice, and effective legal representation.

Through our unique, trauma-informed model of advocacy, we provide the space currently missing in the system for healing, accountability, and safe pathways home from prison. In developing new self-narratives, the people we serve are able to more effectively disrupt violence inside and outside prison and become leaders who change negative societal narratives about those incarcerated for violent crime. Our groundbreaking approach is changing policy and outcomes, driven by the voices and experiences of system-impacted communities.

About the Role 

UnCommon Law has an opening for two undergraduate (any major) interns. This position provides support to the Legal Team. The main duties of the position are processing and drafting non-client communications. Interns will also have the opportunity to learn about the discretionary parole process, California prisons, and about the life cycle of individual journeys through incarceration and release. Furthermore, interns will be given the opportunity to participate in special projects, such as database audits, working on specific cases, conducting research, or reviewing and editing legal documents.
The Legal Intern position is part-time (15-20 hours/week) over the 2026/27 Academic Calendar, beginning ideally on September 14, 2026, and ending May 14, 2027. This position is unpaid and offers a $600 stipend per semester to defray some costs. We encourage candidates to seek outside funding, fellowship opportunities, or school credit. UnCommon Law will be flexible about scheduling and understands that many students are not only busy with school, but are also working. This is a hybrid position that requires a minimum of 8 hours per week at our office in Oakland, CA.

We encourage people who have been directly impacted by incarceration to apply.

Example Responsibilities

• Communications: Reviewing and responding to non-client mail
• Information management: Updating contact records and maintaining our legal database
• Research: Reviewing case records and central prison files; compiling housing, employment, and other support resources
• Direct Attorney support: Writing memos regarding policy updates, conducting research in our central files, participating in virtual conference calls as a note taker

Qualifications 

• Compassion for incarcerated people and their family members, and a demonstrated interest in criminal justice reform 
• Spanish language skills (strongly preferred)
• Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• A professional demeanor and pleasant disposition
• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail
• Sensitivity to confidential matters
• A working proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel, Google Suite, and CRM software (strongly preferred)

Application Instructions

Please submit a resume and a cover letter describing your interest and relevant experience for the role, along with contact information for two professional or academic references to our hiring portal (https://uncommonlaw.bamboohr.com/jobs/). Applicants who submit cover letters that are not tailored to the position or the organization will not be considered.

Please note that all correspondence in the hiring process will be through the BambooHR portal. Following the submission of your application, you should receive an automatic response (via email) thanking you for your application. If you do not receive this, please check your spam folder.

UCL is committed to providing an inclusive, welcoming, and culturally responsive environment for all members of our staff, volunteers, subcontractors, vendors, and clients. UCL does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, or prior contact with the criminal justice system. We strongly encourage applications from people impacted by incarceration as well as from traditionally underrepresented communities.