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How much do legal intern jobs pay per hour?

As of Jun 15, 2026, the average hourly pay for legal intern in Reston, VA is $20.59, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $16.78 and $23.27 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What types of projects and tasks can a Legal Intern expect to work on during their internship?

As a Legal Intern, you can expect to assist with legal research, draft memos and briefs, review contracts, and help prepare case files for meetings or court proceedings. Interns often attend client meetings or court hearings to observe the legal process and gain practical exposure. You'll collaborate closely with attorneys and paralegals, and may be assigned to specific practice areas, such as litigation, corporate law, or intellectual property, depending on the firm's focus. These hands-on experiences are designed to develop your analytical, writing, and communication skills in a real-world legal environment.

What does a Legal Intern do?

A Legal Intern assists attorneys and legal teams by conducting legal research, drafting documents, organizing files, and helping prepare for hearings or trials. They may also observe court proceedings and client meetings to gain practical experience. Legal Interns often work in law firms, corporate legal departments, or government agencies, and their duties can vary depending on the employer and the intern's level of education. The role is designed to provide hands-on exposure to the legal profession and to help interns develop essential skills for their future careers.

What is the difference between Legal Intern vs Paralegal?

AspectLegal InternParalegal
Required CredentialsTypically law students or recent graduatesUsually college degree in paralegal studies or related field
Work EnvironmentInternship setting, often in law firms, corporate legal departments, or government agenciesFull-time or part-time roles in law firms, corporations, or government
Employer & Industry UsageLegal internships are common during law school; used for training and experienceParalegals are employed to support legal work, handling substantive tasks

Legal Interns are typically law students gaining practical experience, while Paralegals are trained professionals performing substantive legal tasks. Internships are often temporary and educational, whereas paralegal roles are more permanent and involve more responsibility in legal support functions.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Legal Intern, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Legal Intern, you need a solid understanding of legal research, analytical thinking, and strong written and verbal communication skills, typically supported by enrollment in or completion of law school courses. Familiarity with legal research databases like Westlaw or LexisNexis and proficiency in Microsoft Office are commonly required. Attention to detail, time management, and the ability to work collaboratively are standout soft skills in this position. These competencies are crucial for producing accurate legal work, meeting deadlines, and contributing effectively to a legal team.

What Does a Legal Intern Do?

As a law student working as a legal intern, your responsibilities and duties can include anything involved in assisting the attorneys in your firm prepare their cases. You may perform basic administrative duties, such as organizing files, making copies, sending and receiving casefiles, writing emails, and making phone calls. You may also conduct research for attorneys and schedule their appointments. You will likely have opportunities to work directly with clients and help with court case preparation. All of these experiences will be valuable in building your future career qualifications as a lawyer.

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Children's Legal Services Legal Externship (Summer 2026)

Theirc

Silver Spring, MD

Part-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 5 days ago

Job description

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

SCOPE OF WORK:

The Children's Legal Services (CLS) Legal Intern will support CLS attorneys in providing services to unaccompanied youth who entered the U.S. without a parent or legal guardian and who face deportation/removal in immigration court proceedings.

The legal intern will work under the supervision of CLS attorneys on specific projects to provide legal and factual research and analysis to support clients' applications for Asylum, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), and other humanitarian forms of relief such as T and U visa applications for survivors of human trafficking and other serious crimes. The legal intern will have an opportunity to assist attorneys in preparing for immigration court hearings and/or state court custody/guardianship proceedings relevant to Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. In addition, the legal intern will have direct client interactions to support clients with initial screenings, follow-up meetings, drafting their declarations, gathering and preparing other evidence relevant to their immigration applications. The intern will perform clerical and administrative duties to ensure client notes are current and files are organized and kept up to date.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Assist CLS attorneys in providing various client services including:

  • Client interviews, follow-up meetings and client communications.
  • Factual, Legal Research and Analysis. Intern will engage in fact-finding including country conditions factual research, legal research and analysis of client cases.
  • Preparation of Testimony. Intern may assist client with initial drafting of their personal declarations and other personal fact-finding relevant to their immigration applications.
  • Draft immigration applications and legal cover letters/briefs and court motions.
  • Assist staff with monitoring status of clients' immigration court removal proceedings
  • Record client notes in case management system and assist legal staff with sorting, scanning and filing documents in case files.
  • Adhere to IRC policies, particularly those related to confidentiality and client privacy.
  • Display sensitivity to cultural and personality differences of clients. Respect their beliefs and values.
  • Other related duties as assigned.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

  • Intern will learn about U.S. immigration lawin the context of unaccompanied minors and youth.
  • Intern will develop problem solving and client services skills
  • Intern will learn how to manage client cases within established deadlines

REQUIREMENTS:

  • Minimum 15 hours or up to 37.5 per week; preference for those that can work 37.5 hours.
  • Must be currently enrolled in an accredited JD or LLM program.
  • Spanish language proficiency is a plus but is not required.
  • Strong desire to help immigrant youth in Maryland
  • Ability to work independently, exercise good judgment, and have high attention to detail.
  • Competency in Microsoft Office, data tracking, and file management
  • Effective communication skills.
  • Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a multicultural environment.
  • Patience, understanding, flexibility, and a positive attitude.
  • Willingness to learn about IRC history, philosophy, global work, and local efforts.
  • Adherence to IRC code of conduct, volunteer and workplace policies

This position reports to the Managing Attorney or Senior Staff Attorney.

TO APPLY
Click Apply Now at the top of this page. Please attach a resume, cover letter, and a list of (at least) three references to your application. The deadline to apply is May 22, 2026.

This position is for the Summer semester and requires a minimum commitment of 15 hours per week. Ability to work in-person at the Silver Spring office is required.

Summer 2026 interns are expected to begin their internship term by attending an in-person intern orientation on June 1st, 2026 from 9:15AM-3:30PM.
We currently offer internships during the following semesters:

Spring: January - May
Summer: June - August
Fall: September - December


Internships are typically posted 2-3 months prior to the anticipated start date.

Note: Internships with the IRC in Silver Spring are unpaid. Summer 2026 interns may be eligible for per diem reimbursement at the rate of $15/day to offset the costs of food and travel. For information on scholarship opportunities, contact your university or the IRC Silver Spring Community Engagement Coordinator Michalina Kulesza at michalina.kulesza@rescue.org.

*Candidates applying not enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program and outside of 12 months from graduation are welcome to apply.These candidates will be processed as volunteers.

To protect our clients, the IRC requires all selected applicants to complete background checks. We ask that you make a $30 donation to help us cover the associated costs. Currently, 87% of our funding goes directly to programming to support our clients, and your help to cover this cost will ensure that no funding is directed away from serving our clients. Instructions will be provided after you have been selected to intern or volunteer.

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS

All International Rescue Committee workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. Our Standards are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Safeguarding, Conflicts of Interest, Fiscal Integrity, and Reporting Wrongdoing and Protection from Retaliation. IRC is committed to take all necessary preventive measures and create an environment where people feel safe, and to take all necessary actions and corrective measures when harm occurs. IRC builds teams of professionals who promote critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to our clients.

Cookies: https://careers.rescue.org/us/en/cookiesettings

US Benefits: We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. In the US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days depending on role and tenure, medical insurance starting at $163 per month, dental starting at $6.50 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with immediately vested matching, disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.

Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

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