Student Legal Intern Jobs in Reston, VA (NOW HIRING)

The ACLU-DC seeks second-year law students for full-summer internships in the summer of 2027. (A posting for first-year law student internships, if available, will follow later in the fall semester.)

The ACLU-DC is an affiliate office of the American Civil Liberties Union, a national nonprofit organization devoted to the protection of civil liberties and civil rights through litigation, legislation, and public education. The ACLU-DC works primarily on issues that directly impact people who live in, work in, and visit the District of Columbia, and also on challenges to certain federal government policies and practices where they fall within the jurisdiction of the D.C. federal courts.

Among the matters currently on our docket are: representing Black Lives Matter-DC and individual activists in challenging the attack by federal and local law enforcement on civil rights demonstrators in Lafayette Square on June 1, 2020; a lawsuit seeking to reform the District's practice of sending police and not trained mental health professionals to respond to individuals experiencing mental health crises; the representation of two D.C. agency workers who faced discrimination based on their family responsibilities (child care) in the application of remote work policies; a challenge to the D.C. police department's practice of retaining arrestees' cell phones for months or years after the owners are released or charges are dropped; and eighteen cases against policies and practices of the second Trump administration including on immigration, trans rights, voting rights, federal workers' rights, and freedom of speech.

To learn more about our work, visit acludc.org.

NATURE OF INTERNSHIP

Legal interns will be exposed to and participate in the process of developing and litigating impact cases to advance civil rights and liberties. The legal intern's primary duties will be conducting legal research for current and potential cases, and drafting memoranda, pleadings, motions, and/or discovery requests. Legal interns will also likely interview potential clients and help investigate the facts of potential cases.

Depending on the state of our docket in summer 2027, interns are likely to have additional opportunities to become immersed in the work of the ACLU-DC's Legal department, including legal strategy sessions; and court proceedings, depositions, and client meetings. ACLU-DC staff believe strongly in mentorship and in thorough and timely feedback on all work product.

Financial stipends may be available for candidates not receiving summer funding from their law schools to assist them in covering room, board and other similar expenses (not as compensation or wages for any time spent working).

QUALIFICATIONS

• You are currently asecond-year law student.
• You have excellent work ethic, including dependability, diligence, the ability to take ownership over projects, and the commitment to see projects through to completion in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
• You are receptive to feedback, enthusiastic about learning and self-improvement, and eager to incorporate feedback into future work.
• You have (or are well along in developing) excellent legal research skills, including the judgment to discern what cases are relevant to a particular research question, and thoroughness in covering the question asked.
• You have (or are well along in developing) the capacity to engage in thoughtful and perceptive legal analysis, including the ability to build a logical argument, to read and understand legal decisions and statutes, and to grasp whether and how legal authorities apply to a new set of facts.
• You have (or are well along in developing) excellent legal writing skills, including the ability to present ideas in a clear and organized manner and to write a memo that teaches the reader what you have learned through your research by synthesizing (rather than just summarizing) the relevant authorities.
• You have the empathy and interpersonal skills necessary to connect with, listen to, learn from, and ask questions of clients and other community members.

TO APPLY

The deadline for applying is 11:59pm Eastern time on Sunday, September 27, 2026. To apply, complete the application available online here: https://acludc.bamboohr.com/careers/59. To complete the application, you will need to upload:

1. A copy of your resume that lists relevant experience.
2. A cover letter explaining your interest in and qualifications for the position.
3. A writing sample that is your own work, with a brief explanatory note describing the extent of others' involvement if any. This sample should be no more than 10 pages but may be excerpted from a larger document (with a cover note explaining the context if it's unclear from the sample alone). The sample must be a litigation-related document containing legal analysis or argument, such as a brief, motion, or research or strategy memo about actual, potential, or hypothetical litigation. Writing assignments for law school classes are acceptable. Complaints and academic articles are not.
4. A list of three references, including a sentence about each one identifying what information the person can provide. We find particularly helpful the perspective of at least one practicing attorney or clinical supervisor who has worked with you.
5. In place of a transcript, a list of all law school courses that you have taken, are currently taking, or (where available) are scheduled to take next semester.

The ACLU-DC is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. The ACLU-DC encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, or any other classification protected by the D.C. Human Rights Act or federal employment law. If you have a disability and need any reasonable accommodations, please email operations@acludc.org.