Location: For Spring 2025, students located in proximity to one of our three office locations (Fresno, Sacramento, or San Francisco) may work with us in-person, remotely, or in a hybrid model. Students not located in proximity to one of our three office locations may work with us remotely.
Deadline: Open until filled.
The ACLU of Northern California’s Legal-Policy Department invites law students to apply for its Democracy & Civic Engagement Internship. Students willing to work with intensity and focus will find an internship at ACLU NorCal a rewarding learning experience. Qualified applicants are enthusiastic, creative, and detail-oriented; have strong research, writing, and oral communication skills; and can articulate a commitment to work for social justice and the ideals of the ACLU.
About the Legal-Policy Department
The Legal-Policy Department promotes policy change and pursues cutting edge impact litigation to defend and expand the civil liberties and civil rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. The Department’s work focuses on six broad program areas: Criminal Justice; Democracy & Civic Engagement; Gender, Sexuality & Reproductive Justice; Immigrants’ Rights; Racial & Economic Justice; and Technology & Civil Liberties. The Department’s staff is based in San Francisco, Sacramento, and Fresno. Department staff work closely with other departments within ACLU NorCal, including Organizing, Communications, Development, Finance & Administration, as well as with ACLU California Action.
Democracy & Civic Engagement Internship
Democracy & Civic Engagement Interns work directly with one or more attorneys in support of the Program’s litigation and policy work, which focuses on voting rights, the First Amendment, and open government. Interns are responsible for conducting legal research, as well as for drafting legal memoranda, court documents, pre-litigation demand letters, and Public Records Act requests. Additionally, interns may be asked to investigate facts and possible legal claims arising from intakes received via the Civil Liberties Hotline. When possible, interns will attend appellate arguments, trial court proceedings, and depositions. Interns are also encouraged to participate in regular meetings with team members and with Department staff to discuss litigation and policy strategies. At times, assignments may arise that provide interns the opportunity to work across the Department’s six broad program areas, including in the areas of Racial and Economic Justice, Technology and Civil Liberties, Criminal Justice, and Immigrants’ Rights.
Applicants must currently be attending law school. The Legal-Policy Department accepts one to two Democracy & Civic Engagement Interns per term.
Application Process
School Year Internships (Spring and Fall Terms)
School year internships are full- or part-time, generally requiring a 16 hours per week minimum commitment. Students on the semester system must be able to commit to working 12 – 14 weeks. Students on the quarter system can serve shorter quarter-long internships. We greatly prefer that part-time interns commit to work full days (i.e., two eight-hour days rather than four four-hour days) and recommend that students commit as many days a week as possible for the best internship experience. Please note: School year interns must earn academic credit for their participation in our Spring/Fall internship programs.
Application deadlines
Applicants are encouraged to apply early in the hiring cycle.
How to apply
Applications from all interested law and graduate students are welcome. Please note that ACLU NorCal does not consider applications from undergraduate students. Applications must include the following in PDF format: (1) Cover Letter that includes (a) a brief statement about why you want to work on the particular Program/Issue Area you’ve applied for, (b) whether you are interested in in-person work or remote work, and (c) how you encountered the internship opening; (2) Resume; and (3) Writing Sample.
The ACLU of Northern California advances equity and inclusion in the workplace by providing equal employment opportunity to support a work environment free from discrimination on the basis of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age (over 40), sexual orientation, military and veteran status, arrest or conviction record, and any other basis prohibited by law. The organization also provides reasonable accommodations for qualified applicants and employees with disabilities. This equal employment opportunity policy applies to all aspects of employment, including recruitment, selection, advancement, training, problem resolution, and separation from employment. Through this policy, ACLU NorCal strives to establish and maintain an equitable and accessible work environment that is supportive and free from discrimination.
