Law Reform Legal Intern, 2L- Summer 2027

The Legal Aid Society
New York, New York, United StatesPosted Sep 4, 2026
LegalSummer 2027

About the role

The law reform units of the Legal Aid Society (LAS) have opportunities for law school students to participate in LAS’s ground-breaking work on impact litigation and policy initiatives that seek to address systemic issues facing Legal Aid’s clients.

CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAW REFORM TEAM

[https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flegalaidnyc.org%2Fprograms-projects-units%2Fcriminal-defense-practice-law-reform%2F&data=05%7C02%7CDTortoriello%40legal-aid.org%7Cb861d8e7855449cc011c08ddec883b46%7Cf226ccf384ef49ca9b0a9b565b2f0f06%7C0%7C0%7C638926792022446936%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=JJ95YvDm9oWpISTowz5YZEXDavhRGU3rYgWO8Bh8oHc%3D&reserved=0]– This team has four internship programs. Candidates applying to the Criminal Law Reform team must indicate their unit/project preferences in their cover letter.

The options are

  • Special Litigation Unit
  • Prisoners’ Rights Project
  • Incarcerated Client Services Unit
  • Decarceration Unit
  • LAW REFORM UNIT OF THE CIVIL PRACTICE (INCLUDING HOMELESS RIGHTS UNIT)
  • SPECIAL LITIGATION AND LAW REFORM UNIT OF THE JUVENILE RIGHTS PRACTICE
  • LGBTQ+ LAW AND POLICY INITIATIVE UNIT

Each of these units engages in impact litigation, policy reform, coalition building, and public education strategies to grapple with novel legal issues arising in the daily practice of Legal Aid's direct services work. Interns applying to this position will be assigned to one of these units for the duration of their internship, depending on the preferences of the intern and the needs of the units.

Applicants should review The Legal Aid Society's website for more specific descriptions of the work of each of these units and identify in their application which unit or units they are interested in. Applicants will be offered positions depending on their preferences and the needs of the units.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPON

Similar internships