Spring 2027 Legal Intern, Women's Rights Project

ACLU
New York, NY
HybridCareer-pivot friendly

Who this role is best for

A natural match if you have experience in civil rights advocacy and are based in the U.S.

Best fit for

  • Law students with a focus on gender justice and civil liberties advocacy
    — “A commitment to civil liberties, civil rights, social justice, and gender justice”
  • Candidates with strong research and communication skills for policy and litigation support
    — “Excellent research skills, including conducting internet and legal database research”
  • Individuals who can manage part-time work commitments over 12 weeks
    — “This internship is part time and requires a commitment of 15-20 hours per week for 12 consecutive weeks”

Things to consider

  • The role requires academic credit integration and is not for monetary compensation
    — “This internship is being offered for course credit only”
  • Remote or hybrid work is available but limited to specific locations
    — “Our internship program offers a limited number of remote or hybrid intern positions”

How to stand out

  • Highlight specific experience with legislative tracking or public education campaigns
    — “Legislative bill tracking and analysis”
  • Demonstrate a track record of completing projects independently and thoroughly
    — “The initiative to see projects through to completion”
  • Emphasize your ability to contribute to equity and inclusion in your work experience
    — “Center and embed the principles of equity, inclusion and belonging in their work”
Pace · SteadyCollaboration · HighAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · Team

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • contribution to litigation and policy advocacy
Typical background
legal educationcommitment to civil liberties

Skills & requirements

Required

Legal ResearchPolicy ResearchDrafting Legal MemorandaLegislative Bill Tracking

Preferred

Gender Justice Advocacy

Stack & domain

LegalCivil LibertiesCivil Rights

About the role

Original posting from ACLU via Greenhouse

About the Role

The ACLU seeks a Spring Legal Intern in the Women's Rights Project of the ACLU’s National office in New York City. This internship can be remote or hybrid and is for course credit only.

Qualifying applicants must currently be matriculated legal students and must be based in the U.S. for the entire duration of the internship.

The Team:

Since its founding by Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 1972, the ACLU’s Women’s Rights Project has been a trailblazer in fighting for gender equity under law. We engage in systemic legal reform to ensure that everyone has the freedom to live, work, and learn free from stereotypes, harassment, and violence based on sex. Our recent work includes fighting the military’s ban on women in combat, challenging employment rules that penalize workers for their pregnancies or push them out of the paid workforce altogether and winning a historic settlement against Facebook for targeting ads for jobs, housing, and credit only at men. 

What You’ll Do:

Interns will have the opportunity to gain valuable experience by working alongside the team assisting in all aspects of litigation, policy advocacy, and communications campaigns.

Your Day to Day:

Day to Day responsibilities may include, but are not limited to the following:

Conducting legal and policy research

Drafting legal memoranda

Researching prospects for new litigation, including both factual and legal claims

Researching and drafting materials for public education

Legislative bill tracking and analysis

What You’ll Bring:

The internship is open to law students who will have completed at least one year of law school before the internship commences or are in an LLM or SJD program. Interns should possess the following:

Excellent research skills, including conducting internet and legal database research

Excellent communication skills, both verbal and writing

Attention to detail, excellent organizing and time-management skills

Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite

The initiative to see projects through to completion

A commitment to civil liberties, civil rights, social justice, and gender justice

Future ACLU-ers Will:

Be committed to advancing the mission of the ACLU

Center and embed the principles of equity, inclusion and belonging in their work by demonstrating commitment to diversity with an approach that respects and values multiple perspectives

Be committed to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and conflict

Internship Logistics:

Location: Our internship program offers a limited number of remote or hybrid intern positions. This internship is can be remote or hybrid based out of our New York City Office.

Time Commitment: This internship is part time and requires a commitment of 15-20 hours per week for 12 consecutive weeks.

Internship Duration: This internship has a start date of January 11th or January 25th, 2027.

Stipend: This internship is being offered for course credit only. This internship must be tied to the intern’s formal education program by integrated coursework or the receipt of academic credit.

Priority Application Deadline: October 30th, 2026

While there is a priority deadline, our project is committed to reviewing all applications on a rolling basis until the closing of posting.

If you are a re-applicant to the Women's Rights Project, please note that in your cover letter. 

Why the ACLU

For over 100 years, the ACLU has worked to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Whether it’s ending mass incarceration, achieving full equality for the LGBTQ+ community, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties cases and issues to defend all people. 

Our Commitment to Accessibility, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

  Accessibility, equity, diversity, and inclusion are core values of the ACLU and central to our work to advance liberty, equality, and justice for all. For us diversity, equity and inclusion are not just check-the-box activities, but a chance for us to make long-term meaningful change. We are a community committed to learning and growth, humility and grace, transparency and accountability. We believe in a collective responsibility to create a culture of belonging for all people within our organization – one that respects and embraces difference; treats everyone equitably; and empowers our colleagues to do the best work possible. We are as committed to anti-oppression and anti-racism internally as we are externally. Because whether we’re in the courts or in the office, we believe ‘We the People’ means all of us.  

With this commitment in mind, we strongly encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status and record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.  

The ACLU is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please complete the Accommodation Request Form

If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

In order to be considered for this position, all candidates must formally submit an application. The ACLU does not accept unsolicited calls or emails from candidates regarding their application status.

Source: ACLU careers (Greenhouse)

Similar roles