Capital Defense Internships and Jobs

The following are internship and job opportunities for law students and recent graduates in offices around the country that are engaged in the defense of death row inmates or capitally-charged defendants. The information provided below is submitted by the offices listed. The Berkeley Law Death Penalty Clinic cannot vouch for the reliability of the information submitted by these offices or the quality of the experience you may have as an intern or employee at any of these offices. As with any such opportunities, we encourage you to speak with other students who have worked at the offices in which you are interested, and gather as much information as you can from colleagues and mentors before accepting a position.

Please check back frequently, as new information is posted as we receive it. To submit, remove, or revise a posting, please send an email to clinicalprogram@law.berkeley.edu.

The following list contains Summer 2025 Internship Opportunities and Year-Round Internship Opportunities in the Bay Area.

Summer 2025 Internship Opportunities

Arizona

The Arizona Capital Representation Project (“Project”) is Arizona ‘s only non-profit capital defense resource center. The Project directly represents indigent inmates who are challenging their convictions and death sentences in state and federal court. The Project also provides training seminars, resource materials and consultation to capital defense attorneys representing clients at every legal stage from pretrial through clemency proceedings. The Project accepts full-time interns during the summer and part-time interns during the school year. Duties of the intern may include investigating capital cases, researching and writing on capital litigation issues, fund-raising for the Project, coordinating capital defense training seminars and consulting with clients at the state prison. The internship is open to 2Ls and 3Ls who have demonstrated an interest in public service, human rights, and/or social justice issues. Prior coursework in criminal law is preferred. Interested students should send a resume, writing sample and cover letter to Emily Skinner at emily@azcapitalproject.org. We accept applications on a rolling basis. For further information, please visit azcapitalproject.org.

The Capital Habeas Unit of the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the District of Arizona has a satellite office in Salt Lake City which provides representation for six of the eight inmates currently sentenced to death in the state of Utah. The office’s mission is to ensure the right to effective assistance of counsel–as guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Criminal Justice Act–to those who are unable to afford retained counsel and other necessary defense services. Students who work in the Capital Habeas Unit will have the opportunity to contribute to this mission while they develop their legal research and writing skills. They may contribute to appellate briefs, and may have the opportunity to assist with the representation of clients who are under an immediate warrant of execution, as well as conducting specific research tasks. Applicants must have a demonstrated commitment to indigent defense, along with strong research and writing skills. For consideration, please submit a cover letter, resume, and legal writing sample to David Christensen at david_christensen@fd.org. We fill positions on a rolling basis. For additional information, please email Mr. Christensen or call (801) 524-6043.

Arkansas

The Federal Public Defender for the Eastern District of Arkansas is seeking one to two legal interns in the Capital Habeas Unit (C.H.U.) to work on death penalty cases in federal district court for 8-10 weeks during the summer months of 2025. These positions are not paid internships. The Federal Public Defender Office provides legal representation to indigent persons in federal proceedings. The CHU represents individuals who have been convicted of a capital crime in Arkansas state court and who seek post-conviction relief in federal court. CHU interns work exclusively on death penalty cases and related matters. Responsibilities include assisting attorneys, paralegals, investigators and mitigation specialists with all aspects of legal and factual development and case preparation. Tasks include reviewing records and documents, drafting legal memoranda, compiling chronologies of information, meeting clients, and analyzing and researching discrete legal issues. Interns may partake in field work, such as locating and interviewing witnesses, when opportunities arise. Those with an interest in criminal or capital defense and/or appellate work are encouraged to apply. The CHU seeks interns with strong research ability, people skills, initiative, and a commitment to equal justice. Interested applicants should email a resume and letter of interest to melissa_fenwick@fd.org. Applications will be accepted until May 31, 2025.

California

The Capital Habeas Unit of the Federal Defender for the Eastern District of California, located in Sacramento, offers full-time summer internships for law students. The CHU represents California death row inmates in California, other states, and on federal death row in their federal court habeas corpus proceedings. Students may perform legal research, review documents, draft pleadings, and assist in investigation. The duration of the internship is 10 weeks and is unpaid. Rising 2Ls and 3Ls are welcome to apply; assignments will vary with background and experience and the Office’s present needs. Preference is given to students with a demonstrated commitment to capital defense, post-conviction work, and/or indigent criminal defense. Applications each year will be considered on a rolling basis, beginning in November and through the end of February. To apply, please send a cover letter, resume, two references and a writing sample to Alyssa_Mack@fd.org.

The Capital Habeas Unit of the Federal Public Defender for the Central District of California offers full-time, unpaid summer clerkships for law students. Over the course of ten weeks, law students will work closely with lawyers who are challenging their clients’ death sentences in state and federal habeas proceedings. Summer law clerks help write petitions and district court and appellate briefs. They also attend federal court trials and hearings. Interested students should email a cover letter, resume, brief writing sample, and unofficial transcript to internships@fpdcdca.org. Strong research and writing skills are mandatory; special preference is given to students with a demonstrated commitment to social justice issues. Hiring decisions are made on a rolling basis, and the office is currently accepting applications from 1Ls and 2Ls.

Community Resource Initiative is a collectively run investigation office and resource center. We build narratives to challenge the death penalty, improve the standard of care and advocate for the value of human life. We collaborate with families and communities impacted by the judicial system to facilitate safety, growth and resilience. CRI’s internship program offers an active, hands on investigative research internship to self-starting interns who are interested in immersing themselves in human rights investigation within the legal defense field. Interns will be asked to research issues related to mental health, genealogy, neighborhood effects on children, and adverse childhood experiences. Their work will be used to support CRI’s casework. This internship is unpaid and available for credit. Applicants should be working toward a degree. If interested please email a curriculum vitae and letter of interest which includes your thoughts on the death penalty as currently applied in the United States to kyle.earley@cr-i.org

The Office of the State Public Defender offers bright, energetic, and committed law students the opportunity to participate in a 10-week summer internship from June until August or during a semester of the academic year. The Office of the State Public Defender (OSPD) has an exclusive focus on death penalty cases, and represents more than 130 people on California’s death row. OSPD litigates these cases both on appeal and habeas corpus. The work of the office is often at the cutting edge of criminal law. We have appeared in the California Supreme Court in over 250 cases and in the United States Supreme Court in a half dozen cases where certiorari review was granted. We have been responsible for major developments in the areas of capital litigation, due process, right to counsel, confessions, jury selection, search and seizure, sentencing and many other issues. The work of the Office of the State Public Defender is complex and challenging, and presents a unique personal and professional opportunity for those interested in criminal defense.

Summer interns assist with preparing appeals or habeas corpus petitions to the California Supreme Court. Responsibilities may include: legal and factual research on guilt/innocence, forensic, mental health, client social history and other issues; collecting or summarizing documents, investigation and field work (expenses paid); drafting memos and legal pleadings; preparing for hearings and other tasks. Students participate in team meetings. Summer students attend a week’s worth of formal training at the beginning of the summer, in addition to informal training offered throughout the summer. The internship is unpaid, and interns during the academic year must make a minimum commitment of 16 hours per week

Please include in the application a letter of interest, resume, and writing sample. Two references must be provided upon request. Address applications to:

Office of the State Public Defender
Intern Program
1111 Broadway, 10th Floor
Oakland, CA 94607

or submit via e-mail to internprogram@ospd.ca.gov

Qualified applicants will be contacted for an interview. Call (510) 267-3300 with any questions.

Law Internships

The Habeas Corpus Resource Center (HCRC) – a San Francisco judicial branch entity charged with representing clients in capital post-conviction litigation – is now accepting law student applicants for our Summer 2025 Intern Program. Full-time and part-time internships are available.

HCRC’s Summer Internship Program

HCRC attorneys represent persons sentenced to death in post-conviction habeas corpus proceedings. We investigate and review the constitutionality of California capital convictions and sentences and file petitions alleging the ways in which our clients’ constitutional rights were violated in their capital trial and sentencing procedures. Interns assist case teams in all facets of this work, attend a multi-day training program with interns from other Bay Area defense organizations, and participate in activities designed to introduce them to multiple aspects of the field of capital defense. We intend to offer an in-person internship program at our San Francisco office for Summer 2025.

Applicants should possess strong research and writing abilities, communication skills, and cultural sensitivity, and must be appropriately discreet with confidential information. Knowledge of substantive and procedural legal principles of criminal and constitutional law, provisions of the United States and California Constitutions, and the rules of evidence and conduct of proceedings in California courts is helpful but not required. Applications are considered on a rolling basis, and HCRC generally accepts up to six interns per internship period. Both rising 2Ls and rising 3Ls are considered for summer internship positions.

Pursuant to ABA guidelines and varying polices among law schools as to when current 1Ls may apply for summer internships, we will not accept applications from current 1Ls until December 1, 2024, and we will not begin to review those applications until December 15, 2024. We will review and consider all applications received between December 1st and December 15th with the same priority. Current 1Ls are encouraged to apply during this two-week window, but applications will be reviewed until all positions are filled. Pursuant to California judicial-branch policy, interns must be eligible to work in the United States.

Because we are unable to provide compensation to interns at this time, we will work with applicants to obtain academic credit for internships, and also consider applicants interested in part-time internships that allow interns to work at a paying job while interning with HCRC. Applicants may also seek funding through their law school and other sources. Our summer internship is either full-time (40 hours per week), or part-time (24 hours per week). The internship is ten weeks long, beginning in either the last week of May or the first week of June. Exact dates are set by HCRC, and all interns should be available to start on the same day in order to attend multi-day training offered in conjunction with other defense agencies. Interns are also included in office-wide trainings and other opportunities for skill development throughout the internship.

HCRC Academic Year Internships and Externships; HCRC Fellowships

In addition to our summer intern program, HCRC occasionally hosts law student externs (who receive school credit for working with us) and interns (who work with us for experience, but not for school credit) during the school year, and recent law school graduates who can obtain their own funding for term-limited fellowships (typically six months to a year in length). The availability of these opportunities depends on our case needs, whether we have appropriate work to assign to externs and fellows, and whether we have the resources to provide sufficient supervision for them. If you are interested in an externship or fellowship with the HCRC, please apply via email to InternApplications@hcrc.ca.gov, following the instructions detailed below under ‘How to Apply’; please also indicate in the email the time period during which you are interested in working in our office. For academic year externs and interns, please submit this information by June 1 for the Fall Semester and November 1 for the Spring Semester. For fellows, please submit this information at least two months before you would like to start your fellowship.

About HCRC

Located in San Francisco and established in 1998, HCRC is a state judicial branch entity that provides direct legal representation to persons sentenced to death in post-conviction proceedings in state and federal courts in California. Counsel appointed to represent death-sentenced persons in these proceedings review extensive trial records, conduct and supervise new investigation, research and prepare petitions and briefs based on state and federal statutory and constitutional law, and represent our clients in evidentiary hearings. HCRC has an authorized staff of 88 people, including 34 attorneys.

Information Sessions

We will be holding two information sessions to answer questions about our work and internship program. These optional sessions will be held on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, at 12pm PST / 3pm EST and on Friday, November 15, 2024, at 12pm PST / 3pm EST. Anyone who is interested in attending a session can register using the following Microsoft Forms link: https://forms.office.com/g/gLiYQqiGRz

How to Apply

The Habeas Corpus Resource Center is an equal opportunity employer. HCRC believes that a diverse workforce and inclusive workplace culture enhances the performance of our organization and the quality of representation that we provide to a diverse client base. HCRC welcomes all applicants, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by law.

Applicants are encouraged to apply via e-mail by submitting the following documents to InternApplications@hcrc.ca.gov: (1) a cover letter, (2) resume, (3) a writing sample (a legal memorandum or excerpt that is no more than seven pages), and (4) the names and telephone numbers of three references familiar with your skills. In the cover letter, please explain how your life experiences, training, and work experience have prepared you and enhance your ability to work with teams litigating capital habeas corpus proceedings and to work with and understand our clients and their communities. If you speak a language other than English, particularly Spanish, please note the language in your resume.

Thank you for your interest in an internship, externship, or fellowship opportunity with the Habeas Corpus Resource Center!

The office of the Santa Clara County Alternate Public Defender located in San Jose, California offers full time unpaid summer clerkships for law students. Over the course of the summer, students will work closely with a capital trial team (two lawyers, an investigator, paralegal and mitigation specialist) on a capital trial case involving international mitigation and forensic science. Students may perform legal research, draft briefs, assist in investigation, courtroom observation and assist with witness coordination. Strong research and writing skills are essential. The trial is expected to begin in the Spring and will likely be in progress during the internship. This is an excellent opportunity for students interested in trial practice and courtroom experience. Students with a background or interest in science are especially encouraged to apply. Students should send a resume, writing sample and two references to jessica.delgado@ado.sccgov.org.

Phillips Black, Inc. seeks highly motivated law students interested in assisting in the defense of those facing the severest penalties under law to join us as interns during the spring, summer, or fall semester of 2020. Phillips Black is a 501(c)3 non-profit, public interest law practice. We represent people across the country sentenced to death and those sentenced as juveniles to life-without-parole. We also contribute to research, training, and scholarship on post-conviction issues. Our primary offices are in Oakland, St. Louis, Philadelphia, and New York. We offer summer internships, semester internships and, when available, class credit. Our practice frequently collaborates with mitigation specialists, fact investigators, academics, students and other criminal justice stakeholders in order to provide high-quality representation for our clients, who are serving long and unduly severe sentences. To this end, Phillips Black is seeking driven, motivated law students to assist in our effort to effectively litigate our federal and state habeas cases. Under the supervision of a principal attorney and in close collaboration with our case teams, students will work on post-conviction cases in both state and federal court. Students are expected to perform legal research and writing on discrete issues, conduct extensive review and annotation of case records, and assist in record collection and the marshalling of other materials.

Successful applicants will have a demonstrated commitment to criminal justice issues, strong research and writing skills, and a desire to provide fierce advocacy to prisoners. Phillips Black is strongly committed to promoting diversity in our ranks. Our clients benefit greatly from a diverse team of lawyers and specialists who bring their own life and professional experience, as well as their unique voice and convictions. We enthusiastically encourage students from underrepresented and diverse backgrounds to apply. Please submit applications via e-mail to our office manager, Jasmine Reyes, at j.reyes@phillipsblack.org. For more information about our organization, please visit www.phillipsblack.org.

District of Columbia

The ABA Death Penalty Due Process Review Project hires law students for both academic year and summer internships. Applications are considered on a rolling basis and start/end dates are flexible. The American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional association in the world, with more than 400,000 members. The ABA provides law school accreditation, continuing legal education, information about the law, programs to assist lawyers and judges in their work, and initiatives to improve the legal system for the public. The mission of the ABA is to be the national representative of the legal profession, serving the public and the profession by promoting justice, professional excellence and respect for the law. The ABA’s Death Penalty Due Process Review Project (“Project”) conducts research and educates the public and decision-makers on the operation of capital jurisdictions’ death penalty laws and processes in order to promote fairness and accuracy in death penalty systems. The Project encourages adoption of the ABA’s Protocols on the Fair Administration of the Death Penalty; assists state, federal, and international stakeholders on death penalty issues; and collaborates with other individuals and organizations to develop new initiatives to support reform of death penalty processes. Through creation and support of the Project, the ABA recognizes that it is incumbent upon lawyers – as a profession – to ensure that we are carrying out our work justly and competently, particularly when a life is at stake.

The Project is housed within the ABA’s Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice (“CRSJ”), which was created in 1966 to provide leadership within the ABA and the legal profession in protecting and advancing human rights, civil liberties, and social justice. The Section fulfills that role by raising and addressing often complex and difficult civil rights and civil liberties issues in a changing and diverse society; and ensuring that protection of individual rights remains a focus of legal and policy decisions. Law clerks will be responsible for conducting legal research and outreach for major updates on the state Death Penalty Assessments, ABA amicus curiae briefs in death penalty cases, and other Project Initiatives related to capital punishment and criminal justice reform. Law clerks also will likely draft correspondence, legislative proposals, public education materials, blog posts summarizing legal developments, and even work on new ABA policy statements and reports related to the death penalty. Attendance at and writing briefing memos on relevant hearings, conferences, and/or oral arguments will be encouraged. Law clerks are encouraged to attend and participate in Project meetings or events, as well as those of CRSJ. The Project is small and relies greatly on the contributions of law clerks and interns to complete its work, however there may be also opportunities to work on other non-death penalty related projects for CRSJ, if the law clerk is interested.

Ideal applicants are current law students or LLM candidates who possess strong research and writing skills, are able to independently handle demanding assignments, and have a demonstrated interest in the death penalty, criminal justice, civil rights, and/or public policy advocacy. We look for applicants who are committed to public interest law upon graduation and have already completed at least one year of law school. The Project staff would be happy to assist candidates with obtaining course credit or externship credit for their contributions. Internships are available year-round and applications are accepted until positions are filled. Candidates should email a resume, a brief writing sample (less than 10 pages), and a cover letter detailing the candidate’s interest in working for the Project to: Misty Thomas, Director, at dueprocess@americanbar.org. The cover letter should also include the days and hours during the week that the candidate is available to work. For more information, visit http://www.americanbar.org/dueprocess.

The American Bar Association’s Death Penalty Representation Project was created in 1986. In the past 30 years, the Project has worked to raise awareness about the lack of representation available to death row prisoners, to address this urgent need by recruiting competent volunteer attorneys, and to offer these volunteers training and assistance. The Project also works toward systemic changes in the criminal justice system that would assure those individuals facing a possible death sentence are represented at all stages of the proceedings, from trial through clemency, by qualified, adequately compensated counsel. The Project’s Legal Internship Program gives law students the opportunity to play a significant role in the day-to-day work of the Project. Internship projects may include:

Legal research: Legal interns conduct legal research on a variety of topics related to capital punishment and representation to assist the Director and staff attorney in their work.
Policy research: The Project promotes systemic change in the capital defense system. Legal interns research state and federal statutory law in relation to the appointment of counsel, standards, compensation, and procedure.
Case summaries: The Project recruits volunteer lawyers to represent indigent prisoners on death row. Legal interns research the cases of unrepresented prisoners and prepare summaries for potential volunteers.
Attorney Resources: The Project maintains a library of online resources for attorneys representing capital defendants. Legal interns assist with the maintenance and development of these resources, including an ongoing publication that summarizes all court opinions citing to the ABA Guidelines.
Prisoner letters: The Project receives hundreds of letters from inmates requesting assistance. Legal interns assist with responding to these requests and locating outside resources for prisoners that the Project is unable to assist.
Newsletter: The Project publishes a quarterly newsletter that is distributed to thousands of contacts throughout the legal community. Interns propose and write content for the Project Press.
Other duties as assigned: Interns are encouraged to explore areas of interest to them while interning at the Project, and creativity and initiative are highly valued. Interns are expected to be self-starters, motivated, and interested in contributing significantly to the Project and its mission.

The Legal Internship Program is for a law student for a minimum of one semester or one summer. Interns work a flexible part-time schedule during the fall and spring semesters (15-20 hours) and full-time during the summer. This is an unpaid position, but students may seek academic credit. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. To apply, please send a cover letter, resume, short writing sample, and three references electronically to deathpenaltyproject@americanbar.org.

The mission of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty is to end the death penalty in the US and supporting efforts worldwide. Specifically, legal interns will support the organization in implementing its national advocacy campaign to end the death penalty as well as in supporting local efforts to urge passage of legislation or other policy changes that would reform, repeal or otherwise reduce executions and death sentences. Duties include substantive legal and legislative research and writing. Legal interns perform legal and policy research; draft memoranda on current law, proposed legislation, and recent state and federal judicial opinions; research and write testimony for legislative committees; and conduct research and write on case-specific initiatives as well as issue advocacy campaigns. Applicants should note in his or her cover letter any special interest or experience in issues relevant to the position, including past anti-death penalty or broader criminal justice reform knowledge and experience as well as any direct experience working on capital or criminal justice cases. Qualifications: Currently enrolled in law school, or recently graduated, bar pending; excellent research and writing skills; attention to detail; ability to draft succinct and comprehensive legal memoranda; knowledge of the legislative process and political campaigns; and working knowledge and familiarity with social media tools including Facebook and Twitter are a plus.

This internship is an unpaid position. Academic credit or Community Service Federal-Work Study payment may be available. Please submit resume, cover letter and legal writing sample along with three references (ideally including a reference from someone who can comment on your legal writing and research abilities) to admin-info@ncadp.org. Please include LEGAL INTERN in the subject line. Note your availability including preferred start and end dates as well as any limitations you may have to working regular full time hours. No phone calls please. Positions are available year-round and applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis. The National Coalition is an equal opportunity employer, and people of color, women and LGBTQ persons are encouraged to apply. Find more information at https://www.ncadp.org/jobs/entry/legal-intern .

Florida

The Capital Habeas Unit (CHU) of the Federal Defender for the Middle District of Florida, located in Tampa, Florida, seeks law students for full-time, unpaid Summer 2025 internships. The CHU represents individuals who have been sentenced to death by the State of Florida in their federal habeas corpus proceedings. CHU attorneys and staff file challenges to constitutional violations that have tainted our clients’ convictions and/or sentences. Our office litigates in the U.S. Middle District of Florida, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. Our internship program allows students to work a full summer (10 weeks) on capital postconviction cases. CHU interns may become involved in any aspect of our habeas practice, including legal research and writing, record review, field investigation, and client visitation. Preferred qualifications include a demonstrated interest in indigent criminal defense and a commitment to working in a team environment. Split summers are discouraged. Those who are bilingual, people of color, and persons from backgrounds that are underrepresented in the legal profession are especially encouraged to apply. Please apply via the MDFL Federal Defender’s internship portal, located at https://flm.fd.org/internships/chu-interns (noting that while our office offers internship opportunities in several locations, the CHU is based solely in Tampa). Applications are accepted through February 2025.

The Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Northern District of Florida is accepting applications for Legal Interns in the Capital Habeas Unit for the summer of 2025. The CHU represents indigent, death-sentenced prisoners in federal habeas corpus proceedings. CHU Legal Interns will work exclusively on death penalty cases and related matters. This representation necessarily intersects with intellectual disability, mental health, and substance abuse issues, and interns can expect some cross-disciplinary projects and experience. Responsibilities include assisting attorneys, investigators, and mitigation specialists with all aspects of legal and factual development and case preparation.

Tasks include researching and writing on capital litigation issues, participating in case strategy sessions, requesting records and documents, drafting legal memoranda, compiling detailed chronologies of information, and examining and analyzing records. Strong research and writing ability, people skills, initiative, and a commitment to equal justice are required.

This position may be paid contingent on funding. Students may opt to receive externship credit or pro bono hours in lieu of payment. Students opting in for payment may not be receiving outside funding or completing the internship for externship credit. This opportunity is open to students who have demonstrated an interest in public service, human rights and/or social justice issues. Prior coursework in criminal law is preferred, but not necessary. Final candidates will be subject to a background check as required under the policy now in effect for the Administrative Office of the United States Courts.

To apply for a legal internship position, applications should email a resume, cover letter/statement of interest, and a writing sample not to exceed 12 pages in a single .pdf to Lauren_Rolfe@fd.org. Please address the cover letter/statement of interest to Linda McDermott, CHU Chief.

The Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Northern District of Florida is accepting applications for Legal Interns in the Capital Habeas Unit for the summer of 2025. The CHU represents indigent, death-sentenced prisoners in federal habeas corpus proceedings. CHU Legal Interns will work exclusively on death penalty cases and related matters. This representation necessarily intersects with intellectual disability, mental health, and substance abuse issues, and interns can expect some cross-disciplinary projects and experience. Responsibilities include assisting attorneys, investigators, and mitigation specialists with all aspects of legal and factual development and case preparation.

Nearest Major Market: Tallahassee

Georgia

The Georgia Resource Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit law office in Atlanta dedicated to providing free, high-quality representation to death-sentenced men and women in state and federal habeas corpus proceedings. The Georgia Resource Center is responsible for ensuring that all of Georgia’s death-sentenced prisoners have meaningful and vigorous representation throughout the post-conviction review process, including clemency proceedings before the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles.

During our 10-week summer program, law students will directly assist GRC staff in all aspects of its work, including visiting clients, interviewing witnesses, compiling life histories, and conducting legal research and writing. Interns often have the opportunity to attend court proceedings, such as state court evidentiary hearings and oral arguments before the Georgia Supreme Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. We seek highly-motivated, creative, and team-oriented students committed to indigent defense and the dignity of all people. Previous experience working with incarcerated persons or individuals with mental health issues is a plus.

Applications should be submitted by email to: grc@garesource.org. All applications should include a cover letter, resume, writing sample, and three references.

Applications should be submitted by email to: grc@garesource.org. All applications should include a cover letter, resume, writing sample, and three references. Applicants interested in interning during the 2025 Summer are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

The Capital Habeas Unit of the Federal Defender Program for the Northern District of Georgia is offering full-time unpaid summer clerkships for law students. The CHU represents indigent defendants sentenced to death in the state courts of Georgia. Students will focus on investigation, legal research, and writing. They will also have the opportunity to attend an in-house brown bag lecture series featuring presentations by various attorneys in the office on topics relevant to federal and capital legal practice. Students must have a vehicle to participate in the internship. Applications are accepted through January 31, 2020 and the summer program runs from June 1, 2022 through August 7, 2022. To apply, please send a cover letter and resume to victoria_calvert@fd.org or jeff_ertel@fd.org.

Located in Atlanta, the Southern Center for Human Rights is one of the nation’s leading organizations devoted to indigent defense and protection of human rights in the criminal legal system. SCHR accepts summer interns to work throughout its practice areas, which include capital litigation, impact litigation, and public policy. Applications from both 1Ls and 2Ls are welcome. Please visit the SCHR Internship website (https://www.schr.org/careers/human-rights-internship-externship-programs/(opens in a new tab)) for information about deadlines and what materials to submit. In addition to summer internships, SCHR also has a semester-long, full-time externship program. Externs spend one semester at SCHR, serving as a member of our litigation team. Information for the semester-long externship is on the same website as above. Please direct any questions to Devin Franklin at dfranklin@schr.org and Megan Toomer at mtoomer@schr.org

Idaho

The Federal Defender Services of Idaho is accepting applications from first-and second-year law students for a summer legal clerkship position with the Capital Habeas Unit for Summer 2021. The Capital Habeas Unit, located in Boise, Idaho, represents individuals under a state sentence of death in Idaho, California and Nevada. Law Interns assist attorneys and investigators at all stages of client representation, including interviewing clients and witnesses, reviewing and organizing discovery materials, researching federal constitutional and criminal law issues, and investigating and preparing cases for pleadings, hearings and/or trial. Law Interns will have opportunities throughout their internship to observe criminal trials and hearings of Federal Defender staff. This is an unpaid internship that begins on June 7, 2021 and ends on August 13, 2021. Housing is not provided. The Capital Habeas Unit is located in Boise, Idaho, and is comprised of three assistant federal defenders, a research and writing attorney, and three investigators. Working in a smaller office allows our interns to get one on one time with the attorneys and to be extremely involved with the case teams. Boise is a small, but culturally rich community with amazing outdoor activities and events during the summer. To apply, please forward a letter of interest, resume, a short writing sample, and two references to Deborah Czuba at Deborah_A_Czuba@fd.org. Students are encouraged to apply any time between October 1, 2020 and January 31, 2021. However, earlier applications are usually the most successful. Limited positions are available. People of color and other minorities underrepresented in the legal profession are especially encouraged to apply.

The Office of the Idaho State Appellate Public Defender (SAPD) is now accepting applications for law student interns/externs for Summer 2025.

The SAPD provides appellate and capital post-conviction representation to indigent criminal defendants from Idaho’s 44 counties. The SAPD’s Appellate Unit represents clients on appeal before the Idaho Court of Appeals and the Idaho Supreme Court, and it handles the vast majority of Idaho’s criminal and post-conviction appeals. The SAPD’s Capital Unit represents clients sentenced to death—both in their post-conviction cases in the trial court and in their criminal and post-conviction appeals. SAPD attorneys are among the most dedicated, experienced, and highly-skilled appellate and capital specialists in the State of Idaho.

With close supervision and guidance from experienced attorneys, interns/externs will be involved in the following activities:

 Reviewing trial court records and evaluating legal claims;

 Drafting appellate briefs;

 Conducting legal research and drafting memoranda;

 Participating in attorney issue conferences and moot arguments; and

 Observing oral arguments before the Idaho Court of Appeals and the Idaho Supreme Court.

In addition, interns/externs may be involved in:

 Communicating with clients in-person, over the phone, and/or in writing;

 Drafting motions; and

 Observing hearings and/or depositions in capital cases.

The SAPD will consider applications from both 1Ls and 2Ls. Applicants must have excellent research and writing skills and be creative, critical thinkers. Applicants must be comfortable working with clients from diverse backgrounds. Successful applicants will have strong academic credentials and an interest in indigent defense. The position is unpaid.

To apply, please submit the following: (1) cover letter; (2) resume; (3) most recent law school transcript (unofficial ok); and (4) writing sample (no more than ten pages, excerpts ok). For the writing sample, please indicate if any work is not your own. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. Please email application materials to documents@sapd.idaho.gov with 2025 SAPD Intern/Extern Application in the subject line.

Indiana

The Capital 2255 Unit of the Indiana Federal Community Defenders is accepting applications from law students with a demonstrated interest in capital litigation, criminal defense, or public interest work. The Unit represents federally death-sentenced clients in federal habeas corpus proceedings throughout the United States. Our Unit has a stellar record of success. We currently have cases at various stages of litigation, and interns will have the opportunity to work with experienced attorneys and mitigation specialists on assignments ranging from investigation, to research, to drafting pleadings and motions for federal courts, potentially including briefs for the United States Courts of Appeal. Students will also meet with clients who are on death row at USP-Terre Haute.

Interested applicants should send a letter of interest, resume, list of references, unofficial transcript, and a representative writing sample to Jean Giles at jean.giles@fd.org. We will consider applicants on a rolling basis. We prefer interns who are willing to be in Indianapolis for the summer but also will consider applicants who prefer a remote internship. Indianapolis is a dynamic city with a tight-knit legal community, plus great amenities including ample opportunities for outdoor recreation. It is also an affordable place to spend the summer. The internship is unpaid; however, we will work with schools and other resources to meet the criteria for work-study, course credit, or other support. We ask that interns commit to a minimum of 8 weeks and are flexible as to start and end dates.

Louisiana

The Capital Appeals Project (CAP) is a non-profit law office based in New Orleans, Louisiana that provides capital appellate and post-conviction representation to indigent people on Louisiana’s death row. CAP is one of the leading death penalty appeals offices in the country and has represented clients in several recent cases before the Supreme Court of the United States, including Kennedy v. Louisiana, Snyder v. Louisiana, and Montejo v. Louisiana. We also represent a number of non-capital juvenile clients in proceedings implementing the Miller/Montgomery Supreme Court decisions which limit life without parole sentences for juvenile offenders, and non-capital clients in pardon and clemency proceedings. CAP shares an office and works closely with The Promise of Justice Initiative (PJI), a non-profit focusing on conditions of confinement work and death penalty abolition. This unique structure allows direct representation to inform systemic challenges – and vice versa – and provides the flexibility to identify and pursue change where it is most needed. Each intern is assigned to a senior attorney for supervision and mentorship. Capital and JLWOP criminal defense interns work on individual cases in appeal, post-conviction or federal habeas proceedings, assisting attorneys, investigators and other staff. Depending on the caseload of their supervising attorney, interns may also have the opportunity to participate in some civil conditions of confinement cases. Work includes visiting clients on death row, reviewing trial records, legal research and writing including preparing motions and briefs, and assisting with investigation, reviewing and collecting records, and conducting factual analysis in cases. The work demands rigorous attention to detail and creative thinking and offers students a closely supervised opportunity to learn the intricacies of death penalty jurisprudence, as well as criminal, appellate, and federal habeas law. The internship begins with a training program, and we provide a program of weekly brown bag lunches where interns have the opportunity to learn from and meet some of the top public interest lawyers and workers from other organizations around the city, as well as our own staff. The nature of our work requires some evening and weekend work, and may include some travel.

As a non-profit, CAP’s summer internships are generally unpaid. CAP encourages students to pursue outside funding for the summer, and will work closely with any school or grant funding organization where interns qualify for funding. However, CAP is an equal opportunity employer, and are committed to ensuring that students who are passionate about the work not be disqualified due to financial constraints. Where there are no available alternative funding sources, CAP may be able to provide a summer stipend.

Please apply with a cover letter (indicating interest in either/both the capital or JLWOP work), resume, a short writing sample, and two references to Erica Navalance at capinternship@defendla.org. Applications are processed on a rolling basis.

The Louisiana Capital Assistance Center invites law students to apply for legal internships for the summer of 2022. The LCAC is a non-profit law firm founded in 1993. The LCAC represents indigent defendants in capital cases – primarily at trial, but also on direct appeal, in state post-conviction, and in federal habeas proceedings. We represent clients in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas and in federal as well as state court. The LCAC has been at the cutting edge of capital defense litigation, particularly in areas such as prosecutorial misconduct, racial and religious discrimination, inadequate indigent defense funding, and the capital prosecution of those with serious mental impairments. In the context of its casework, the LCAC pursues impact litigation in critical areas so as to advance the position of indigent capital defendants more generally. The LCAC emphasizes excellence and creativity in capital practice as well as making the client the center of all efforts in the case.

Legal interns work closely with LCAC attorneys. Tasks they typically perform include:

conduct legal research, writing legal memoranda, and drafting pleadings
reviewing discovery and other evidence
obtaining records through state and federal public records laws and analyzing them
collecting data that informs the LCAC’s litigation
helping prepare for and attending court proceedings
visiting clients

The LCAC provides interns with several days of training and orientation at the beginning of the summer internship program. The LCAC also organizes weekly brown bag lunches for interns, during which staff members from other local criminal defense and social justice organizations present on a variety of topics.

Applicants should send a resume, cover letter, writing sample, and list of two references to Linda Cortez, at lcortez@thejusticecenter.org, with the subject line “Summer Legal Intern Application.” Non-legal writing samples are acceptable. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.

The internship requires an eight- to ten-week commitment to work in New Orleans. Please note, however, that all LCAC internships are currently remote due to COVID-19, and we will continue to evaluate whether internships will remain remote in 2022.

The position is unfunded. We encourage applicants to seek financial support from their law schools, if available.

The Mwalimu Center for Justice (MCFJ) represents indigent, death-sentenced men and women in Louisiana. MCFJ teams provide direct representation in state post-conviction and federal habeas proceedings. Through investigation, discovery, and our work with experts, we uncover exculpatory and mitigating facts that have ultimately resulted in new trials, exonerations, and pleas to lesser sentences. Since 2011, MCFJ has won two cases in the United States Supreme Court and has reached a number of negotiated settlements. The MCFJ internship program gives volunteer interns diverse work experiences, ranging from legal research and writing to in-the-field investigation. In addition to summer internships, MCFJ also accepts remote or in-person interns during the fall and spring. Applicants may apply at any time and should email a resume, cover letter detailing why they would like to intern at MCFJ, a writing sample, and a list of three references to Riley Horan at RHoran@mcfj.org and Robert Morris at RMorris@mcfj.org.

The Roderick & Solange MacArthur Justice Center in New Orleans is seeking summer law clerks for 2023. The MacArthur Justice Center is a not-for-profit law office advocating for civil rights and social justice. Our work is focused on reforming the criminal justice system through litigation in Louisiana and Mississippi, and also includes cases brought on behalf of death-sentenced prisoners. These include a collection of federal and state lawsuits brought on behalf of prisoners on Mississippi’s death row challenging the state’s methods of execution, as well as several post-conviction or federal habeas proceedings.

Each law clerk will be supervised directly by the office’s attorneys and will have the opportunity
to assist with cases those attorneys are working on. Specific tasks that summer law clerks may be
responsible for include but are not limited to (a) legal research and writing, (b) gathering,
processing, and summarizing records, (c) developing statistical data, and (d) preparing for and
attending court proceedings.

Summer law clerks are expected to be physically located in the greater New Orleans area.
However, many of our staff continue to work remotely. We encourage all staff and law clerks to
work in the location of their choosing unless a specific assignment requires physical presence in
the office.
Summer law clerks are expected to apply for any funding available from their law schools.
However, if a summer law clerk is either ineligible for or does not receive funding from their
school, MJC may provide a stipend for each full week of participation up to $800 per week. MJC
stipends are payable in 2 installments.

Applications should be submitted through the following link:
2023 Summer Law Clerk Internship – Louisiana

To apply, please submit:

a resume
a cover letter detailing their interest in participating in the MJC Louisiana Law Clerk
internship
a writing sample

Law students who will have completed their 1L or 2L year by summer 2023 may apply. Candidates are encouraged to discuss any personal experience motivating their interest in criminal legal system reform and civil rights litigation.
Applications should be submitted by February 1, 2023, but will be considered on a rolling basis.

Maryland

Advancing Real Change (ARC), Inc. provides comprehensive life history investigation for indigent clients facing the most severe penalties. We currently work on death penalty and juvenile life cases. Those who face criminal charges in our court systems confront tremendous dehumanization, often presented as nothing more than their crimes. The goal of life history investigation – often referred to as mitigation investigation – is to break this narrative by developing an accurate, multi-dimensional account of the accused’s life, including investigating the circumstances of the offense. ARC, Inc. is based in Baltimore, MD and works on cases throughout the country. We are seeking an intern to assist with gathering, reviewing and summarizing historical documents, conducting legal research, and providing administrative support. Start/end dates are flexible, and the internship may be full- or part-time, with a minimum of 20 hours per week. If you are interested in interning or volunteering with ARC, Inc. please send a cover letter and attach a copy of your resume to info@advancechange.org. Let us know what area of programming you are interested in, the time range you are available, how many hours per week you would like to contribute, and why you’re interested in our work.

The Federal Public Defender for the District of Maryland handles a steady stream of federal capital trials. Internships are generally unpaid. Hiring decisions are made on a rolling basis. The office also accepts internship applications for short periods of time outside of summer months (i.e. winter break, etc.).

The Federal Public Defender for the District of Maryland seeks unpaid part-time interns in our Baltimore and Greenbelt offices for the fall and spring semesters and full-time interns for the summer. We also can supervise externships, for which students receive course credit from their law schools. Interns and externs will have the opportunity to work one-on-one with trial and appellate attorneys as well as on-staff investigators. Interns primarily research legal issues and write memoranda for trial and appellate attorneys. Interns also may be asked to draft pleadings to be filed in the U.S. District Court, Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals or U.S. Supreme Court.

We prefer to hire students who will have completed their second year of law school by the time the internship or externship begins, although we have hired interns and externs who have completed only one year of law school. Applicants should have an interest in criminal law and procedure generally and indigent defense and direct client representation specifically. Applicants need strong research and writing skills as well as the ability to adhere to deadlines. Interested students should send a cover letter, resume, (official or unofficial) transcript, and writing sample to Assistant Federal Public Defender Laura Abelson either by mail (100 S. Charles Street, Tower II, 9th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21201) or email (laura_abelson@fd.org).

To be considered for a fall internship/externship, applications should be sent by July 1 2022. To be considered for a spring internship/externship, applications should be sent by November 1 2021. To be considered for a summer internship, applications should be sent by February 1 2022. Applications are reviewed and offers are made on a rolling basis.

Missouri

The Capital Habeas Unit of the Office of the Federal Public Defender, Western District of Missouri,

offers law students an opportunity to experience engaging capital defense work. We are a small, but committed, group of advocates serving individuals sentenced to death in Missouri (and some in Ohio, Kentucky, Kansas, and Nebraska). We comprehensively evaluate each of our client’s cases and identify any aspect that may have rendered the client’s conviction or sentence unfair. For each of these aspects, we bring federal habeas corpus actions through which we zealously represent our client’s—and society’s—interests in fairness and human dignity.

This opportunity is available as an academic-year or summer internship. The office recognizes the importance of providing supervision and guidance, and the office is committed to ensuring that each intern has a meaningful experience with the office. Our internship projects include researching constitutional issues, drafting legal pleadings, interviewing witnesses, reviewing and digesting records and discovery materials, and visiting clients.

Our internships are unpaid positions. However, students may be able to secure class credit for work or obtain a public interest fellowship or stipend through their law schools. We seek qualified applicants with strong research and writing skills and an interest in indigent criminal defense or public interest law. Interested applicants should send a cover letter, resume, and brief writing sample to Daniel Kirsch (daniel_kirsch@fd.org).

We encourage applicants to join us in Kansas City if possible. However, our office has robust teleworking capabilities, and we will be able to conduct a remote internship program if need be. Regardless of whether the position is in-person or remote, we will do our best to make the internship engaging and meaningful.

Phillips Black, Inc. seeks highly motivated law students interested in assisting in the defense of those facing the severest penalties under law to join us as interns during the spring, summer, or fall semester of 2021. Phillips Black is a 501(c)3 non-profit, public interest law practice. We represent people across the country sentenced to death and those sentenced as juveniles to life-without-parole. We also contribute to research, training, and scholarship on post-conviction issues. Our primary offices are in Oakland, St. Louis, Philadelphia, and New York. We offer summer internships, semester internships and, when available, class credit. Our practice frequently collaborates with mitigation specialists, fact investigators, academics, students and other criminal justice stakeholders in order to provide high-quality representation for our clients, who are serving long and unduly severe sentences. To this end, Phillips Black is seeking driven, motivated law students to assist in our effort to effectively litigate our federal and state habeas cases. Under the supervision of a principal attorney and in close collaboration with our case teams, students will work on post-conviction cases in both state and federal court. Students are expected to perform legal research and writing on discrete issues, conduct extensive review and annotation of case records, and assist in record collection and the marshalling of other materials.

Nevada

The Capital Habeas Unit (CHU) of the Office of the Federal Public Defender, District of Nevada encourages students with a demonstrated interest in capital litigation, criminal defense, or public interest work to apply for summer and semester-long internships. The CHU represents death sentenced defendants in federal and state postconviction litigation in Nevada, California, Arizona, Nebraska, and Texas. In addition, the office represents clients in federal capital trial proceedings. First, second, and third-year law students may apply. Our summer opportunity is a ten-week long, full-time unpaid internship. Students will work with a dedicated team of attorneys, investigators, paralegals, and legal assistants, assisting them in: (1) researching and writing arguments for capital pleadings; (2) investigating client cases for newly discovered evidence, facts concerning the ineffectiveness of counsel, and extensive record review; and (3) visiting clients on death row. Students may also attend evidentiary hearings in state and/or federal court. Our semester-long opportunity requires a minimum of 12 hours per week and assignments may vary given the applicant’s availability. Interested applicants should send a letter of interest, resume, list of references, unofficial transcript, and a representative writing sample to Jocelyn Murphy and Hannah Nelson at NVX_CHU_internship@fd.org. There is a strong preference for internships to be in-person. We review applications on a rolling basis and positions are open until filled.

New York

The NAACP Legal Defense Fund is currently accepting applications from law students for spring and summer 2022 policy internships for the New York and Washington D.C. offices. Interns will be responsible for policy research and analysis, memorandum writing, factual investigation, development of educational and outreach materials, and a host of other needs that arise in LDF’s policy efforts in the areas of Education, Political Participation, Economic Justice and Criminal Justice. Policy interns will also be exposed to a variety of activities within the national civil rights coalition, including a series of brown bag luncheons featuring prominent civil rights and public interest attorneys, attended by interns from numerous non-profit legal organizations. Applicants must be able to receive academic credit or funding from their law school’s public interest programs. Although LDF prefers to hire second and third-year law students, we will consider exceptional first-year law students. Spring interns are expected to work at least 20 hours a week and summer interns are expected to work full-time for at least ten (10) weeks during the summer, but other arrangements may be accommodated on a case-by-case basis. See their website for more information on how to apply.

Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide seeks an intern for a full-time position in summer 2021. In the past, we have primarily worked with law students, but we are open to applications from undergraduates with relevant experience and interests. The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated commitment to human rights, the death penalty, and/or criminal justice issues and strong writing skills. The position is full-time and comes with a stipend. We will consider candidates who wish to telework from any remote location within the United States, though we do have a preference for a location in Ithaca, NY. To our regret, we are unable to consider applications from candidates who are not based in the US.

Position: Summer Research and Advocacy Intern
Application Deadline: February 1, 2021
Position Dates: early May to mid or late July 2021 (exact dates TBD)
Hours: Full-time
Location: Any remote location in the US (preference for a location in Ithaca, NY).
Remuneration: Stipend

Responsibilities:

Interns will have the opportunity to gain valuable experience working closely with the Center’s attorneys. Interns will:

Contribute research to the Death Penalty Worldwide database, the world’s most comprehensive source of information on global death penalty laws and practices;
Conduct legal research and analyze international human rights law for a variety of projects and advocacy initiatives, including:

- The Alice Project, which is focused on gender and capital punishment in the United States and around the world;
- A forthcoming global report on women facing the death penalty for drug offenses;
- Assisting with research and organization in preparation of the fourth Makwanyane Institute for Capital Defenders (if the intern speaks French);

Assist with our social media campaigns and website content.

Qualifications:

We seek students with:

Excellent research, writing, and communication skills; and
A demonstrated commitment to human rights issues.

JD and LLM students are preferred, though we will consider undergraduates. Relevant coursework and foreign language skills (particularly French, Chinese, and/or Arabic) are an advantage. We have a particular interest in French speakers, as they can take on a role in our French-language training for capital defenders in sub-Saharan Africa, which is to take place in late June 2021.

Applicants must reside in and be authorized to work in the United States.

To Apply:

Applicants should send a cover letter explaining their interest in the Center and its work, any relevant experience, and what they hope to gain from the internship along with a CV or resume to deathpenaltyworldwide@cornell.edu with the subject line “DPW Summer 2021 Legal Internship.” References and writing samples may be requested from short-listed candidates.

Please note that applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

North Carolina

Each summer, the Center for Death Penalty Litigation hosts full-time law student interns, and each year, we receive rave reviews. Former interns consistently remark on the diversity of opportunities, the rigorous intellectual environment, and the collegiality of our office. In recent summers, law student interns have met with clients, traveled across the state interviewing witnesses and jurors, assisted with research and writing tasks for trial, direct appeal and post-conviction cases, attended capital trials, and assisted at non-capital trials and at evidentiary hearings.

We eagerly recruit both 1Ls and 2Ls to fill our summer intern positions. Because of the nature of the work our students perform, we typically do not allow split summers and we prefer that all interns begin work on the same date. Further, we ask each intern to commit to a 10-week program. CDPL does provide a stipend to each law student summer intern.

Students interested in a summer internship should provide the following beginning in the fall of the school year: 1) Cover letter clearly articulating the applicant’s interest in death penalty defense or criminal defense work; 2) Current resume; 3) Phone number and email address for one professional reference. Applications should be submitted through our website at https://www.cdpl.org/internships/. Applications are considered on a rolling basis until internships are filled. Contact Barrie Wallace at barrie@cdpl.org with specific questions.

CDPL complies with the letter and spirit of all federal, state, and local employment discrimination laws and does not discriminate based on race, age, color, sex, religion, national origin, marital status, family responsibility, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status or disability. Our statement concerning racial equity can be found here: https://www.cdpl.org/racial-equity/

The AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION seeks a Legal Intern in the Legal Department – Capital Punishment Project of the ACLU’s National office in Durham, NC.

The Capital Punishment Project, part of the ACLU’s Center for Justice, challenges the unfairness and arbitrariness of capital punishment while working toward the ultimate goal of abolishing the death penalty. The Project engages in public advocacy and strategic litigation, including the direct representation of capital defendants, challenges to systemic problems in the administration of capital punishment, and amicus briefing.

Legal interns provide valuable legal and policy research, and legal writing for the Capital Punishment Project. 

RESPONSIBILITIES

Interns will gain valuable experience by working with the team on a wide variety of issues. Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to the following:

Conducting legal and policy research
Drafting memoranda, affidavits, and briefs
Researching prospects for new litigation, including both factual and legal claims
Researching and drafting materials for public education
Engage in special projects and other duties as assigned
Center principles of equity, inclusion, and belonging in all work, embedding the values in program development, policy application, and organizational practices and processes 
Demonstrate a commitment to the mission of the ACLU 
Demonstrate a commitment to diversity within the office using a personal approach that values all individuals and respects differences in regards to race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, disability and socio-economic circumstance 
Demonstrate a commitment to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and/or conflicts

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS

The internship is open to law students who will have completed at least one year of law school before the internship commences. Interns should possess the following:

Completed 1st semester of law school
Excellent research, writing and communication skills
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, and conducting internet research
Initiative to see projects through to completion
Interest in the abolition of the death penalty
A commitment to civil liberties, civil rights, and social justice
Commitment to the mission of the ACLU

INTERNSHIP OVERVIEW

Location: Our Internship Program offers a limited number of remote or hybrid intern positions. This internship opportunity is hybrid from our Durham, NC office.
Time Commitment: Summer internships require a full-time commitment of 35 hours per week.
Internship Duration: Full-time internships span 10 consecutive weeks.
Stipend: A stipend is available for those students who do not receive course credit and are lawfully authorized to work. Students who receive outside funding are eligible for a partial stipend to bring their total funding up to the level of ACLU’s stipend amount for that term, if applicable. Arrangements can be made with educational institutions for work/study or course credit. Below is the stipend breakdown:
- $20/hour for undergraduate students or equivalent experience and $24/hour for graduate and law students or equivalent experience

Priority Application Deadline:

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis and accepted until the position is filled, but priority review will be given to applications submitted on or before November 10, 2023.

Applications should be submitted through this link.

Ohio

The Capital Habeas Unit (CHU) in the Columbus, Ohio branch of the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Southern District of Ohio offers summer and school-year externship opportunities. The CHU represents death-row inmates at all levels in federal court and also argues for clemency before the Ohio Parole Board and Governor. The legal work concerns the exciting and challenging intersection of constitutional law, death-penalty jurisprudence, and habeas and civil-rights litigation; factual investigation involves digging into records and witnesses related to clients’ social histories, including their upbringing, education, and other factors relevant to their development. The CHU works closely with a variety of experts in a range of areas, including neurology, psychology, psychiatry, forensics, DNA, mental-health, addiction, and intellectual disability.

The office operates in teams of attorneys, investigators, and support staff to tackle this demanding and sobering work. Externs (or “CHUterns,” as we call them) work closely with these teams to assist in both legal and factual research and drafting related to the clients’ cases. CHU teams rely on CHUtern assistance on real projects for real clients and aim to involve CHUterns as much as possible from start to finish on projects.

We seek law students with sound judgment, the ability to work independently, excellent research and writing skills, and a strong commitment to indigent defense and saving clients’ lives. While we prefer full-time CHUterns, law students may apply to extern for a minimum 20 hours per week during the summer and 12 hours per week during the school year. We consider remote positions on a case-by-case basis. CHUterns are unpaid but are free to seek funding through work-study or other public-interest programs, as well as credit hours at their law schools.

To apply, e-mail your (1) cover letter, (2) resume with GPAs listed, (3) writing sample, and (4) law school transcript to erin_barnhart@fd.org and justin_thompson@fd.org. To apply via hard copy, mail these materials to Erin Barnhart and Justin Thompson in the Federal Public Defender’s Office at 10 West Broad St., Ste. 1020, Columbus, Ohio 43215.

Mindful of the variety of backgrounds, races, religions, genders, sexual orientations, and abilities of our clients, we believe that a diverse team strengthens our representation and that we are obligated to support and increase diversity in the field of public defense. We therefore invite applicants to identify personal characteristics or experiences that would contribute to that goal.

We consider applications on a rolling basis until positions are filled, and generally complete interviews for summer positions in February. CHUterns will be subject to a background check as required by the Administrative Office of the United States Courts.

The Office of the Ohio Public Defender in Columbus hires summer interns in the Death Penalty Department, which includes representation of capital defendants in direct appeals, state post-conviction, federal habeas, and clemency proceedings. Our office practices client-centered representation in a team advocacy model, and our student interns become valuable members of our client teams. Interns assist with legal research, memo writing, and drafting of claims or portions of briefs. We are looking for students who are highly motivated and have a demonstrated interest in indigent defense or public service. The office also has a limited number of internships available in the Trial Department, which represents indigent capital defendants throughout the state. Trial interns review discovery, draft motions, and research cutting-edge legal and forensic issues.

Our internships are full-time paid positions. Internships last 10-12 weeks, typically starting in early June. Successful applicants are welcome to apply for academic credit or outside funding; we are happy to provide documentation or verification as needed.

First and second-year law students are welcome to apply. Applicants should submit a cover letter addressing their interest in capital defense and their preferred department (if any), a resume, and a short writing sample, to Elise Grifka Wander (Elise.GrifkaWander@opd.ohio.gov) and Samantha Kovacevic (Samantha.Kovacevic@opd.ohio.gov). Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until positions are filled, with hiring decisions typically completed by March 15 each year. People of color and other minorities underrepresented in the legal profession are especially encouraged to apply.

Oklahoma

The Capital Habeas Unit of the Federal Defender for the Western District of Oklahoma, located in Oklahoma City, offers full-time summer internships for law students. The CHU represents Oklahoma death row inmates in federal court habeas corpus and clemency proceedings. Students may perform legal research, review documents, draft pleadings, and assist in investigation. The internship is unpaid and is of flexible duration, preferably for at least 8 weeks. All years are welcome to apply, but preference is given to 2Ls and to students with a demonstrated commitment to capital defense, post-conviction work, and/or indigent criminal defense. To apply, please send a cover letter, resume, two references and a writing sample to Callie_Heller@fd.org.

Pennsylvania

The Capital Trial Unit of the Federal Community Defender for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania is now accepting applications, on a rolling basis, from law students interested in public service and criminal law for our summer 2024 internship program. Our unit provides pre-trial and trial-stage representation to federal criminal defendants whose cases have been authorized by the U.S. Attorney General as capital prosecutions. We represent clients in a number of federal jurisdictions around the country. We partner with experienced local counsel, investigators, mitigation specialists, and other experts to provide high-level legal representation and support to clients who are at risk of being sentenced to death.

We expect that our interns will assist in some or all of the following:

Drafting motions, memoranda, and briefs.
Researching forensic issues, including DNA, fingerprints, hair and fiber, and ballistics.
Assisting in factual investigation and developing case strategy by reviewing and digesting medical and institutional records and transcripts of prior proceedings.
Helping to identify, vet, and prep expert witnesses.
Contributing to mitigation investigation by providing social-science research.
Assisting in investigation of witnesses.
Depending on logistical considerations, interns may have the opportunity to observe hearings, participate in moots, and observe oral arguments.
Assist trial teams with legal and factual research immediately before, and during, trial.

Interns will also receive formal and “on-the-job” substantive training on criminal law as it pertains to capital prosecutions, capital jurisprudence, and the logistical and ethical considerations that arise in death penalty cases.

The internship is open to current 1Ls and 2Ls. Preference will be given to current 2Ls, but current 1Ls with relevant experience and interest are encouraged to apply as well.

We are currently accepting applications for Summer 2024 and will consider applications on a rolling basis. Qualified students are encouraged to apply electronically by submitting a cover letter, resume, and transcript (unofficial is satisfactory) to PAE_Employment_CTU_Interns@fd.org.

Applicants should highlight their commitment to public interest, advocacy experience, and any background in criminal defense, particularly death-penalty work. Applicants are also encouraged to mention any background in psychology, social work, investigative work, or any other background in public interest work on behalf of underserved communities. Interviews and hiring will be on a rolling basis. The internship is unpaid; however, we will work with schools and other resources to meet the criteria for work study, course credit, or other support. Students are expected to devote 40 hours per week for a ten-week program beginning at the end of May 2024 (exact start date to be announced).

Their posting is available here: https://pae.fd.org/files/2021CapTrialSummerInternships.pdf.

The Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh represents individuals in Federal court charged with Federal crimes. Its Capital Habeas Unit (CHU) represents individuals who have been convicted of capital crimes in state and Federal court and who seek post-conviction relief in Federal court. This office offers a 10-week summer program for second-year law students who possess excellent research and writing skills and demonstrate an interest in Federal indigent defense and/or capital habeas litigation. The positions are unpaid. Responsibilities may include legal research, assisting in drafting motions, drafting memoranda, reviewing records, documents and transcripts, assisting with investigations and observing court proceedings. Prior course work in criminal law and procedure would be helpful. To apply, please forward a (1) cover letter; (2) resume; (3) short writing sample; (4) complete list of law school classes; (5) current GPA and class ranking; and (6) two references to: paw_employment@fd.org or via regular mail to: Michael Novara First Assistant Federal Public Defender Western District of Pennsylvania 1001 Liberty Avenue, Suite 1500 Pittsburgh, PA 15222. Successful applicants will be subject to a background fingerprint check as required under the current policy for the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. This office also offers year-round externship opportunities for second and third-year law students, and inquiries can also be made regarding same to the above.

South Carolina

The Capital Trial Division of the South Carolina Commission on Indigent Defense is an office charged with meeting the high standards of capital defense demanded by federal and state constitutions. We are looking for interns that are interested in criminal defense and/or working with indigent clients from all backgrounds who come from families with a history of poverty, abuse, and mental health problems. Throughout the course of the summer, you will be working directly with the attorneys in our office. You will be:

Meeting and interviewing clients, making sure they have all the necessary information to answer their various legal questions
Meeting and interviewing potential mitigation witnesses to assist the defense team in putting together a comprehensive life history of the client
Researching and preparing memos for attorneys concerning particular legal questions, such as the viability of a particular defense or admissibility of a particular piece of evidence
Investigating data necessary for some systemic challenges to the Death Penalty (which will include going to clerks’ offices around the state and gathering information on all jury strikes and/or murder cases for the last decade)
Attending court and assisting as necessary

This is an unpaid internship but students will be reimbursed for all travel expenses they incur including mileage at the federal rate. Interested students should submit a cover letter and resume by e-mail to Boyd Young, Deputy Director at byoung@sccid.sc.gov. We accept applications on a rolling basis until spots are filled.

Tennessee

The Tennessee Office of the Post-Conviction Defender (OPCD) in Nashville provides legal representation to indigent death-sentenced inmates in post-conviction and other collateral proceedings throughout the state of Tennessee. The OPCD invites law students to apply for full-time, unpaid summer internships for a ten-week period. The OPCD is flexible in establishing work schedules that are tailored to the interests and availability of the individual interns. Our interns assist attorneys in all stages of client representation including:

researching constitutional, criminal and civil rights issues;
interviewing witnesses and visiting clients on death row;
reviewing and organizing records and discovery materials;
consulting with expert witnesses; and
preparing cases for pleadings, evidentiary hearings and appellate arguments.

Interns will also have to opportunity to attend court proceedings throughout the state of Tennessee, tour the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution (which houses Tennessee’s death row) and the Middle Tennessee Mental Health Institute, and participate in trainings on capital punishment, criminal defense, and career development.

Interested students should e-mail a cover letter addressing your interest in capital defense, a resume, a list of references, an unofficial law school transcript (if available), and a brief writing sample to Andrew Harris (HarrisA@tnpcdo.net) and Randall Spivey (SpiveyR@tnpcdo.net) and Kayleigh Butterfield at Interns@tnpcdo.net.

People of color and other minorities underrepresented in the legal profession are especially encouraged to apply. Preference is typically given to second-year law students, but law students of all levels are accepted. Applicants should apply early as internships are competitive and are filled on a rolling basis. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, our summer 2022 internship program may be remote, with our interns working from home.

The Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Middle District of Tennessee contains two units: the Trial Unit, which represents indigent persons charged with violations of federal criminal statutes, and the Capitol Habeas Unit (CHU), which represents Tennessee death row inmates seeking federal habeas corpus relief from their capital convictions and death sentences. Our office currently employs 21 attorneys, 11 investigators, and 20 support staff.

Each unit sponsors a summer internship program (8-10 weeks) as well as semester externships for law school credit. We can accommodate students who can spend only part of their summer (4-5 weeks) in our office. Our interns perform legal research and writing for motions, memoranda, and briefs. We encourage interns to attend court hearings, trials, meetings with clients, and field investigation with our investigators. In addition, we hold in-house seminars on various aspects of criminal practice and organize a handful of social events throughout the summer to give interns an opportunity to network with our staff.

We seek qualified applicants with strong research and writing skills, and an interest in indigent criminal defense or death penalty work. Our internships are unpaid. Students may wish to secure class credit for their work with us, or apply for any public interest fellowship or stipend that may be available through your law school. Applications should include: (1) cover letter; (2) resume; (3) writing sample; and (4) law school transcript (need not be official) all saved in one PDF. Trial Unit Internship: please send materials to Molly Rose Green (molly_green@fd.org). CHU Internship: please send materials to David Fletcher (david_fletcher@fd.org). We typically begin extending offers in February, however applicants are encouraged to submit their materials as early as possible. For more information, visit https://tnm.fd.org/.

Texas

Atlantic International Associates is based in Houston, Texas. Through the assiduous process of fact finding and mitigation we are dedicated to the role of playing an integral part in the fervent defense to indigent individuals charged with capital murder facing the death penalty in state and federal proceedings, to alleviate the suffering of those persons, and to contest the opprobrious portrayal associated with defendants the government is seeking to execute.

We are seeking an intern who possesses the following competencies:

Extensive experience in research and fact gathering.
Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
An understanding of the law governing mitigation evidence in capital cases.
An awareness of the psychological, behavioral, and neurological diseases and disorders set forth in the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
An interest in interviewing clients, family members, relatives, friends, neighbors, teachers, employers, and other potential mitigation witnesses including those from different racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds to obtain information regarding the capital defendant’s life story relevant to statutory and non-statutory mitigating factors.
An approach to investigation that is creative, curious, strategic, and culturally competent.
A commitment to diversity using a personal approach that value all individuals and respects differences in regard to race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, ability and socio-economic circumstance.
A dedication to working collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and/or conflicts.
The ability to work successfully as part of the defense teams in a client-centered practice.
Strong computer skills, including internet search and people finder tasks, case file organization, digesting, and tracking of collected information, and with such programs as Adobe Acrobat, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Familiarity with social media tools including Facebook and Twitter is a plus.

Under supervision the intern will actively collaborate with our mitigation team and perform a multiplicity of tasks that include requesting records, finding and locating people using proprietary online databases, logging records requested and received into various master documents, developing master witness logs and related documents, digesting voluminous records received. developing trauma summaries and timelines and

conducting research in various areas, e.g., locating and vetting potential experts, cultural and sociological research, developing and interpretating statistical and demographic data. Assignments will vary with background and experience and the firm’s present needs.

Applicants may apply at any time. We accept full-time interns during the summer and part-time interns during the school year. We prefer interns who are willing to be in Houston, Texas for the summer but also will consider applicants who desire a remote internship. The internship is open to 2Ls and 3Ls who have demonstrated an interest in public service, human rights, and/or social justice issues. Prior coursework in criminal law is preferred. Interested students should send a cover letter, resume, transcript, a short writing sample (5-10 pages) and contact information for two references to Jeff Wax at texaslegalinvestigations@gmail.com with the subject line “Legal Intern Application.” For additional information, please call Jeff Wax at (207) 838-7260 and visitwww.texaslegalinvestigations.com.

The Bexar County Public Defender’s Office represents clients on direct appeal and in petitions of certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court. Student interns perform legal research and writing, and investigation. Interns also observe trials and hearings and visit the local jail and may have contact with clients. Year-round and summer internship opportunities are available. The internship is unpaid, but the office is flexible in the schedule and duration of the internship. Rising 2Ls are encouraged to apply; the office is looking for interns with a demonstrated interest in criminal law, indigent defense, or related areas. Applicants should send a cover letter, resume, recent writing sample, and a list of at least two references to Lori Olenick Rodriguez, Senior Assistant Public Defender, Bexar County Public Defender’s Office, Heritage Plaza, 410 South Main, Suite 214, San Antonio, TX 78204. Applications are considered as received. For more information about the office or the internship, please feel free to contact Lori at lorirodriguez@bexar.org.

The Capital Habeas Unit (CHU) of the Federal Public Defender for the Northern District of Texas,

located in Dallas, Texas, seeks talented law students committed to indigent defense for a remote, full-time summer internship. CHU interns are involved in all aspects of habeas litigation, which may include legal research and writing, record review, investigation, meeting with expert witnesses, and client visitation. The CHU provides interns with formal training on a wide range of topics relevant to habeas practice, including Texas and federal capital habeas law, best research and writing practices, client relationships, and mitigation. All interns meet regularly as a group and individually with supervisors to discuss assignments and exchange feedback. We encourage interns to ask questions, get involved in cases, and take advantage of as many opportunities as possible to learn about capital habeas representation.

The CHU selects rising 3Ls. This is a remote internship with the opportunity to travel to the office in Dallas to meet with the teams and visit with clients. We seek candidates who have a strong interest in death penalty defense, strong research and writing skills, and a commitment to client-centered representation. The CHU is invested in recruiting interns from diverse backgrounds. We do not screen applicants based on law school. For more information about the internship program, visit: https://txn.fd.org/internships.

To apply, submit your cover letter, resume, unofficial transcript, and a short writing sample (5-10 pages) to Derek VerHagen (derek_verhagen@fd.org) and Naomi Fenwick (naomi_fenwick@fd.org).

The Gulf Region Advocacy Center (GRACE) is a 501(c)(3) charity that represents indigent clients in charged with capital crimes at all stages of litigation in state and federal courts. GRACE also does training and consulting for other capital defense teams nationwide. Most interns spend a large amount of time collecting records and digesting documents. More experienced interns may help with research and writing motions. If there is a trial during the internship, an intern will mostly likely be involved in preparing for trial and providing support for the lawyers and mitigation specialists. The office accepts rising 2Ls and 3Ls as interns. Internships are unpaid. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and may be submitted by email to staff@gracelaw.org and MatthewH@GraceLaw.org or by mail to Gulf Region Advocacy Center, 2307 Union Street, Houston TX 77007. For more information, contact Matthew Hefti at MatthewH@GraceLaw.org or call (713)-869-4722.

The Texas Office of Capital & Forensic Writs (OCFW) is seeking bright and motivated interns interested in capital defense to develop claims on behalf of our death-sentenced clients in post-conviction proceedings. The OCFW is a public defender office located in Austin, Texas that takes cases from across the state. Interns have the privilege of working as part of a team with attorneys and mitigation specialists to investigate and present our clients’ stories and the constitutional violations that affected their cases. We are committed to client-centered and excellent legal representation. This is an extraordinary opportunity to gain a broader understanding of how post-conviction capital representation works in Texas and to make a difference. To apply, email your cover letter and resume to internship@ocfw.texas.gov.

The Texas Defender Service (TDS) seeks talented law students committed to capital defense work to serve as summer law clerks in its Austin and Houston offices. TDS attorneys work to ensure that defendants charged with capital murder receive the best possible representation at the pre-trial, trial, and post-conviction stage of the case. TDS lawyers and mitigation specialists regularly consult with defense teams on trial strategies, legal briefing, mitigation investigation, preparing to present or challenge forensic evidence and expert witnesses, voir dire, and other issues that arise during the pre-trial and trial stages. Additionally, TDS lawyers and mitigation specialists work on post-conviction litigation and consulting, and attorneys often act as lead counsel in federal habeas corpus litigation. TDS also has a policy division committed to achieving critical reforms in the Texas criminal justice system. To elevate the level of defense representation across the state, TDS regularly organizes and provides trainings to attorneys, mitigation specialists, and investigators in Texas.

TDS seeks summer law students for full-time internships to assist in all aspects of TDS’s work. Summer law interns must be capable of performing both high-level legal research and briefing along with ground-level intensive investigative work. When possible, students will also attend local trainings, trials and oral arguments. Students will receive training on how to conduct mitigation investigation in capital cases both in preparation for trial and post-conviction briefing. They will receive regular feedback throughout the summer on both written and investigative work. Applicants must be enrolled in a J.D. or L.L.M. program. Preference will be given to 2L students, but TDS will consider applications from 1Ls. Preference will also be given to students enrolled in capital or criminal defense clinics, and to students with fluency in Spanish. Candidates must possess excellent oral and written communication skills, interpersonal skills, and the ability to work well with others in a team-based approach. Representing inmates charged with the death penalty or who are already on death row is vital and fascinating work, but it is generally not popular. TDS requires interns to have a firm belief in the need for unflinching, partisan advocacy on behalf of all indigent persons facing or under a sentence of death. Internships are unpaid, but TDS will provide any necessary documentation or assistance in applications for scholarships or fellowships. To apply: Please send a cover letter, resume, transcript, writing sample, a list of two references, and your preferred location (Austin or Houston). Please send the above materials to Katy Hutchinson khutchinson@texasdefender.org 1023 Springdale Rd., Suite 14E, Austin, TX 78723.

The Regional Public Defender for Capital Cases represents clients charged with capital crimes at the trial level in approximately 181 counties throughout Texas. Currently we have trial offices in Lubbock, Wichita Falls, Terrell, Angleton, San Antonio and Austin. Interns are utilized for a wide variety of tasks, including collecting and digesting records and documents; research; drafting motions; assisting attorneys, mitigators and investigators with client and witness interviews; trial preparation assistance; and, team support during trial. Internships are unpaid. More information is available at the link below. Applications must be submitted at the website: http://rpdo.org/summer-internship/

The Capital Habeas Unit of the Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Texas is now accepting applications from law students for our summer internship program. The Capital Habeas Unit was formed in late 2017 to represent death-sentenced people in federal habeas across the State of Texas. Located in Austin, Texas—the Live Music Capital of the World—the Capital Habeas Unit is committed to providing its clients with innovative and stellar legal representation, while priding itself on treating its clients with dignity and respect. During the eight- to ten- week internship, students will participate in all aspects of capital habeas representation. Students will:

Improve their writing through drafting and editing motions, memoranda, and briefs;
Improve their research skills through focused research projects under the guidance of highly-experienced attorneys;
Develop investigative skills through assisting mitigation specialists and expert fact investigators;
Learn client-centered, holistic advocacy;
Learn critical skills for interacting with clients;
Receive substantive training on all stages and facets of post-conviction litigation.

The positions are unpaid, but interns are free to seek funding through work-study or other public-interest programs, as well as class hours or other applicable credit at their law schools. Please apply electronically, send a cover letter, resume, writing sample (no longer than 25 pages), and unofficial transcript to Tivon Schardl care of Victoria_Longoria@FD.org. The CHU considers applications on a rolling basis until positions are filled.

The Capital Habeas Unit is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital/parental status, gender identity, gender expression or any other status or classification protected by federal law. We encourage students of all backgrounds to apply.

Year-Round Internship Opportunities

The mission of Justice 360 is to promote fairness, reliability and transparency in the criminal justice system for individuals facing the death penalty and juveniles facing lengthy sentences in South Carolina. Justice 360 accomplishes this through providing resources and support for lawyers tasked with representing capital and juvenile defendants, representing individual clients, advocating for policy change to address systemic flaws in the criminal justice system, and educating the public to raise awareness about the administration of capital and juvenile sentencing in South Carolina.

Justice 360 is offering a ten-week summer internship for rising second or third year law students seeking to gain experience in defending individuals facing the death penalty and juveniles facing extreme prison sentences. Note: For the summer of 2022, applicants will be considered equally for either in-person or remote work.

Primary Roles and Responsibilities:

Assist Justice 360 attorneys in representing individuals facing a death sentence or juveniles facing extreme sentences (such as life without parole) in South Carolina. Specific tasks likely include reviewing and collecting case files, records, and evidence, legal research and writing, meeting with case teams and clients, field investigation (if COVID-19 precautions allow).
Research and prepare written resource materials for attorneys handling death penalty and juvenile life without parole or waiver cases.
Assist with ongoing empirical studies related to the death penalty, juvenile sentencing, and various South Carolina communities.

Minimum Qualifications:

One or two years of law school.
Demonstrated interest in death penalty and/or juvenile life without parole legal representation and research.
If working in person, must hold a valid driver’s license and be willing to travel throughout South Carolina.
Skills
- Strong legal analysis and writing skills.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
- Strong organizational abilities, including planning and time management skills.

This is a ten-week, full-time internship between May and August 2022. This position would be located in Columbia, SC or remote. This is an unpaid internship. However, interns are encouraged to seek public interest stipends for summer work. Justice 360 staff will assist with any required documentation to qualify for a stipend. Justice 360 has a strong commitment to diversity and encourages people historically underrepresented in the practice of law to apply.

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume to Lindsey Vann, Executive Director of Justice 360 (lindsey@justice360sc.org)

The California Appellate Project San Francisco (CAP-SF) is a non-profit public interest law firm funded by the California Supreme Court. Our mission is to assist court-appointed counsel who represent prisoners on death row by providing professional training, publishing litigation resource materials, conducting research, and investigating claims. We also assist unrepresented death row inmates by collecting and preserving evidence for their post-conviction claims and by providing advocacy as needed during the period of incarceration before counsel is appointed. CAP-SF is committed to cultivating a new generation of criminal defense attorneys. Under the supervision of an experienced post-conviction attorney, interns will assist our work by providing documentary support, record collection, investigative review, researching, and writing.

To apply for a summer internship, send us a cover letter, resume, a writing sample, and the names and telephone numbers of two references who are familiar with your skills and experience. Please send this information to internships@capsf.org. We ask internship applicants to relate how their life experience, training, and work history have prepared them to understand and work well with the clients we serve and their communities.

WINTER RESEARCH AND ADVOCACY INTERNSHIP Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide

Position: Winter Research and Advocacy Intern
Application Deadline: Rolling
Position Dates: Jan – May 2021 (exact dates TBD)
Hours: Minimum 15 hours/week
Location: Remote

The Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide seeks interns for part-time positions in winter semester 2021. We are primarily seeking law students, but open to applications from undergraduates with relevant experience and interests. The ideal candidates will have a demonstrated commitment to human rights, death penalty, or criminal justice issues and strong writing skills. The internship is a minimum of 15hr/wk and typically requires a 10-week commitment. The internship will be an hourly paid position and will be remote.

Responsibilities:

Interns will have the opportunity to gain valuable experience working closely with the Center’s attorneys. Interns will:

Update the Death Penalty Worldwide database, the world’s most comprehensive source of death penalty research;
Conduct legal research and analyze international human rights law;
Assist with our social media campaigns and website;
Assist with the Alice Project for women on death row in the United States;
Assist in the drafting of our global report on women and the death penalty for drug offenses;
Assist with research and organization in preparation of the fourth Makwanyane Institute for Capital Defenders (if the intern speaks French).

Qualifications:

We seek students with:

Excellent research, writing, and communication skills; and
A demonstrated commitment to human rights issues.

JD and LLM students are preferred, though we will consider undergraduates. Relevant coursework and foreign language skills (particularly French, Arabic, Farsi, and Chinese) are an advantage. We will especially favor French speakers, as they can be involved in the planning of our French-language training for capital defenders in sub-Saharan Africa.

Applicants must reside in and be authorized to work in the United States.

To Apply:

Applicants should send a cover letter explaining their interest in the Center and its work, any relevant experience, and what they hope to gain from the internship along with a CV or resume to deathpenaltyworldwide@cornell.edu with the subject line “DPW Winter 2021 Legal Internship.” References and writing samples may be requested from short-listed candidates.

Please note that applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

Racial Justice and Youth Defense Fellowship Opportunity:

The Racial Justice and Youth Defense Fellowship is a two-year, full-time opportunity for a 2022 law graduate, recent law grad, or even a more seasoned lawyer. The Racial Justice and Youth Defense Fellowship was designed in 2018 to advance racial justice advocacy in the Georgetown Juvenile Justice Initiative (GJJI). During the two-year fellowship, the Fellow works with GJJI staff to develop strategies and resources to help youth defenders challenge racial injustice in their cases and to improve the systems youth encounter through policy reform.

The Fellowship combines elements of project management, legal research and writing, training development, community outreach, and policy advocacy. The Fellow will be supervised by Clinic Director Kristin Henning, Senior Staff Attorney Rebba Omer, and Policy Director Eduardo Ferrer. The Fellow will be expected to begin the fellowship in August 2022 and must be able to commit to the two full years, ending in August 2024. The Fellow will be a self-directed project co-lead who demonstrates great attention to detail and sees projects through to completion. The Fellow will collaborate with Professor Henning as a thought-partner and work well in a team with GJJI colleagues and community partners (primarily the National Juvenile Defender/Gault Center) to establish a vision for racial justice reform and related mission-driven projects. The Fellow will then be primarily responsible for creating an actionable plan to achieve the project goals and coordinate the execution of the plan in collaboration with other team members.

Qualifications: Applicants must have a demonstrated interest in racial justice, youth justice, youth defense, criminal law, civil rights, and/or social justice. A successful Fellow must also be self-motivated, proactive, and excellent at advancing project work without daily supervision and:

Possess a J.D.
Be a member of a state bar or take the bar exam and apply for admission to the bar in the summer prior to the beginning of the fellowship cycle
Demonstrate the following attributes:
- the ability to simultaneously and independently manage multiple long-term projects from conception to completion
- strong research and writing skills, including traditional legal writing as well as creative writing for a variety of purposes and audiences
- strategic thinking
- attention to detail, accountability, and follow-through
- excellent time management
- clear and consistent communication with internal and external partners
- good public speaking skills
- energy and collegiality
- ability and interest in working with a collaborative team to achieve project goals
- strong interpersonal skills and an ability to engage effectively with other clinic colleagues and juvenile system stakeholders.

Applicants should send this completed application, cover letter, resume, undergraduate and law school transcripts, the names and contact information of three references, and a writing sample as one PDF. Please entitle the PDF as your “[First Name Last Name] Racial Justice Fellowship.” All completed applications should be emailed to lawjjc@georgetown.edu by November 19, 2021 with the subject line “Racial Justice and Youth Defense Fellowship Application [Last Name].” An interview period will follow. We anticipate that applicants will be notified of our final selection in December or January.

If you would like more information about this opportunity, learn more here

Reprieve’s Fellowship Program

Reprieve is an international human rights organization based in London that works with partner organizations in the US and around the world. Founded in 1999, we provide free legal and investigative support to some of the world’s most vulnerable people: those who face the death penalty and those who are the victims of extreme human rights abuses committed by states in the name of “counterterrorism” or “national security”. We pursue strategic initiatives to end extreme human rights abuses through a combination of investigation, litigation, and press and political advocacy. We work closely with our Fellows and partner organizations around the world. Combined, Reprieve and Reprieve U.S. have 50 staff worldwide and engages fellows in Egypt, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Tanzania, Kenya, and Malawi. Academic Fellowship Opportunities Reprieve collaborates with law schools and universities to enable students to undertake placements with Reprieve. Reprieve is particularly interested in welcoming candidates to join a team focusing on one of the following four areas:

Death Penalty
Secret Prisons (including Guantánamo and unlawful detention facilities in North-East Syria)
Extrajudicial executions
Cross cutting advocacy fellowships

The work also includes investigating and exposing the stories of those killed as part of the drone program and tracking developments in international law and policy in this area. Cross-cutting policy, research, and media fellowships As well as working on individual cases and investigations, Reprieve advocates for systemic policy change to end states’ use of capital punishment, extrajudicial executions, and secret prisons. We also campaign publicly and engage with the media around our cases and issues, fighting on behalf of our clients in the court of public opinion as well as the court of law. Our policy and media work is closely integrated with our casework and strategic projects and aims to secure changes in policy and public opinion across all of our key issues. Reprieve’s current policy goals include supporting legislation to abolish and restrict the scope of the death penalty; strengthening policies to prevent the sharing of torture tainted evidence; preventing US and UK complicity in overseas human rights abuses, and advocating for an end to state-sponsored extrajudicial executions.

Role and responsibilities

These will vary according to the applicant’s experience, interests and the project devised. Broadly, academic fellows will be expected to:

Conduct legal and/or factual research and analysis and develop theories to support new litigation projects and advocacy strategies
Draft memoranda and briefings
Interview witnesses and people who Reprieve assists with supervision
Draft and edit public education and non-litigation advocacy materials
Provide legal and research support to Reprieve partners
Attend meetings and/or conferences as needed, and be an ambassador for Reprieve and its partner organizations.

Experience and qualifications

Excellent research and writing skills.
Excellent interpersonal skills and judgment
Agility, creativity, and the ability to work efficiently with limited supervision
Skilled at complex analysis
Self-motivated and able to manage a variety of tasks
Knowledge of legal issues related to the death penalty, extrajudicial executions, and illegal detention is desirable but not required
Commitment to the mission of Reprieve
We also ask candidates to have a can-do attitude and to pitch in on a range of tasks at busy times

How to apply

Reprieve does not provide direct funding for academic fellows. However, we do accept applications to work at Reprieve that are funded by universities/public interest fellowships/scholarships or which attract academic credits that count towards completion of an individual’s current tertiary level studies provided the fellowship takes place during term time. We do not accept applications for self-funded placements.

We are pleased to accept applications for remote placements or in-person placements at Reprieve’s offices in London. Please note the following requirements in terms of funding:

Fellows should receive funding that is equivalent to the living wage/minimum wage in the location where they will be based during the placement (unless academic credit is provided during term time).
We accept that awards for remote placements may be lower, and are happy to discuss this on an individual basis
For placements in the UK where the fellow does not have the right to work, the level of funding received can only equate to reasonable living expenses as a condition of a Tier 5 voluntary worker visa

Please discuss your decision to apply to do a placement at Reprieve, and determine whether funding or academic credits are available. Once you are confident that funding, academic credits, or both are available for you to volunteer at Reprieve for a period of at least three months, please send us your application, which should consist of:

a cover letter of no more than one page including details of two academic or professional references
a resume of no more than two pages
this application form
full details of the funding or academic credit you are eligible for
any preference for a remote or in-person placement

Please send your application to applications@reprieve.org with reference [Reprieve Seasonal Placement] in the subject line. Please include information about whether you will need visa sponsorship in your application, as well as information about any other nationalities you may hold. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, and subject to visa requirements, funding checks, references, and identity checks. Interviews will normally take place via zoom.

Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide Research Internship – China

Position: Research Intern – China
Application Deadline: Rolling
Position Dates: approximately Jan – May 2021 (exact dates TBD)
Hours: Minimum 15 hours/week
Location: Remote

The Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide seeks interns fluent in Mandarin for part-time positions in winter and spring semester 2021. We are primarily seeking law students, but open to applications from undergraduates with relevant experience and interests. The ideal candidates will have a demonstrated commitment to human rights, death penalty, or criminal justice issues and strong writing skills. The internship is a minimum of 15hr/wk and typically requires a 10-week commitment. The internship will be an hourly paid position and will be remote.

Responsibilities:

Interns will have the opportunity to gain valuable experience working closely with the Center’s attorneys. Interns will:

Research and draft the China portion of our global report on women and the death penalty for drug offenses;
Assist with various Center tasks: documenting executions reported in Chinese sources, assisting with social media, assisting with updating our comprehensive database on death penalty research.

Qualifications:

We seek students with:

Excellent research, writing, and communication skills
A demonstrated commitment to human rights issues
Fluency in English and Mandarin (including the ability to read and write simplified Chinese).
JD and LLM students are preferred, though we will consider undergraduates.
Applicants must reside in and be authorized to work in the United States.

To Apply:

Applicants should send a cover letter explaining their interest in the Center and its work, any relevant experience, and what they hope to gain from the internship along with a CV or resume to deathpenaltyworldwide@cornell.edu with the subject line “DPW Research Intern – China.” References and writing samples may be requested from short-listed candidates.

Please note that applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

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