ACLU Women's Rights Project Internship

SUMMER 2011 LEGAL INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY
NOTICE TO SECOND & THIRD YEAR LAW STUDENTS
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION
Women’s Rights Project, NY

The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation (ACLU), founded in 1920, is a nationwide, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, with more than 500,000 members and is dedicated to the principles of liberty and equality embodied in the U.S. Constitution. The Women’s Rights Project of the ACLU’s National Office in New York City seeks legal interns for the Summer of 2011.

OVERVIEW :
Founded in 1972 by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Women’s Rights Project (WRP) has been a leader in the legal battles to ensure women’s full equality in American society. WRP is dedicated to the advancement of the rights and interests of women, with a particular focus on low-income women, women of color, and immigrant women – those who historically have been the most deeply victimized by gender bias and face the most pervasive barriers to equality today.

WRP focuses on four core priority areas: employment (including the rights of low-wage immigrant women workers, women in female-dominated industries such as childcare, women in non-traditional employment, and women with criminal records), education (including single-sex education, the rights of pregnant and parenting teens, and sexual assault in schools), violence against women (including battered women’s rights to be free from discrimination in housing, employment, and government services), and criminal and juvenile justice issues affecting women and girls (including the impact of criminal laws on women and families, as well as the rights of girls in juvenile detention). Cutting across these core priorities, WRP seeks to bring an international human rights framework to our litigation and advocacy. Through litigation, community outreach, advocacy, and public education, WRP pushes for change and systemic reform in those institutions that perpetuate discrimination against women.

The Women’s Rights Project has overall responsibility for implementing ACLU policy in the area of gender discrimination. WRP conducts direct litigation, files amicus curiae briefs, provides support for ACLU affiliate litigation, serves as a resource for ACLU legislative work on women’s rights and seeks to advance ACLU policy goals through public education, organizing and coalition advocacy. WRP has been an active participant in virtually all of the major gender discrimination litigation in the Supreme Court, in Congressional efforts to promote gender equality, and in significant communications and public education efforts on behalf of women and girls.

INTERNSHIP OVERVIEW :
Our Summer 2011 Legal Internship requires a 10-12 week commitment. The internship is full-time. Interns are highly encouraged to obtain funding from outside sources, as the internship is unpaid. Arrangements can be made for work/study or course credit. Summer interns who do not secure funding may be eligible for a stipend provided by the project.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES :

Working closely with WRP staff, interns assist in all aspects of litigation including :
Conducting legal research and factual investigation.
Drafting memoranda, affidavits and briefs.
Providing assistance to ACLU affiliates, private attorneys, and others who seek our assistance; screening potential cases.
Researching or drafting materials for public education.
Other projects as assigned.

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS :
Second and third year law students are encouraged to apply.

Applicants must possess :
Strong, research and communication skills, both written and verbal.
Demonstrated initiative to see projects through to completion.
Strong interest in social justice and legal issues.
Commitment to civil liberties.

HOW TO APPLY :
Applicants should send a letter of interest, résumé, a list of three references, an unofficial transcript, and a legal writing sample of no more than ten pages to amorrison@aclu.org , RE: WRP 2011 Summer Legal Internship in subject line of email or via regular mail to:

Summer Legal Internship Hiring Committee
ACLU Women’s Rights Project
125 Broad Street , 18 th Floor
New York , NY 10004-2400

We strongly encourage applicants to apply by February 10, 2011 but applications will be accepted until the positions are filled . Please indicate in your cover letter where you found this job posting.

The ACLU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and encourages women, people of color, persons with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals to apply.

The ACLU comprises two separate corporate entities, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU Foundation. Both the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU Foundation are national organizations with the same overall mission, and share office space and employees. The ACLU has two separate corporate entities in order to do a broad range of work to protect civil liberties. This job posting refers collectively to the two organizations under the name “ACLU.”