Internships
We offer semester-term and summer-term internships and externships for undergraduate, graduate and law students, as well as particular opportunities, such as the Public Policy Advocacy Clinic, for NYU School of Law students. Law students are sometimes able to earn credit for their work, may be able to develop law review pieces and other papers on subjects growing out of the Center's activities, and are encouraged to apply for post-graduate fellowships at the Center.
All of our current opportunities are listed here and updated regularly. Please check this site frequently for updates.
Current Opportunities
Summer 2010 Legal Internship - NY and DC
Summer 2010 Undergraduate Internship - NY and DC
Fall and Spring Internships for Law Students
Public Policy and Advocacy Clinic at NYU School of Law
Summer 2010 Legal Internship - NY and DC
The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law is a non-partisan public policy and law institute that focuses on fundamental issues of democracy and justice. Our work ranges from voting rights to redistricting reform, from access to the courts to presidential power in the fight against terrorism. A singular institution—part think tank, part public interest law firm, part advocacy group—the Brennan Center combines scholarship, legislative and legal advocacy, and communications to win meaningful, measurable change in the public sector.
We seek interns to work alongside staff in our New York and Washington offices on the Brennan Center’s policy advocacy, research, and litigation initiatives. Activities may include legal and policy analysis; legislative drafting at federal, state, and local levels; administrative and legislative advocacy; public education and scholarship; and litigation in trial and appellate courts.
The Center’s Program Areas
Democracy Program
The Democracy Program seeks to bring the ideal of representative self-government closer to reality, by eliminating barriers to full and equal political participation and by striving to ensure that public policy and institutions reflect the diverse voices and interests that make for a rich and energetic democracy. The Program collaborates with grassroots groups, advocacy organizations, and reform-minded government officials to eliminate barriers to full and equal political participation and to promote institutions that meaningfully reflect diverse interests and views.
Assignments will be drawn from work on voting rights (including the rights of people with felony convictions); reform of election administration (including voter registration restrictions, photo ID requirements for voting, and other practices likely to suppress the vote and have a disproportionate impact on communities of color); campaign finance reform at the federal, state, and local level; and protecting the independence, impartiality, and integrity of the courts.
Justice Program
The Justice Program seeks to bring the ideal of a just society closer to reality. The Program collaborates with grassroots groups, advocacy organizations, and reform-minded government officials to promote equal treatment in our courts and to protect civil liberties in the wake of the war on terror. Each intern will work within a specific project of the Justice Program: Access to Justice, Criminal Justice, or Liberty and National Security.
The Access to Justice project is working to close this “justice gap” by expanding the types of civil cases in which low-income people have a right to counsel, increasing funding for the federal Legal Services Corporation (LSC), removing onerous restrictions on LSC-funded organizations, and improving language access in the courts. The Criminal Justice project is leading a national indigent defense reform movement that is dedicated to strengthening defender services and to securing the promise of Gideon. It is also working to ensure that a new generation of “fees and fines” does not unfairly shift the costs of criminal justice systems onto those least able to shoulder them.
Through the Liberty and National Security Project, we fight to preserve our constitutional values against erosion in the post-9/11 world and to set meaningful limits on the exercise of executive power. We develop innovative policy recommendations, and then use litigation and public advocacy to ensure that our nation’s commitment to our national security does not trump the nation’s commitment to fairness, accountability, and due process. We are no longer accepting applications for summer positions with LNS.
Washington, DC Office
Interns working in the DC office can expect their work to have a greater emphasis on advocacy and lobbying than on research and litigation, though you will gain exposure to all facets of our work. We will be hiring one legal intern to work with the Director of our DC office on a variety of Brennan Center issues.
Qualifications: Excellent legal research, analysis, and writing skills; initiative, imagination, and versatility; and a passion for our issues.
The Brennan Center, an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, is strongly committed to diversity and welcomes applicants of all races, ethnicities, genders, and sexual orientations, including people who have been previously incarcerated.
How to Apply: Interested students should send (1) a cover letter explaining which particular programs or projects they are interested in joining: Democracy (NY), Justice-Access to Justice/Criminal Justice (NY), or DC Office; (2) a current law school transcript; (3) a legal writing sample; (4) a current resume; and (5) contact information for three references. These items should be sent by e-mail to (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) with “Summer Legal Internship” in the subject line.
The deadline for applications is February 15, 2010, but interested students are strongly encouraged to apply early.
Summer 2010 Undergraduate Internship - NY and DC
The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law is a non-partisan public policy and law institute that focuses on the fundamental issues of democracy and justice. Our work ranges from voting rights to redistricting reform, from access to the courts to presidential power in the fight against terrorism. A singular institution – part think tank, part public interest law firm, part advocacy group – the Brennan Center combines scholarship, legislative and legal advocacy, and communications to win meaningful, measurable change in the public sector.
We are seeking interns to provide administrative and clerical support to staff in our Communications, Development, Finance, and Operations departments in our New York office and one intern for general support in our DC office.
Responsibilities: All interns will assist with general administrative and clerical work for the Brennan Center, including filing, photocopying, answering phones, shipping and mailing, coordinating meetings, drafting routine correspondence and covering the reception desk.
In addition to general clerical tasks, specific responsibilities for each department include:
- Development – assisting in event organization; updating the fundraising database; researching funding opportunities; and assisting in donor correspondence.
- Operations – processing job applications; assisting in processing payables and receivables; responding to prisoner correspondence; and assisting human resources staff.
- Finance - assisting with preparation of audit paperwork; working closely with Controller on account analysis, reconciliation, and presentation preparation for the annual Audit; and backing up Accounts Payable staff, after learning software and systems.
- Communications – filing press clips and tracking media appearances; updating press lists; helping to research and edit opinion pieces and blog entries; drafting press releases, cover letters and other external communications; tracking BC issues and initiatives on the web; assisting in outreach; and updating the website.
- DC Office - substantive research on a wide range of issues.
The job is great experience for undergraduates interested in the general workings of a not-for-profit organization.
Qualifications: The ideal candidates are independent, detail-oriented, self-starters, energetic, and highly organized. Experience with Windows XP, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word, a must. Database experience very helpful. Must be open to evolving responsibilities.
The Brennan Center, an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, is strongly committed to diversity and welcomes applicants of all races, ethnicities, genders, and sexual orientations, including people who have been previously incarcerated.
Hours: 40 hours per week.
Pay: $11.00 per hour.
To Apply: Send resume and cover letter to via e-mail to: (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) with “Undergraduate Internship [NY or DC]” in the subject line. In your cover letter, specify the department that most interests you. No phone calls, please.
Deadline: February 28, 2010.
Fall and Spring Internships for Law Students
The Brennan Center for Justice brings impact litigation, advises lawmakers on the constitutionality of bills, drafts legislation and regulations, and produces public education materials on a number of topics. We have two programs: Democracy and Justice. Under the Democracy Program, we work on election administration, voting technology, voter registration, expanding the franchise, redistricting, campaign finance reform and judicial selection, among other topics. Under the Justice Program, we work on habeas corpus, abuse of executive power, access to counsel, and the rights of prisoners and ex-prisoners, among other topics.
We seek interns to work alongside staff in our New York and DC offices on the Brennan Center’s policy advocacy, research, and litigation initiatives. Activities may include legal and policy analysis; legislative drafting at federal, state, and local levels; administrative and legislative advocacy; public education and scholarship; and litigation in trial and appellate courts.
Legal interns receive one-on-one supervision of their legal work by lawyers on our staff. If students need to complete a particular type of writing assignment for their coursework requirements, we can accommodate such requests by allowing students to write law review style articles about legal questions that arise in our work. Students are not compensated by the Brennan Center for their internships.
Qualifications: Excellent legal research, analysis, and writing skills; initiative, imagination, and versatility; and a passion for our issues. The Brennan Center, an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, is strongly committed to diversity and welcomes applicants of all races, ethnicities, genders, and sexual orientations.
How to Apply: Interested students should send (1) a cover letter explaining which particular program or programs they are interested in joining, (2) a current law school transcript, (3) a legal writing sample, (4) a current resume, and (5) contact information for three references. These items should be sent by e-mail to (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) with Legal Internship in the subject line.
The application deadline for the fall term is September 15, 2009; November 15, 2009 for the spring term; and February 15, 2010 for the summer term. We encourage students with a strong interest in joining us to apply early. Opportunities are available in both our New York and Washington offices.
The Brennan Center Public Policy Advocacy Clinic
The Public Policy Advocacy Clinic "PPAC" is a year-long fieldwork clinic designed to teach public policy reform strategies in the context of the real world campaigns that form the core of the Brennan Center's work. During 2009-10 the Clinic will be co-taught by NYU Professor Sarah Burns and two lawyers from the Brennan Center, Erika Wood and Rebekah Diller. Recognizing that multi-strategy lawyering is increasingly necessary for dealing with societal inequities, including unjust laws and policies, the Brennan Center for Justice and the Clinical Law Program of New York University School of Law are combining efforts to promote the rigorous study of public policy advocacy. The aim is to understand and master the broad range of strategies and skills relied upon by activists seeking to affect decision-making on matters of public policy.
2007–2008 Public Policy Advocacy Clinic
Front row, left to right: Sara Conrath, Roy Herrera, Keren Wheeler, Michael Margulies.
Center row: Michael Young, Alice Mei Ho, Wendy Weiser, Erika Wood, Tracy Chin, Naseem Kourosh.
Back row: Prof. Sarah E. Burns, Louis Lipner, Mimi Franke, Elizabeth Cate, Alex Guerrero.