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.

Current Opportunities

Internships for Law Students
Internships for Undergraduates
Public Policy and Advocacy Clinic at NYU School of Law

 

Internships for Law Students in NY and DC

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: Click here to apply.

The application deadline for the fall term is September 15; November 15 for the spring term; and February 15 for the summer term. We encourage students with a strong interest in joining us to apply early. Opportunities are usually available in both our New York and Washington offices. Please visit our jobs page to apply.

 

Internships for Undergraduates

The Brennan Center hires undergraduate student interns for all semesters to provide administrative and clerical support to staff in our Development, Communications, Finance & Operations, Democracy, and Justice Departments. Specific information about available positions and how to apply can be found here.

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 administrative and reception duties, specific responsibilities for each department include:

• Development – assisting in event organization; updating the fundraising database; researching funding opportunities; and assisting in donor correspondence.
• Finance & Operations – processing job applications; assisting in processing payables and receivables; responding to prisoner correspondence; and assisting human resources staff.
• 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 web site.
• Democracy – providing administrative support for litigation; conducting research; and preparing employee expense reports.
• Justice – updating the website; preliminary research (e.g., finding relevant material on radicalization policies in different countries) and editing papers.

The job is great experience for undergraduates interested in the general workings of a not-for-profit organization.

Qualifications: Interns must have a passion for our issues and excellent written and verbal communication skills. The ideal candidates are independent, detail-oriented, and highly organized. Experience with Windows XP, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word, a must. Database experience very helpful. Must be open to evolving responsibilities. These positions are only open to current undergraduate students.

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: 15-25/week during fall/spring semesters; 40/week during summer

Pay: $11.00 per hour.

To Apply: We are not currently accepting internship applications. Please return in January to apply for summer semester internships.

 

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 2010-11, the Clinic will be co-taught by Brennan Center lawyers Erika Wood, Rebekah Diller and Larry Norden. 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.