Fall 2024 Legal Intern- Headquarters

LatinoJustice PRLDEF (LJP) seeks a dynamic, creative, and committed Legal Intern to advance civil rights litigation, policy advocacy, and coalition-building in our Headquarters in New York, New York. The position requires a strategic thinker with demonstrated proficiency in LJP’s priority issues (pillars), including economic justice, immigrant rights, voting rights and redistricting, criminal justice reform (prisons and policing), and issues specific to Puerto Rico. The position will also assist the LJP legal staff in developing and implementing a range of strategies to infuse and advance a movement lawyering practice in all LJP’s work, including through research, advocacy, community engagement and education, coalition building, and strategic communications. This position reports to the Director of Litigation.

LatinoJustice has been at the forefront of major civil rights litigation since its founding in 1972. Accomplishments have ranged from winning the consent decree in the landmark bilingual education case ASPIRA v. Board of Education of the City of New York (1974) to striking down a Pennsylvania town’s anti-immigrant ordinance in Lozano v. City of Hazleton (2007) to negotiating a $582,000 settlement for 7 Latina immigrant workers in aTitle VII sexual harassment lawsuit in EEOC v. Suffolk Laundry (2013). Recent cases include. In re Cesar Vargas, representing first Dreamer law graduate publicly granted NY State bar admission; : Plaintiffs 1-21 v. Suffolk County Police Department, securing police reform class action settlement for class of Latino drivers and pedestrians racially profiled by county police; Hispanic Federation v. Byrd, challenging Floridas ban on hiring noncitizens to register voters; ‘nonCASA v. Wheeler, winning settlement of Voting Rights Act challenge on behalf of Puerto Rican voters in Pennsylvania; and Reyes v. City of New York, winning an injunction against the NYPDsban on filming police activity in public precinct lobbies.

Responsibilities

Legal interns are expected to work at minimum 12-15 hours/week during the semester subject to class schedule availability. Full-time clinical externship placements are also welcome. Primary responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Conduct fact investigations and legal research
• Draft sections of legal briefs, memos of law, pleadings, and other litigation documents
• Participate in client & witness interviews and trial preparation
• Accompany staff lawyers to court proceedings and legislative hearings
• Join every stage of planning, developing, and prosecuting our impact cases
  
  

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Energetic, motivated law students with a record of commitment to social justice work.
  
  

Excellent legal, written, research, and communications skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Coursework on Constitutional Law, Civil Rights, Employment, Immigration, and/or Voting Rights..
• Involvement in legal analytical and research skills workshops.
• Ability to conduct complex legal analysis and fact-finding.
• Bilingual Spanish/English is a plus but not required.
  
  

We are happy to help students obtain academic course credit through school clinical externship programs and/or satisfy pro bono volunteer requirements at school or for bar admission.

Please Note

LJP staff is currently working on hybrid schedule. At the time of this posting, this internship is designed as hybrid work experience with combined in-person and remote work.

Policy Disclosures

LatinoJustice PRLDEF is an equal opportunity employer and considers all applications without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or any other legally protected status.

By submitting an application for employment, you attest that all the information provided is true, accurate and complete. You acknowledge and are aware that the falsification, misrepresentation, or omission of any requested information on your application and any accompanying documents will be grounds for denial of employment. In the event such falsification, misrepresentation or omission is discovered subsequent to an offer and acceptance of employment, you acknowledge that any such false or misleading information in your application or provided during interview(s) will constitute grounds for discipline including termination of employment and discharge, regardless of when or how such false or misleading information was discovered.