Legal Intern I Spring 2027 in New York, New York at LatinoJustice PRLDEF

ABOUT LATINOJUSTICE PRLDEF:

LatinoJustice PRLDEF (LJP) seeks dynamic and creative, currently enrolled law students to advance our civil rights litigation and policy advocacy based in our New York City Headquarters. The position is ideal for a strategic thinker with demonstrated experience in LJP’s priority pillars of interest, including economic justice (education, employment discrimination & workers' rights and fair housing), immigrant rights, voting rights and redistricting, and criminal justice, prisons and policing reform issues. [JP1] 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 Deputy General Counsel, Legal Director and/or designated Supervising Attorneys.

LatinoJustice has been at the forefront of major civil rights litigation since its founding in 1972 as the Puerto Rican Legal Defense & Education Fund. 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 (2008) to negotiating a $582,000 settlement for 7 Latina immigrant workers in a Title VII sexual harassment lawsuit in EEOC v. Suffolk Laundry (2013). More 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, successfully challenging Florida’s ban on hiring noncitizens to register voters; CASA v. Wheeler, winning settlement of Voting Rights Act 4(e) language assistance lawsuit on behalf of Puerto Rican voters in Pennsylvania; and Orellana Castaneda v. Suffolk County Sherriff’s office legal challenge to ICE detainer policy resulting in $112M jury verdict and judgment! (2025).

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Spring term legal interns are expected to work at minimum 12-15 hours/week during the semester subject to class schedule availability. Part-time and full-time school clinical externship placements for academic credit are 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 issues.
• Excellent legal, written, research, and communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Coursework on Constitutional Law, Civil Rights, Employment, Immigration, and/or Voting Rights.
• Involvement in legal analytical and research skills seminars and programs.
• Ability to engage in 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 a 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.