About the Role
The ACLU seeks a Summer Legal Intern focusing on Veterans' Rights in the Disability Rights Program of the ACLU’s National office in Washington D.C. or San Francisco, CA. This position can be remote or hybrid.
Qualifying applicants must currently be matriculated legal students and must be based in the U.S. for the entire duration of the internship.
The Team:
The Disability Rights Program’s mission is to achieve an America free of discrimination against people with disabilities; where people with disabilities are valued, integrated members of society who have full access to education, homes, health care, jobs, families, voting and civic engagement. We fight to ensure that people with disabilities are no longer segregated into, and over-represented in, civil and criminal institutions such as nursing homes, psychiatric hospitals, jails, and prisons.
The ACLU has fought for decades for the rights of people with disabilities - achieving key wins to stop coerced mental health treatment and unnecessary institutionalization, as well as playing a role in the drafting of the ADA. DRP litigates and advocates to use disability rights laws to end the overrepresentation of people with disabilities in the criminal legal system, including pursuing first of its kind litigation to ensure that municipalities provide trained, non-police responders to people experiencing mental health crises. We also litigate and advocate to promote alternatives to guardianship and to secure equal access to the ballot. We also provide support to affiliates and the National office on disability rights issues that intersect with core civil liberties.
The ACLU has recently strengthened its work at the intersection of disability, veterans’ rights, and civil liberties. This internship focuses specifically on this emerging area of work.
What You’ll Do:
This position will work primarily on DRP’s veterans’ docket. Specifically, the intern will work on litigation and advocacy at the intersection of disability rights, civil liberties, and the rights of servicemembers and veterans.
The intern will have the opportunity to gain valuable experience by working alongside the team and assisting in legal research and writing, factual investigation, and strategic advocacy to advance our litigation and integrated advocacy. The intern will have the opportunity to participate in litigation, advocacy, and internal meetings and discussions.
Your Day to Day:
Interns will support DRP litigation work and integrated advocacy across our priority areas:
Legal research
Legal writing, such as memos and portions of court submissions
Fact investigation
Support in preparation for and during court cases, such as depositions, oral argument, hearings, or trial
What You'll Bring:
The internship is open only to students enrolled at U.S. law schools who will have completed at least one year of law school before the internship commences .
Additionally, i nterns should possess the following:
Excellent research skills, including conducting internet and legal database research
Excellent communication skills, both verbal and writing
Attention to detail, excellent organizing and time-management skills
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite
The initiative to see projects through to completion
We invite applications from candidates who have personal, professional, and/or academic experience in the military, including candidates who are veterans or servicemembers. We further invite applications from candidates who have personal, professional, and/or academic experience with disability and disability rights, including candidates who have disabilities.
Future ACLU'ers Will:
Be committed to advancing the mission of the ACLU
Center and embed the principles of equity, inclusion and belonging in their work by demonstrating commitment to diversity with an approach that respects and values multiple perspectives
Be committed to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and…