2026 Summer Law Student Intern - CIBC Bank USA Legal Department

CIBC•Chicago, IL

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

We're building a relationship-oriented bank for the modern world. We need talented, passionate professionals who are dedicated to doing what's right for our clients. At CIBC, we embrace your strengths and your ambitions, so you are empowered at work. Our team members have what they need to make a meaningful impact and are truly valued for who they are and what they contribute. To learn more about CIBC, please visit CIBC.com The US Legal Department of CIBC is seeking a law student to serve as a Legal Intern for Summer 2026. The intern will participate in a variety of projects and will gain valuable exposure to the workings of an in-house legal department at a growing US financial institution that is affiliated with Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, one of Canada's largest banks. CIBC's US Legal Department provides legal support for all of the consumer and commercial banking activities of CIBC Bank USA and the investment activities of CIBC's US Private Wealth affiliates. The department also includes the US Corporate Secretary, US Regulatory Affairs, Legal Process, and US Privacy Office functions. Interns may work on projects related to any or all of these functions, and thus will be exposed to not only a wide variety of legal subject matter, but also regulatory relations, regulatory compliance, risk management, and operations matters. This internship will be based at CIBC Bank USA's headquarters in Chicago's Loop, with the potential for remote and hybrid work options (though not guaranteed). We anticipate the internship will begin in May 2026 and end in August or September 2026, with exact start and end dates mutually agreed upon and taking into account the student's academic calendar. The expected rate of pay for this internship is $35/hour. Please submit the following materials as part of your application: Resume Recent writing sample written by you, not containing (unredacted) confidential information. This may include, for example, a legal writing class memo, law review note, blog post, or email summary of legal research (note: length and formality are not inherently prized over clarity and utility) Cover letter written by you, explaining your particular interest in the position. You may address this to the attention of Elizabeth Khalil , Deputy General Counsel (the hiring manager for this role) Law school grades (current unofficial transcript is sufficient) Interviews will be scheduled on a rolling basis as we receive applications, and we encourage you to submit your application as early as you can once grades are available. NOTE: This internship is open to current law students only. If you are an undergraduate, we encourage you to consider applying to the array of other internship opportunities CIBC offers.

Requirements

Good standing at an ABA-accredited law school
Rising 2L or 3L status in a JD program, or currently enrolled in a graduate law school degree program (LLM, SJD), as of Summer 2026
Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above (where applicable)
Demonstrated attention to detail
Strong critical thinking skills
Strong analytical, writing, and oral communication skills
Ability to take initiative, own projects, balance competing priorities, and take accountability for performance
Sincere interest in learning about banking, financial privacy, and other related work of the US Legal Department
Ability to work independently as well as part of a diverse, inclusive, collegial, and highly collaborative team
To be eligible for this program, you must be authorized to work in the U.S. on a permanent basis.

Responsibilities

Performing legal research, including 50-state surveys
Drafting summaries, analyses, and recommendations
Analyzing cross-border legal issues
Monitoring and analyzing new proposed and enacted legislation and regulatory changes, issuances from regulators, and relevant litigation
Drafting, reviewing, editing, and/or updating legal documents, such as loan documents, account agreements, and vendor contracts
Drafting, reviewing, editing, and/or updating internal documents, such as policies and procedures and training materials
Monitoring technological developments in the marketplace that impact privacy and information security
Working with law firms that serve as outside counsel to CIBC
Working with US Corporate Secretary on Board of Directors meetings and materials
Working with US Legal Process team to review, research, and respond to subpoenas, levies, garnishments, citations to discover assets, and court orders
Working with US Privacy Office
Working with US Regulatory Affairs to prepare for examinations and respond to regulatory requests
Contributing to Continuing Legal Education (CLE) programs and banker education programs
Interns are also encouraged to take on a summer-long research project of their own choosing, to culminate in a presentation or a writing project that can be used as a writing sample or the basis for an article.