Summer 2027 Legal Intern, Disability Rights Program- Veterans' Rights

ACLU - Internships • Washington, DC

3h • Remote

About The Position

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 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.

Requirements

• Currently matriculated legal students.
• Must be based in the U.S. for the entire duration of the internship.
• Students enrolled at U.S. law schools who will have completed at least one year of law school before the internship commences.
• 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.

Nice To Haves

• Candidates who have personal, professional, and/or academic experience in the military, including candidates who are veterans or servicemembers.
• Candidates who have personal, professional, and/or academic experience with disability and disability rights, including candidates who have disabilities.

Responsibilities

• Work primarily on DRP’s veterans’ docket.
• Work on litigation and advocacy at the intersection of disability rights, civil liberties, and the rights of servicemembers and veterans.
• Assist in legal research and writing.
• Assist in factual investigation.
• Assist in strategic advocacy to advance litigation and integrated advocacy.
• Participate in litigation, advocacy, and internal meetings and discussions.
• Support DRP litigation work and integrated advocacy across priority areas.
• Conduct legal research.
• Conduct legal writing, such as memos and portions of court submissions.
• Conduct fact investigation.
• Support in preparation for and during court cases, such as depositions, oral argument, hearings, or trial.

Benefits

• A stipend is available for those students who are lawfully authorized to work.
• Students who receive outside funding are eligible for a partial stipend to bring their total funding up to the level of the ACLU’s stipend amount for the summer.
• Legal interns receive a stipend amount of $24/hour (stipends are taxed)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Intern
• Education Level: Associate degree