Legal Internship (Fall and Spring)

UnCommon Law•Oakland, CA

9h•Hybrid

About The Position

UnCommon Law fights to ensure that all people incarcerated for violent crime have access to healing, justice, and effective legal representation. Through our unique, trauma-informed model of advocacy, we provide the space currently missing in the system for healing, accountability, and safe pathways home from prison. In developing new self-narratives, the people we serve are able to more effectively disrupt violence inside and outside prison and become leaders who change negative societal narratives about those incarcerated for violent crime. Our groundbreaking approach is changing policy and outcomes, driven by the voices and experiences of system-impacted communities. UnCommon Law has an opening for two undergraduate (any major) interns. This position provides support to the Legal Team. The main duties of the position are processing and drafting non-client communications. Interns will also have the opportunity to learn about the discretionary parole process, California prisons, and about the life cycle of individual journeys through incarceration and release. Furthermore, interns will be given the opportunity to participate in special projects, such as database audits, working on specific cases, conducting research, or reviewing and editing legal documents. The Legal Intern position is part-time (15-20 hours/week) over the 2026/27 Academic Calendar, beginning ideally on September 14, 2026, and ending May 14, 2027. This position is unpaid and offers a $600 stipend per semester to defray some costs. We encourage candidates to seek outside funding, fellowship opportunities, or school credit. UnCommon Law will be flexible about scheduling and understands that many students are not only busy with school, but are also working. This is a hybrid position that requires a minimum of 8 hours per week at our office in Oakland, CA. We encourage people who have been directly impacted by incarceration to apply.

Requirements

Compassion for incarcerated people and their family members, and a demonstrated interest in criminal justice reform
Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
A professional demeanor and pleasant disposition
Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail
Sensitivity to confidential matters
A working proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel, Google Suite, and CRM software (strongly preferred)

Nice To Haves

Spanish language skills (strongly preferred)

Responsibilities

Reviewing and responding to non-client mail
Updating contact records and maintaining our legal database
Reviewing case records and central prison files; compiling housing, employment, and other support resources
Writing memos regarding policy updates, conducting research in our central files, participating in virtual conference calls as a note taker