Summer 2026 Legal Intern

Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.

151d

About The Position

NRDC is hiring a class of Summer Legal Interns to work with attorneys across NRDC in any of our U.S. offices. NRDC is seeking to hire a cohort of Summer Legal Interns to work on cases and projects with attorneys on our Litigation Team and within core issue areas (Human Health, Equity & Justice, Climate & Energy, and Nature). Intern positions are available in our New York, D.C., Chicago, Santa Monica, and San Francisco offices. This posting is specifically for: full-time law students in their 2L year and part-time or dual-degree law students who have completed at least one year of coursework and who will not graduate before summer 2026.

Requirements

• Strong legal writing, analytical, and oral communication skills
• Experience effectively working on a team
• Creativity and resourcefulness
• Commitment to public service, equity, or justice
• Growth mindset and openness to feedback
• Demonstrated ability to work with people across different social identities and backgrounds
• Record of academic and/or professional accomplishment
• Commitment to NRDC’s values and mission

Responsibilities

• Researching and preparing legal memos in support of litigation and rulemaking proceedings
• Interviewing NRDC members and preparing standing declarations
• Helping draft and review portions of pleadings and briefs
• Helping prepare comments to submit to administrative agencies or legislative bodies
• Helping craft proposed legislation to address environmental and public health problems

Benefits

• Paid internship with a stipend of $10,000 paid bi-weekly over the course of 10 weeks
• Flexibility in a hybrid work model

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Intern
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees