American Civil Liberties Union

2010 Summer Legal Internship Opportunity
IMMIGRANTS’ RIGHTS PROJECT
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION
New York and California Offices

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), America's foremost advocate of individual rights, is a non-partisan organization founded in 1920, with more than 5 National offices and over 50 affiliates throughout the country. The Immigrants’ Rights Project of the ACLU seeks legal interns for the Summer of 2010.

OVERVIEW:
The Immigrants’ Rights Project is a national project of the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation with offices in New York and California. Using targeted impact litigation, advocacy and public outreach, the Project carries on the ACLU’s historic commitment to protecting the civil rights and civil liberties of immigrants. In federal district and appellate courts, including the Supreme Court, the Project conducts the nation’s largest impact litigation program dedicated to defending and expanding the rights of immigrants, enforcing the guarantees of the Constitution and achieving equal justice under the law.

The Project has focused on challenging laws that deny immigrants access to the judicial system, impose indefinite and mandatory detention, and constitute discrimination on the basis of “alienage” by governmental and private entities. In addition, the Project has been challenging constitutional abuses that arise from immigration enforcement at the federal, state, and local levels, including litigation against worksite and home raids, local anti-immigrant employment and housing laws, and improper enforcement of federal immigration laws by local sheriffs. IRP’s efforts in the enforcement arena seek to ensure the constitutional protections of the Fourth, Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments, combat racial profiling arising from actual or pretextual immigration enforcement that subjects immigrant communities to racism and hostility, and challenge government policies and practices that undermine or deny immigrants’ ability to effectuate their existing legal rights.

The Education component of the Project provides information about immigrants’ rights to immigrant communities nationwide. The Project works with the English and non-English language media, immigrant advocacy organizations and ACLU affiliates around the country to empower immigrant communities through presentations about their rights as well as current and proposed immigration laws.

INTERNSHIP OVERVIEW:

Summer interns are highly encouraged to seek public interest fellowships to fund their internship.

Arrangements can also be made with the student's law school for work/study stipends. Summer interns will be eligible for a stipend if they are unable to secure funding.

Suggested application submission periods are as follows:

• 2Ls applying for Summer 2010 should apply between September 7, 2009, and November 20, 2009.
• 1Ls applying for Summer 2010 should apply between December 7, 2009, and January 22, 2010.

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Working closely with IRP staff, assisting in all aspects of litigation including legal research, factual investigation, and drafting of memoranda, affidavits, and briefs
• Providing assistance to ACLU affiliates, private attorneys, and others who seek our help.
• Screening potential cases.
• Researching or drafting materials for public education.
• Interns will attend regular staff meetings.

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS:

• One year of law school must be completed before beginning the internship.
• Commitment to civil liberties and immigrants’ rights and an interest in working toward racial and social justice.
• Strong writing and research skills.

HOW TO APPLY:
Students are encouraged to submit applications as early as possible, as decisions are made on rolling basis. Send a cover letter, resume, legal writing sample, list of references, and transcript to the office in which you wish to work. If you are interested in both offices, please apply separately to each and indicate that you have done so in your cover letter.

The ACLU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and encourages applications from women, people of color, persons with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals.

The ACLU comprises two separate corporate entities, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU Foundation. Both the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU Foundation are national organizations with the same overall mission, and share office space and employees. The ACLU has two separate corporate entities in order to do a broad range of work to protect civil liberties. This job posting refers collectively to the two organizations under the name “ACLU.”