Jobs + Internships
Now Accepting Applications – 2019 Summer Legal Interns (unpaid)
Position Overview: CLA internships provide current law students with the opportunity to help support communities and organizations that are working to protect and restore the Bay and its watershed, but cannot afford an attorney. While CLA unfortunately does not have funds available for paid internships, we will work with you to secure funding that might be available from other sources or academic credit.
Responsibilities: CLA interns are given significant responsibility in various tasks including conducting legal research and writing for CLA clients, assisting CLA staff in evaluating requests for legal assistance, participating in community events and stakeholder meetings, developing content for our website and newsletter, and thinking creatively and strategically about how to use litigation and other advocacy efforts to enhance water quality in Chesapeake Bay. There are also opportunities to craft research projects on a variety of issues, depending on the intern’s interests.
Location + Time Commitment: CLA is located in historic downtown Annapolis, Maryland. Interns spend at least 8-16 hours per week in the office, with the possibility of some work being performed remotely.
Qualifications: Current law students are invited to apply. Candidates must have excellent writing and research skills and must provide their own transportation. Experience and/or a demonstrated interest in water quality, land-use planning, and/or environmental and energy issues is highly desirable.
To Apply: Please send a cover letter, resume, and writing sample to internshipapplications@chesapeakelegal.org. Applications will be accepted beginning in January 2019 and evaluated on a rolling basis. Positions in our summer program are filled on a rolling basis. We will be hiring 2-3 law students for our Summer 2019 class.
To learn more about CLA or our internship opportunities please contact info@chesapeakelegal.org.
Internship Opportunities
CLA internships offer college and law students the opportunity to help support communities and organizations that are working to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay watershed. CLA empowers environmental organizations, citizen groups, and individuals by providing them with the legal representation, knowledge, and resources necessary to make their voices heard and actions count. Specifically, CLA coordinates a network of attorneys who volunteer their time and professional skills, free of charge. CLA interns have the opportunity to work directly with CLA Staff Attorneys, volunteer attorneys, and clients.
CLA interns are given significant responsibility in various tasks including: conducting research, analysis, and writing memoranda; thinking creatively and strategically about how to use advocacy efforts to enhance water quality in Chesapeake Bay; assisting CLA staff in evaluating requests for legal assistance; participating in community events and stakeholder meetings, including the Choose Clean Water Coalition conference; and developing content for our website and newsletter. There are also opportunities to craft research projects on a variety of issues, depending on the intern’s interests.
Legal internships are designed to provide you with an educational experience in public interest law, with a focus on environmental and administrative law issues impacting the health of the Chesapeake Bay. During your time in the internship program, Chesapeake Legal Alliance Staff Attorneys will meet with you on a regular basis to ensure you are obtaining valuable learning experiences. Early on, you will be given an opportunity to communicate your goals for the internship to supervising staff so that the experience may best meet your needs. During that time, we will also discuss any specific attorney shadowing opportunities in which you would like to participate. Throughout the course of your internship, Staff Attorneys will be involved in reviewing your work product and providing project feedback.
Summer Legal Intern Program
CLA has an established summer legal internship program. Each summer we hire several law students for 10 to 12 weeks. Summer intern positions are unpaid, and we are happy to work with you and your school to offer academic credit if appropriate. Summer internship positions will be posted on this website and with select law schools’ Symplicity platform on or around December 1st. CLA also attends regional Public Interest Interview Programs in January and February to meet potential interns. Offers are typically extended in late winter. If you are a current law student interested in our summer legal intern program, please feel free to contact us to learn more about our program and application deadlines.
Semester Interns + Pro Bono Projects
CLA takes semester interns on a project-by-project basis. These projects can be for credit or unpaid. We often work with students to develop semester projects that meet both CLA client needs and student interests. If you are interested in a semester internship, please contact us to discuss if we have any appropriate projects available.
We also work with students to design projects that meet law school pro bono project requirements. If you are interested in volunteering your time to a pro bono project, please contact us to see if we have a project that will meet your school requirements.
For all internship questions, please contact info@chesapeakelegal.org