Legal Intern

Summary

Join American Oversight (AO), a nonpartisan nonprofit watchdog, as a part-time Fall Legal Intern. Reporting to an experienced lawyer, you will support the legal team through legal research and writing on impactful projects. This internship offers hands-on experience in public-interest litigation. The position requires at least one completed semester at an ABA-accredited law school and strong writing and research skills. Interns will work part-time (>32 hours/week) and must work from a specified location. Compensation is $22.00/hour, with the possibility of academic credit.

Requirements

• At least one semester at an ABA-accredited law school completed before the internship commences
• Strong writing, research, and oral communications skills
• An ability to analyze situations and information to apply sound decision making skills and sound judgment
• High degree of professional ethics and integrity

Responsibilities

• Review and research current events to spot potential legal issues and to identify opportunities to uncover state and federal government malfeasance or unethical conduct
• Collaborate with our research team to craft, review, and revise draft federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and state open records requests
• Draft FOIA and state open records act administrative appeals
• Draft court pleadings, including complaints, motions, and briefs or brief sections
• Conduct legal research to support litigation strategy
• Observe litigation proceedings or meetings, such as court hearings, depositions, or conferences with opposing counsel
• Contribute to reports and other editorial content for AO’s website based on the findings of investigations
• Attend and participate in regularly scheduled legal team and all staff meetings
• Other relevant duties as assigned

Preferred Qualifications

• Commitment to public-interest advocacy and an interest in litigation
• An interest in government ethics and accountability, legal investigations, and/or government oversight
• Experience working independently in a remote environment and self-managing deadlines
• Prior experience working collaboratively within a team and cross-departmentally

Benefits

• $22.00 per hour
• This rate is subject to adjustment based on the needs or restrictions of other external funding received by the intern, if any
• If you would prefer to structure this as a clinical externship for academic credit, we will be happy to assist in any necessary paperwork from your school
• Remote work, flexible hours