Description
CONSUMER RIGHTS & ECONOMIC JUSTICE
To apply for a summer internship with CREJ, you must be in your first or second year of law school. Please submit a cover letter, resume, and a writing sample, all in PDF format (and a transcript, if available). Your resume must reflect the law school you are currently enrolled in, to be considered for any summer program internship at Public Counsel.
In your cover letter, discuss why you are interested in interning with Public Counsel generally and with CREJ specifically. Note that we are especially interested in receiving applications from historically underrepresented students consistent with our active, ongoing commitment to increasing equity and inclusion, and that we value lived experiences and experiences working with clients across a range of settings. Please consider addressing these topics in your cover letter, especially if not reflected in your resume.
If you would like to be considered for a summer internship with another project at Public Counsel, please submit a separate application to that project. Note, however, you can only be hired to work with one project during the summer program.
We strongly encourage you to submit your application no later than February 1.
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Consumer Rights & Economic Justice (CREJ)’s mission is to advance economic justice, with a specific focus on addressing structural racial inequalities that have long hampered individuals and communities of color. We are a diverse team of dedicated and nationally recognized attorneys and support staff who strive to lift up our clients and each other with excellence, dedication, tenacity, compassion and kindness.
We provide direct legal services, engage in policy and legislative reform, and litigate impact cases in federal and state courts. We strive to engage with community directly as we build our community lawyering approach. Our practice covers a wide array of consumer matters including predatory lending, debt collection, real estate fraud, foreclosure, student loan debt, medical debt, predatory for-profit schools, bankruptcy, criminal system debt, consumer fraud, and unfair business practices. We offer a suite of consumer and litigation related trainings throughout the summer for consumer lawyers and their law clerks across the state.
What do student interns do in the Consumer Rights & Economic Justice team?
Working under the supervision and mentorship of our team of experienced attorneys, summer law clerks will get front-line experience and will carry their own caseload. Typical duties include, interviewing clients and witnesses, analyzing new potential cases, researching pertinent aspects of law, drafting memoranda, drafting demand letters, and engaging in various other associated litigation and policy tasks. Summer law clerks participate in our weekly case review meetings and are encouraged to participate in policy coalition calls, observe court proceedings and attend depositions and mediations where possible. Our clerks will gain insight into the legal profession and have the opportunity to develop valuable relationships within the legal community.
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Public Counsel is a nonprofit public interest law firm dedicated to advancing civil rights and racial and economic justice, as well as to amplifying the power of our clients through comprehensive legal advocacy. Founded on and strengthened by a pro bono legal service model, our staff and volunteers seek justice through direct legal services, promote healthy and resilient communities through education and outreach, and support community-led efforts to transform unjust systems through litigation and policy advocacy in and beyond Los Angeles.
Skills Required
- Must be enrolled in the first or second year of law school
- Submit a cover letter
- Submit a resume reflecting the law school currently attended
- Submit a writing sample in PDF format
- Submit application materials in PDF format
- Submit a transcript
What We Do
Public Counsel is a nonprofit public interest law firm dedicated to advancing civil rights and racial and economic justice. As the largest provider of pro bono legal services in the United States, it employs a comprehensive legal advocacy model. Through direct legal services, impact litigation, and policy advocacy, the firm works to transform unjust systems and amplify the power of its clients in and beyond Los Angeles.
