Law Reform Legal Intern - Fall 2026

The Law Reform Units of the Legal Aid Society (LAS) have opportunities for law school students to participate in LAS’s ground-breaking work on impact litigation and policy initiatives that seek to address systemic issues facing Legal Aid’s clients. The Law Reform units consists of: 

1. CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAW REFORM TEAM – This team has four internship programs. Candidates applying to the Criminal Law Reform team must indicate their unit/project preferences in their cover letter. The options are:

• Special Litigation Unit 
• Prisoners’ Rights Project
• Incarcerated Client Services Unit
• Decarceration Unit

2. LAW REFORM UNIT OF THE CIVIL PRACTICE (INCLUDING HOMELESS RIGHTS UNIT)

3. SPECIAL LITIGATION AND LAW REFORM UNIT OF THE JUVENILE RIGHTS PRACTICE

4. LGBTQ+ LAW AND POLICY INITIATIVE UNIT 

Each of these units engages in impact litigation, policy reform, coalition building, and public education strategies to grapple with novel legal issues arising in the daily practice of Legal Aid's direct services work. Interns applying to this position will be assigned to one of these units for the duration of their internship, depending on the preferences of the intern and the needs of the units.

Review The Legal Aid Society's website for more specific descriptions of the work of each of these units and identify which unit(s) you'd be interested in working with in your cover letter.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

These internships offer the opportunity to engage in various aspects of Legal Aid’s law reform work, depending upon the specific needs of the unit to which the intern is assigned. This may include legal research; factual research; client interviewing; participating in discovery and trial practice as opportunities arise; contributing to legal papers, policy memos, or legislative testimony; and other tasks. Interns will be asked to rank which of the law reform units they would most prefer to work in and will be matched depending on experience and organizational needs. Descriptions of each law reform unit can be found at https://legalaidnyc.org/programs-projects-units/?what-we-do=50.

QUALIFICATIONS 

• 2L and 3L students in good standing
• Interest in working on the issues affecting the rights of Legal Aid’s clients particularly tailored to the unit(s) prioritized by the applicant
• Excellent research, writing, and communication skills
• The ability to analyze complex legal and policy issues
• The initiative to see projects through to completion
• A commitment to racial and social justice

SALARY TRANSPARENCY

As an intern position, this role has no salary.

STIPENDS & BENEFITS  

Interns may be eligible for financial assistance, public interest funding, or academic credit through their law school. These internships may also qualify for pro bono credit.

Additionally, interns may apply for the Howard Rossbach and Mary Boresz Pike Stipend administered by the Legal Aid Society.

The Howard Rossbach stipend was established in memory of Judge J. Howard Rossbach, Attorney-in-Chief of The Legal Aid Society (1950-1952, 1953-1955), whose mentorship encouraged young lawyers’ dedication to civic engagement through legal aid.

The Mary Boresz Pike Intern Fund was established by Richard S. Rosenthal in 2026 to support law school internships at LAS. The fund honors Mary Boresz Pike, a brilliant, principled, and tenacious attorney whose career was defined by her unwavering commitment to civil liberties and human rights, especially in defense of individuals persecuted for exercising beliefs or viewpoints suppressed by their governments.

The J. Howard Rossbach and Mary Boresz Pike Internship Stipends, awarded through a lottery system, aim to support interns at The Legal Aid Society who demonstrate financial need and lack funding for their internships.

To be considered for these stipends, interns:

• Must be enrolled as a law student at any accredited institution
• Must ultimately be accepted to participate in an internship program at LAS
• Must demonstrate financial need
• Must lack funding for their internship

To be considered for a stipend, simultaneously fill out the Internship Stipend Form during the submission of your internship application. Only one application per applicant per year is permitted. Please do not submit multiple forms even if you are applying for multiple internships. Selected interns will be notified prior to the start of their internships. The stipend will be treated as taxable income.

Application deadline: Stipend opportunities are awarded seasonally; deadlines may vary.

HOW TO APPLY

All applications must be completed online. We do not accept paper submissions. Please visit our Careers Page to review all current job postings, and instructions on the application process.

Applicants, in the Cover Letter be sure to identify one or more of the Law Reform Units of interest. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, so applicants are encouraged to apply early. Applicants will be notified whether or not they have been selected for an interview.

Please submit these documents as a single combined PDF when you apply via the LAS (Legal Aid Society) Recruitment Portal.

• Cover Letter
• Resume

For technical difficulties or questions regarding this posting, please email [email protected].

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY 

As an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer, The Legal Aid Society prohibits discriminatory employment actions against and treatment of its employees and applicants for employment based on actual or perceived race or color, size (including bone structure, body size, height, shape, and weight), religion or creed, alienage or citizenship status, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity (one’s internal deeply-held sense of one’s gender which may be the same or different from one’s sex assigned at birth); gender expression (the representation of gender as expressed through, for example, one’s name, choice of pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, or body characteristics; gender expression may not conform to traditional gender-based stereotypes assigned to specific gender identities), disability, marital status, relationship and family structure (including domestic partnerships, polyamorous families and individuals, chosen family, platonic co-parents, and multigenerational families), genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, arrest or pre-employment conviction record, credit history, unemployment status, caregiver status, salary history, or any other characteristic protected by law.

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

The leadership of The Legal Aid Society is committed to a work culture of zealous advocacy, respect, diversity and inclusion, client-oriented defense, access to justice and excellent representation. We are dedicated to building a strong professional relationship with each of our clients, to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us.