The Legal Department of the ACLU of Oklahoma is looking for qualified and dedicated legal interns. The ACLU Legal Department is responsible for protecting the rights of Oklahomans through impact civil rights litigation. The Legal Internship offers the opportunity to learn about the breadth of the ACLU’s work, to understand the issues facing Oklahomans, and to practice skills like legal research and writing and crafting litigation strategy.
Internship Opportunities
The legal internship is available to all law students who reside in Oklahoma or attend a law school in Oklahoma.
The internship requires a semester-long or summer-long commitment and can be full time or part time with a minimum commitment of 10 hours per week. Interns will be compensated at $15 an hour for a maximum of 20 hours a week.
All staff, including interns, are required to have the COVID-19 vaccine unless an employee has a medical or religious exemption that makes them unable to receive the vaccine. Reasonable accommodations will be made with staff and their direct supervisor with final determination made by the Executive Director.
Roles and Reponsibilitues
Interns will have the opportunity to gain valuable experience by working alongside the ACLU of Oklahoma team. Responsibilities include:
- Conducting legal research and producing memoranda,
- Submitting open records requests,
- Drafting demand letters,
- Editing briefs and other filings,
- Attending staff and litigation team meetings,
- Assisting with litigation strategy,
- Conducting factual research,
- Attending court hearings,
- Attending public meetings, and
- Other tasks assisting with litigation as necessary.
Experience and Qualifications
The internship is open to law school students who have completed their 1L year. Preference will be given to applicants with a demonstrated commitment to social justice and an interest in practicing civil rights law. Applicants should possess:
- Understanding of the Constitution, civil rights, and social justice issues,
- Commitment to civil rights and the work of the ACLU,
- Excellent organization and writing skills, and
- Proficiency in Sharepoint, Excel, and Westlaw.
Summer internship applications are due by March 1.
Fall internship applications are due by June 1.
Spring internship applications are due by November 1.
To be considered for this internship, please submit a resume and cover letter in a combined PDF in that order with your full name and “Legal Internship Application” as the title of the document and with “Legal Internship Application” and the year and season for which you are applying as the subject of the email to Bradley Thompson at bthompson@acluok.org.