ACLU Internship

Dean Mitnick (from Career Services) sent this along. She said that she'd be willing to help people out with applications, looking for funding, etc. Her contact info is at the bottom of the posting...

2008 Summer Legal Internship-ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender & AIDS Project, NY (8/24/2007)

2008 SUMMER LEGAL INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY
Notice to Second and Third Year Law Students
Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender & AIDS Project, NY
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION, NY

The Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender & AIDS Project of the American Civil Liberties Union seeks law clerks to work full-time in New York City for the Summer of 2008.

OVERVIEW:
America’s foremost advocate of individual rights, the American Civil Liberties Union is a nonpartisan organization founded in 1920. With national offices in New York and Washington and 52 affiliates throughout the country, it is widely regarded as the nation’s premier public interest law firm.

Founded in 1986, the Project is a special division of the national office of the ACLU. The goal of the LGBT and AIDS Project is the creation of a society in which lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and people with HIV enjoy the basic rights of equality, privacy and personal autonomy, and freedom of belief, expression and association. This means an America where there’s the ability to live open and honest lives without fear of discrimination or abuse, where there’s respect for our identities, relationships and families, and where there’s fair treatment in employment, schools, health care, housing and public places and programs.

The Project brings “impact” lawsuits in state and federal courts throughout the country – cases designed to have a significant effect on the lives of LGBT people and those with HIV/AIDS. The Project’s legal strategies are built on the idea that fighting for civil rights means not only persuading judges but also ultimately changing the way people think. As we litigate for change, we implement targeted media, online and outreach campaigns to change public attitudes through education and to give people on the frontlines the tools they need to act.

As a part of the ACLU, the Project is in a unique position to work for equality. The ACLU’s national network of affiliates broadens the Project’s reach into every locality and into the federal government. Today, the ACLU brings more LGBT cases and advocacy initiatives than any other national civil rights organization. The Project strives to ensure that the racial and economic diversity of the LGBT community is reflected in its work and continues to explore ways to make its efforts more sensitive to the needs of people of color and people who are economically disadvantaged. The Project’s work as part of the broad civil liberties agenda of the ACLU exemplifies the notion that the LGBT community and the community of those living with HIV/AIDS must work in concert with other social change movements in order to achieve a just society for all.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Law clerks will help with the litigation and legislative/policy work of the Project. They will do legal and other research, work with clients, draft policy and legal memos, and help write pleadings, briefs and other litigation documents.

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS:
Second and third year law students are invited to apply. Familiarity with lesbian gay bisexual and transgender civil rights and liberties, the civil rights and liberties of those living with HIV/AIDS, and other civil liberties issues is desirable; commitment to those issues is essential. Excellent research and writing skills and superior analytical ability are required. Applicants should be self-motivated, dedicated, and have the proven ability to work with a wide range of people.

COMPENSATION:
Students are highly encouraged to seek Public Interest Fellowship funds for the internship. Arrangements can also be made with the student's law school for work/study stipends. Summer interns who do not secure funding, or who receive less than $500 per week from alternative sources, will be eligible for a stipend provided by the ACLU for the amount of the differential.

HOW TO APPLY:
The deadline is February 1, 2008, but applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, and therefore candidates are encouraged to apply well in advance of the deadline. Send a cover letter, resume, writing sample, transcript, and list of references to:

Summer Law Internship Coordinator
ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender & AIDS Project
125 Broad Street, 18th Floor
New York, New York 10004-2400
(212) 549-2650 (fax).

The ACLU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and encourages applications from women, people of color, persons with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals.

The ACLU comprises two separate corporate entities, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU Foundation. Both the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU Foundation are national organizations with the same overall mission, and share office space and employees. The ACLU has two separate corporate entities in order to do a broad range of work to protect civil liberties. This job posting refers collectively to the two organizations under the name “ACLU.”

Cara Mitnick, Esq.
Assistant Dean for Career Services
University of San Diego School of Law
5998 Alcala Park
San Diego, CA 92110
(619) 260-4152
cmitnick@sandiego.edu