Animal Legal Defense Fund Animal Legal Education & Scholarship Program Summer 2026 Clerkship

Description:

Term of Employment: Temporary, Full-time, Non-Exempt, Internship

Location: Remote position

Who We Are: The Animal Legal Defense Fund’s mission is to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals through the legal system. The Animal Legal Defense Fund accomplishes this mission by filing high-impact lawsuits to protect animals from harm, providing free legal assistance and training to prosecutors to assure that animal abusers are held accountable for their crimes, supporting tough animal protection legislation and fighting legislation harmful to animals, gathering data about and advocating for effective regulation of animal exploitative industries and providing resources and opportunities to law students and professionals to advance the emerging field of animal law.

Position Term: 35 hours/week for 10 weeks in summer 2026, with a start date at the end of May or beginning of June

Reports to: Chief Programs Officer

Role Description: The Animal Legal Defense Fund summer clerkship program gives law students who demonstrate an interest in animal law the opportunity to work with and be trained by top experts in the field. Clerks are integral members of a program team and work on projects that further the current work of the program and advance the mission and goals of the Animal Legal Defense Fund. Clerks also participate in activities that will allow them to network across the organization with Animal Legal Defense Fund staff and other clerks, and engage them in the mission and goals of the organization.

How You Will Make a Difference:

This position is housed within the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s Animal Legal Education & Scholarship Program, which works with law schools, students, and faculty to advance the emerging field of animal law.

Clerks will complete research for an upcoming Aquatic Animal Law & Policy Textbook. Students will assist the Senior Student Programs Attorney with:

• Completing legal, factual, regulatory, and policy research relating to a wide variety of aquatic animal law issues, with a focus on animals used in entertainment and as companions;
• General editing and checking sources and citations; and
• Preparing written work products.

Clerks will also assist with student chapter outreach, animal law curriculum development, and project and event planning. Students will help the Senior Law School Programs Attorney with:

• Researching self-study content for ALDF Student Chapters, including caselaw, recent legislation, law articles, and scholarship on animal law topics;
• Compiling materials, documents, and other content for animal law course packets;
• Assisting with fall project and event planning for Speak Out for Farmed Animals Month and the ALDF Student Convention; and
• Assisting with data compilation and transfer to a new ALDF Student Chapter and project database, with a primary focus on reviewing and organizing project grant data, summary, and photos, along with miscellaneous tasks as they come available.

Students may apply for more than one clerkship at a time (clerkships may be available with the Litigation Program, Criminal Justice Program, Legislative Affairs Program, Transparency & Regulatory Affairs Program, Pro Bono Program, and/or Animal Legal Education & Scholarship Program). The Litigation Program, Criminal Justice Program, and Pro Bono Program have already hired clerks for summer 2026.

Compensation:

• $20/ hour
• Paid holidays

How to Apply:

On our confidential recruiting portal, Paylocity, you will be asked to upload a resume and cover letter. The following additional documents are also required: a list of 2-3 professional references, law school transcript (unofficial okay), and original writing sample. The application deadline is April 6, 2026. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Questions may be addressed to Senior Student Programs Attorney Kelly Levenda at klevenda@aldf.org.

Additional information:

This is a U.S. based position. Clerks will be required to provide a personal United States address and to work primarily from that address.

Equal Opportunity Employer: The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) is committed to providing an employment environment which is welcoming of persons from diverse backgrounds and free from unlawful discrimination and harassment, and in which all legal rights of our employees are recognized and protected. ALDF conducts all internal and external operations, programs, and employment-related decision making (including hiring decisions) without regard to actual or perceived race, ancestry, color, religion, national origin, citizenship, immigration status, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, political affiliation, disability or medical condition (including physical, intellectual, or psychiatric), sexual orientation, marital status, military or veteran status, genetic information, age, or other protected category, and in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local anti-discrimination and anti-harassment laws.

Consistent with the organization’s mission, Animal Legal Defense Fund offices and events are free of animal products and byproducts.

Requirements:

We are Looking for Candidates with:

• Experience as a rising 3L (will have completed their 2L year or part-time equivalent prior to summer 2026) or LLM student at an ABA accredited law school.
• Eligibility to work in the United States.
• A sincere interest in animal protection.
• Superior legal research and writing skills, including the ability to tailor voice and style to various audiences.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Positive attitude and ability to work cooperatively with others and function well in a mission-driven, team-oriented work environment.
• Willingness to accept a variety of assignments within the expanding field of animal law.
• Excellent organizational, prioritization, and time management skills.
• Ability to work independently and remotely.
• Ability to use discretion, keeping in mind the confidential and emotional aspects of our work.
• Access to a computer with internet and Microsoft Suite.
• Familiarity with animal law is preferred.

We strongly encourage persons from diverse backgrounds to apply.