Intern, Appellate Project (Spring)

Since 1932, Legal Aid has provided civil legal assistance to clients in individual cases and engaged in systemic reform. Currently, we provide individual representation in consumer law, domestic violence/family law, housing, immigration, public benefits, and appellate matters. We also help individuals with the collateral consequences of their involvement with the criminal justice system. From the experiences of our clients, we identify opportunities for law reform, public policy advocacy, and systemic impact and appellate litigation.

Legal Aid believes that meaningful pursuit of our anti-poverty mission requires an unwavering commitment to racial justice and equity. We aspire both to reflect the rich racial diversity of the communities we serve and to value, respect, and empower our staff and clients to be effective agents of change. For more information about Legal Aid, please visit our website, www.LegalAidDC.org.

Legal Aid’s nationally recognized Barbara McDowell Appellate Advocacy Project is named after its first Director, an acclaimed appellate and U.S. Supreme Court advocate. The Project litigates precedent-setting appeals on behalf of Legal Aid clients and files “friend of the court” briefs in cases involving matters of importance to people living in poverty. Beyond litigation, the Project provides appellate instruction, consultation, and advice to the larger D.C. legal services community. Although most of the Project’s work involves cases before the D.C. Court of Appeals, the Project also participates in administrative appeals and in cases before the D.C. Superior Court and the federal courts.

Prior interns have drafted large sections of briefs, researched novel legal questions, attended Legal Aid oral argument at the D.C. Court of Appeals, met with federal and District judges and appellate practitioners from diverse practice areas, and attended a legal writing training, among other professional enrichment opportunities.

This internship is for Spring 2026 and will be 12 weeks long. Interns should expect to work at least 12 hours per week. Interns work out of Legal Aid’s offices in NW DC, with the option to perform some work remotely if approved by their supervisor.

Interns will receive a scholarship of up to $2,585 for the 12-week internship. Interns will not receive scholarship funding if they receive outside funding for their internship or they are interning through a school program that precludes them from being paid.

Responsibilities:

• Conducting legal research using Lexis to answer quick questions or prepare longer memos

• Drafting portions of filings, including briefs and motions, and client correspondence

• Cite-checking, Bluebooking, proofreading, and other tasks that require careful attention to detail

• Participating in oral argument preparation, including moots

• Reviewing publicly available dockets to identify cases in which Legal Aid should become involved, including assessing lengthy records and issue-spotting

• Providing administrative support to the project

Requirements: This position is only available to current law school students. Applicants should use their cover letter to explain why they are interested in this role’s unique combination of poverty law and appellate law.

Scholarship Funding:

Interns will receive a scholarship of up to $2,585 for the 12-week internship. Interns will not receive scholarship funding if they receive outside funding for their internship or they are interning through a school program that precludes them from being paid.

To Apply:

Legal Aid values an inclusive, diverse workplace and encourages applications from interested persons from diverse backgrounds of any race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, personal appearance, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, genetic information, or any other legally protected status. We strongly encourage applications from people with personal experience with the criminal justice system and/or with lived experiences in the communities we serve.

Applicants should submit a cover letter, resume, law school transcript, and legal writing sample (including a brief description of the involvement of others, if any) here. Please provide three references, including at least one professional reference. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. The application closes on December 1, 2025 at 5:00 PM ET.