Legal Department Intern

It started with a simple idea: what if surgery could be less invasive and recovery less painful? Nearly 30 years later, that question still fuels everything we do at Intuitive. As a global leader in robotic-assisted surgery and minimally invasive care, our technologies—like the da Vinci surgical system and Ion—have transformed how care is delivered for millions of patients worldwide.

We’re a team of engineers, clinicians, and innovators united by one purpose: to make surgery smarter, safer, and more human. Every day, our work helps care teams perform with greater precision and patients recover faster, improving outcomes around the world.

The problems we solve demand creativity, rigor, and collaboration. The work is challenging, but deeply meaningful—because every improvement we make has the potential to change a life.

If you’re ready to contribute to something bigger than yourself and help transform the future of healthcare, you’ll find your purpose here.

Primary Function of Position

Our global Legal team seeks a passionate first year law student who is eager to dive into a dynamic, multi-practice in-house legal environment. Our program is designed to provide a meaningful and immersive experience that allows you to gain valuable skills while working for one of the world’s most innovative companies.  If you are intellectually curious, passionate about innovation, and energized by collaborating across disciplines to tackle complex legal challenges, we invite you to apply to join our legal internship program.

Our global team assists our business clients with a number of legal and business related matters, including litigation, intellectual property, corporate governance, compliance, commercial, contracts, employment, and privacy. During the course of the internship, you will gain hand-on experience attending internal client meetings, applying your legal research and writing skills, and gaining experience working on corporate and commercial matters, all while building relationships through regular social interactions.

Essential Job Duties

• Conduct project-specific legal research, benchmarking, organizational improvement and/or analysis

• Prepare and disseminate results and make recommendations

• Participate in project planning meetings

• Collaborate with other members of the legal team

Required Skills and Experience

University Hiring Program Eligibility Requirements:

• University Enrollment: Must be currently enrolled in and returning to an accredited degree-seeking academic program after the internship.

• Internship Work Period: Must be available to work full-time (approximately 40 hours per week) during a 10-12 week period starting May or June. Specific start dates are shared during the recruiting process.

Required Education and Training (As applicable - Specific education and training that an individual must possess in order to successfully perform in job)

• Current enrollment as a 1L in a JD degree-seeking program at an ABA accredited law school.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Current enrollment as a 1L in a JD degree-seeking program at an ABA accredited law school.

• Demonstrated academic achievement

• Meaningful involvement and leadership in extracurricular activities

• Strong legal research and writing skills

• Strong communication skills

• Willingness to learn

Due to the nature of our business and the role, please note that Intuitive and/or your customer(s) may require that you show current proof of vaccination against certain diseases including COVID-19.  Details can vary by role.

Intuitive is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees, and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type, without regard to race, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, color, age, religion, protected veteran or disability status, genetic information or any other status protected under federal, state, or local applicable laws.

Mandatory Notices

U.S. Export Controls Disclaimer:  In accordance with the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (15 CFR §743.13(b)), some roles at Intuitive Surgical may be subject to U.S. export controls for prospective employees
who are nationals from countries currently on embargo or sanctions status.

Certain information you provide as part of the application will be used for purposes of determining whether Intuitive Surgical will need to (i) obtain an export license from the U.S. Government on your behalf (note: the government’s licensing process can take 3 to 6+ months) or (ii) implement a Technology Control Plan (“TCP”) (note: typically adds 2 weeks to the hiring process).  

For any Intuitive role subject to export controls, final offers are contingent upon obtaining an approved export license and/or an executed TCP prior to the prospective employee’s
start date, which may or may not be flexible, and within a timeframe that does not unreasonably impede the hiring need. If applicable, candidates will be notified and instructed on any requirements for these purposes. 

We will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in accordance with fair chance laws.

We provide market-competitive compensation packages, inclusive of base pay (paid at an hourly rate), benefits, and a housing allowance. It would not be typical for someone to be hired at the top end of range for the role, as actual pay will be determined based on several factors, including relevant skills and experience for this internship, degree-seeking academic program (PhD, Master’s, Bachelor’s, etc), year in school, and location. The hourly rate is prorated against the intern program salaries listed and total program compensation will be based on internship duration.