Summer 2026 Legal Intern (Appellate Advocacy & Special Litigation)

Summer 2026 Legal Intern (Appellate Advocacy & Special Litigation)

Location: We expect our Summer 2026 internships will proceed in-person (in a hybrid model) at our offices in San Francisco, Sacramento, and Fresno. In your application materials please include your preference and willingness to be based in each of these locations.

Deadline: Open until filled. Applications from first year law students will not be reviewed until December 2025.

The ACLU of Northern California’s Legal Advocacy Department invites law students to apply for a legal internship with a focus on appellate advocacy. Students willing to work with intensity and focus will find an internship at ACLU NorCal to be a rewarding learning experience. Qualified applicants are enthusiastic, creative, and detail-oriented; have strong research, writing, and oral communication skills; and can articulate a commitment to work for social justice and the ideals of the ACLU.

About the Legal Advocacy Department

The Legal Advocacy Department promotes policy change and pursues cutting edge impact litigation to defend and expand the civil liberties and civil rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. The Department’s work focuses on three broad issue areas: Criminal Law & Immigration; Democracy, Speech & Technology; and Appeals & Special Litigation. The Department’s staff is based in San Francisco, Sacramento, and Fresno. Department staff work closely with other departments within ACLU NorCal, including Organizing, Communications, Development, as well as with ACLU National and California Action.

Legal Intern (Appellate Advocacy & Special Litigation)

The Intern will work directly with the Director of Appellate Advocacy to advance the goals of the Legal Advocacy Department writ large. This work may include contributing to litigation at the Department level and/or within one of the Department’s issue-based programs. While the Intern will focus on appellate advocacy projects, the intern will also work on projects at various stages of litigation, including investigating, developing, and initiating affirmative cases; and drafting pleadings, motions, and briefs. The Intern is encouraged to participate in strategy meetings with other ACLU staff and coalition partners, as well as monthly department meetings where prospective litigation and policies strategy are discussed. At times, assignments may arise that provide the intern the opportunity to work across the Department’s three broad issue areas, including Criminal Law & Immigration and Democracy, Speech & Technology.

Applicants must currently be attending law school. Applicants must demonstrate a passion for and a commitment to work for social justice and the ideals of the ACLU. The Legal Advocacy Department accepts one Legal Intern in Appellate Advocacy & Special Litigation per term.

COVID-19 Prevention

The ACLU NorCal physical offices are open. Vaccination against COVID-19 is strongly encouraged for on-site participation.

Application Process

Applicants are encouraged to apply early in the hiring cycle.

How to apply

Applications from all interested law and graduate students are welcome. (Please note that ACLU NorCal does not consider applications from undergraduate students.) Applications must include the following in PDF format: (1) Cover Letter that includes (a) a brief statement about why you want to work on the particular Program/Issue Area you’ve applied for, (b) whether you are interested in in-person work or remote work, and (c) how you encountered the internship opening; (2) Resume; (3) Writing Sample; and, (4) List of References with contact information.

The ACLU of Northern California advances equity and inclusion in the workplace by providing equal employment opportunity to support a work environment free from discrimination on the basis of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age (over 40), sexual orientation, military and veteran status, and any other basis prohibited by law. The organization also provides reasonable accommodations for qualified applicants and employees with disabilities. This equal employment opportunity policy applies to all aspects of employment, including recruitment, selection, advancement, training, problem resolution, and separation from employment. Through this policy, the ACLU NorCal strives to establish and maintain an equitable and accessible work environment that is free from discrimination and supportive of a workforce that reflects the rich diversity of our communities and the people we serve.

ACLU NorCal will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance (SF Police Code, Article 49).