American Civil Liberties Union

SUMMER 2010 INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY
NOTICE TO FIRST AND SECOND YEAR LAW STUDENTS
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION
National Legal Department, NY

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), America's foremost advocate of individual rights, is a non-partisan organization founded in 1920, with more than 5 National offices and over 50 affiliates throughout the country. The National Legal Department (NLD) of the ACLU seeks highly motivated law students for 2010 summer internship opportunities for work involving a wide range of civil liberties and human rights issues.

OVERVIEW:
The First Amendment Working Group, the National Security Program, and the Human Rights Program are separate departments within the National Legal Department. These three departments run a joint summer program in the following areas.

• The NLD’s First Amendment Working Group litigates cases that raise novel and important issues involving free speech, association and assembly. The NLD also litigates cases concerning technology and liberty issues, including challenges to government surveillance, fair use rights and internet censorship.
• The NLD's National Security Project litigates national security cases relating to government surveillance, discrimination, dissent, detention, and torture. Its current docket includes Freedom of Information Act litigation to demand information about the torture and mistreatment of detainees held in U.S. custody abroad; a challenge to a dragnet wiretapping statute enacted by Congress in 2008; litigation against a private corporation for its facilitation of the CIA's "extraordinary rendition" program; litigation challenging the government’s unconstitutional seizure of a Muslim charity’s assets and litigation challenging the government’s practice of denying visas to foreign nationals on the basis of their political beliefs and associations.
• The NLD’s Human Rights Program is dedicated to holding the U.S. government accountable to its international human rights obligations and commitments. HRP uses human rights strategies to complement existing ACLU legal and legislative advocacy and to advance social justice in the areas of national security, immigrants’ rights, women’s rights, racial justice, the death penalty and children’s rights. HRP conducts human rights education and training sessions, and engages in advocacy and litigation before U.S. courts and international bodies, including the United Nations and regional human rights mechanisms.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Summer internships last between 10-12 weeks. Interns assist in all aspects of litigation, including legal research, factual investigation, and drafting of memoranda, affidavits, and briefs.

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS:

• First and second year law students are encouraged to apply.
• Applicants should have an interest in civil liberties and human rights.
• Excellent writing and communication skills, and the ability, work ethic, and enthusiasm to see projects through to completion.

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. However, summer interns who do not secure funding will be eligible for a stipend provided by the NLD.

HOW TO APPLY:
Applicants should send a letter of interest; a resume; the names, e-mail addresses, and telephone numbers of two references; an unofficial transcript; and a legal writing sample of no more than ten pages by email to acobbs@aclu.org with Re: NLD Summer Internship 2010 in the subject line OR send via mail to:

Aron Cobbs
Law Student Intern Program
ACLU National Legal Department
125 Broad Street, 18^th Floor
New York, NY 10004-2400

Applications from second year law students must be postmarked no later than November 15, 2009. Applications from first year law students must be postmarked no later than January 9, 2010.

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.”