Office of the General Counsel Externship [For-Credit] – Spring/Summer 2027

Overview

This externship supports the Office of the General Counsel (OGC), which provides high-quality, cost-efficient legal and related services to organizational clients in furtherance of its public mission.

Externs may contribute across multiple practice areas, including:

• Commercial and contract law
• Nonprofit tax
• Governance
• Technology matters (including software licensing, satellite distribution, and artificial intelligence)
• Intellectual property (including music rights, content licensing, copyright, and trademark)
• FCC and other regulatory matters
• First Amendment
• Employment and labor (including Title VII, labor relations, and employment law)

Externship Details

Application deadline: Sunday, October 18th at 11:59pm ET (Spring or Summer 2027 OGC Externship)

Program duration (dates may be flexible based on school requirements):

• January 11th, 2027 – May 7, 2027, or
• May 10, 2027 – August 13, 2027

Work schedule:

• Summer: full-time, 40 hours per week for 12 weeks
• Fall and Spring: part-time schedule (usually 15–20 hours per week) or full-time schedule
• Fall and Spring externships must be for course credit

Responsibilities

• Prepare to contribute across all practice areas.
• Conduct legal research and prepare legal memoranda, contracts, and other legal documents.
• Participate in client meetings, training, and legislative and regulatory meetings.
• Observe legal proceedings and attend legal training sessions offered through the District of Columbia Bar Association or other local organizations.

Duties and responsibilities may be modified at any time, and other duties may be assigned.

Preferred Qualifications

• Relevant background experience and strong academic credentials.
• Legal research and writing skills.
• Demonstrated interest in media, technology, and/or nonprofit fields through school activities, clinics, and/or prior legal positions in applicable industries.

Education Requirements

• Must be a current student in an accredited law degree program (1L, 2L, 3L or LLM).

Work Location & Requirements

This is a remote-permitted role.

• Based out of the Washington, D.C. office, with the option to work remotely from a location approved for remote work.
• Options include:
  • Remote work from an approved location within the United States
  • On-site work at an organization facility (subject to desk availability and approval)
  • A combination of remote and on-site work
• Travel to other locations may be required from time to time to perform job duties.

Job Type

• For credit, or stipend-eligible temporary externship.

Compensation & Benefits

Course credit: The externship is designed for law students; school credit must be obtained. Applicants must be able to comply with their school’s requirements for academic credit.

School-sponsored stipends: During the summer, compensation may alternately be provided through a program in which the student receives a stipend from their school for nonprofit work.

Pay range: $0.01—$0.01 USD (minimum and maximum salaries expected to provide for new hires for the position across all US locations)

Application Requirements

Applicants are asked to submit:

• Resume
• Cover letter
• Copy of your unofficial law school transcript

Equal Opportunity

The organization is an equal opportunity employer and provides consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, religious belief, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, lactation, and reproductive health decisions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, transgender status, gender non-conforming status, intersex status, sexual stereotypes, nationality, citizenship status, personal appearance, marital status, family status, family responsibilities, military status, veteran status, mental and physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, genetic characteristics, political views and affiliation, unemployment status, protective order status, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, or any other basis prohibited under applicable law.