Spring 2027 Criminal Law & Immigration Project Extern

Overview

Spring 2027 externships are available for law and policy graduate students with the Legal Advocacy Department of the organization. Students located in proximity to one of three office locations (Fresno, Sacramento, or San Francisco) may work in-person, remotely, or in a hybrid model. Students not located in proximity to those office locations may work remotely.

Application deadline: Open until filled.

Legal Advocacy Department (About)

The Legal Advocacy Department promotes policy change and pursues impact litigation to defend and expand civil liberties and civil rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. Work focuses on three broad issue areas:

• Criminal Law & Immigration
• Democracy, Speech & Technology
• Special Litigation & Appeals

Department staff are based in San Francisco, Sacramento, and Fresno, working closely with other departments within the organization, including Organizing, Communications, Development, and with ACLU California Action.

Externship: Criminal Law & Immigration Project

Externs will participate in one or more core streams of work, including:

• Prosecutorial Accountability
• Police Accountability
• Decarceration
• Immigrants' Rights

Key focus areas include:

• Prosecutorial Accountability: increasing engagement in prosecutorial elections, increasing accountability, and drawing attention to the power and discretion exercised by prosecutors.
• Police Accountability: reducing criminalization, police power and abuse of power, implementation of police reform at the state and local level, and effective oversight of police power.
• Decarceration: reducing incarceration, including bail reform work and indigent defense advocacy.
• Immigrants' Rights: protecting the civil rights of immigrants, refugees, asylum-seekers under federal, state, and local law.

Responsibilities

Externs may be tasked with legal and policy research and analysis, including:

• Helping to author advocacy materials
• Contributing to portions of court documents
• Drafting and/or assisting with pre-litigation demand letters
• Assisting with legislative or other local campaigns

Externs may also participate in:

• Hearings at the state and county level
• Meetings with policy-makers and advocates (as opportunities arise)
• Appellate arguments, trial court proceedings, and depositions
• Department meetings where prospective litigation and policy strategies are discussed

Assignments may provide opportunities to work across the department’s three broad issue areas, including Democracy, Speech & Technology and Special Litigation & Appeals.

Qualifications

• Must currently be enrolled in law school or a graduate program in criminal justice, public policy, or a related field
• Demonstrated passion for criminal justice and immigrants' rights and the overarching mission of the ACLU
• The department accepts two to three Criminal Law & Immigration externs per term

Preferred fit includes applicants who are enthusiastic, creative, and detail-oriented, with:

• Strong research, writing, and oral communication skills

Externship Structure

• School year externships (Spring and Fall Terms) are full- or part-time, generally requiring a 16 hours per week minimum commitment
• Students on the semester system must be able to commit to 12–14 weeks
• Students on the quarter system can serve shorter quarter-long externships
• Part-time externs are preferred to commit to full days (e.g., two eight-hour days rather than four four-hour days)

Important: School year externs must earn academic credit for their participation in the organization’s Spring/Fall externship programs.

Application Process

Application deadlines

Applicants are encouraged to apply early in the hiring cycle.

• Spring term: Applications accepted beginning mid-August for the following spring term
• Summer term: Applications accepted beginning early September for the following summer term; staff will not begin to review applications from first year law students until December 2026
• Fall term: Applications accepted beginning mid-March for the following fall term

How to apply

Applications are welcome from all interested law and graduate students (the organization does not consider applications from undergraduate students). Application materials must be submitted in PDF format and include:

• Cover letter that includes:
  • A brief statement about why you want to work on the particular Project/Issue Area you’ve applied for
  • Whether you are interested in in-person work or remote work
  • How you encountered the opening
• Resume
• Writing sample

Compensation & Benefits

Not specified.

Location

Spring 2027 placement:

• In-person, remote, or hybrid work for students located near Fresno, Sacramento, or San Francisco
• Remote work for students not located near those office locations