Law Clerk Intern - Summer 2027

Internship Summary

The Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center (MJC) is looking for students committed to transformational justice. MJC is accepting applications from current 1L and 2L law students for summer internships in Chicago, Illinois, and New Orleans, Louisiana, and for current 2L students in Washington, D.C.

These are hybrid internships; Students must spend 2-3 days per week in the office and reside within commuting distance to the office for the duration of the Internship. A full-time commitment of 40 hours per week for 10 weeks is preferred, but a full-time commitment of 8 weeks may be considered. 

The criminal legal system disproportionately harms people of color, people from low-income communities, people who were formerly incarcerated, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ individuals. We strongly encourage people who identify within these and other communities underrepresented in the legal profession to apply. All applicants must have and be committed to the cultural competence required to work with clients, co-workers, and community partners who come from different backgrounds and experiences. 

Who We Are:

MJC is a national nonprofit civil rights organization. We represent people who have been harmed by America’s criminal legal system, seeking to vindicate their rights, elevate their story, and hold people with power accountable. We do this primarily through cutting-edge litigation and advocacy across the country, on end-to-end issues in the criminal legal system, from policing, to prosecutorial overreach, to rights of indigent defendants, to mass incarceration, to prison conditions, to wrongful convictions and the death penalty. For more information on our work, visit www.macarthurjustice.org. 

Who You Are:

You are a champion for human rights and are passionate about achieving justice for people who have been harmed by the criminal legal system. 

What You’ll Learn and Do:

Illinois Office, Chicago, IL

Students will immerse themselves in a fast-paced civil rights litigation practice, focusing on issues of police misconduct, immigration enforcement, pretrial justice, mass imprisonment, racial injustice in the criminal legal system, and the criminalization of poverty. Students will draft legal briefs and memoranda, work with clients and organizations, conduct community outreach, research case law, draft discovery, participate in expert discovery, prepare for depositions, and attend court hearings.

Louisiana Office, New Orleans, LA

Our office files civil rights actions in Louisiana challenging evils of the criminal legal system such as mass incarceration under brutal conditions of confinement in prisons and jails, the violent and unconstitutional oppression of people of color and poor people by law enforcement, and the use of the death penalty. We also represent individuals in select post-conviction and habeas corpus cases. Each summer law clerk is assigned to a team of two lawyers and is assigned research, drafting, discovery, and other similar tasks on pending cases. 

Supreme Court and Appellate Program, D.C. Office, Washington, D.C.

Under the guidance and supervision of attorneys, summer law clerk interns will work principally on appeals before federal circuit courts, state appellate courts, and the U.S. Supreme Court, which raise important issues related to civil rights and the criminal legal system. Law clerk interns will have the opportunity to contribute to ongoing appellate cases, including participating in strategy discussions, performing legal research, and drafting sections of briefs and other filings. Law clerks will also gain exposure to the broader appellate process, which may include participation in client meetings and strategic decision-making, case evaluation and analysis of factual records, and participation in moot oral arguments. 

Qualifications

Education: JD students in good standing.

TO APPLY:

Applicants should submit all of the following: 

• Cover letter, 
• resume, 
• a list of three references, and 
• a writing sample (preferably a legal analytical writing sample, such as a brief or memo). 

If applicants are applying to more than one office, they are encouraged to submit separate cover letters for each office. 

All materials should be submitted via MJC’s application portal.

2L applications are due 10/10/2026

1L applications are due 01/04/2027

Summer interns are expected to apply for any funding available from their law schools. If a summer intern is either ineligible for or does not receive funding from their school, MJC will provide a stipend for each full week of participation up to $1000 per week, offset by any external funding. MJC stipends are payable in 2 installments during the summer.