Summer Internship – Family Justice Law Center

Summary Description

The Family Justice Law Center (FJLC), a part of the Urban Justice Center, seeks current law school students to support our staff attorneys during the summer term. Opportunities may include drafting legal memorandum on civil rights issues affecting families targeted by the child welfare system, plaintiff outreach, appellate brief drafting, and more.

About the Family Justice Law Center and the Urban Justice Center

The Family Justice Law Center, a part of the Urban Justice Center’s Social Justice Accelerator program, uses strategic litigation to seek justice for families mistreated by the child welfare system, frequently referred to as the family regulation/policing system. We challenge systemic abuses of government power that lead to the illegal separation of children from their families and seek redress for harms while promoting change to help families survive and thrive.

The Family Justice Law Center launched in March 2022. To learn more visit www.fjlc.org. Press coverage of the announcement: WNYC, Gothamist, Law360, The Imprint, and The74 (reposted in Yahoo! News).

The Urban Justice Center serves New York City’s most vulnerable residents through a combination of direct legal service, systemic advocacy, community education and political organizing. We assist our clients on numerous levels, from one-on-one legal advice in soup kitchens, to helping individuals access housing and government assistance, to filing class action lawsuits to bring about systemic change. Visit www.urbanjustice.org for more information about UJC and our work.

Application Process

Applicants should submit the following documents:

• Brief statement (in a cover letter or otherwise) explaining the applicant’s interest in an internship with FJLC;
• Resume;
• List of two references, including contact information;
• A recent legal writing sample that includes the application of law to facts of no more than 12 pages (an excerpt is acceptable). The applicant should be the primary author and the work should not have been significantly revised by someone else.

Please submit your application materials in a single electronic file to fjlc@urbanjustice.org with the subject line “Internship Application – [Name].”

Experience & Qualifications

• Current student at an accredited law school.
• Strong analytic, research, and writing skills.
• Familiarity with family defense rights is preferred; commitment to the integrity and preservation of families struggling with poverty and racial injustice is essential.
• Enthusiasm for helping to build a new organization and flexibility during the growth process required.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access

The Family Justice Law Center, a part of the Urban Justice Center, is committed to cultivating a workspace where all people thrive. The Urban Justice Center is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from all qualified individuals regardless of race, sex, gender identity or expression, age, disability, religion, creed, national origin, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran status, predisposing genetic characteristics, victim of domestic violence status, record of arrest or conviction or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We believe our clients and our mission will be served by centering those who have been directly impacted. Candidates with direct experience, or members of communities routinely targeted, are strongly encouraged to apply.

Location

New York, NY

Please note, this is an in-person position.

Application Deadline

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Salary and Benefits

This is a volunteer, unpaid position. Funding may be provided by the applicant’s law school for designated non-profit work, but no funding is available from FJLC.