JOB POSTING AND POSITION OVERVIEW
The American Civil Liberties Union of Montana (ACLU of Montana) seeks applications from current law students for its summer Legal Internship Program.
As Legal Intern, you will join a legal team and staff committed to defending Montanans’ civil rights from government abuse and overreach. Interns will have the opportunity to work on a variety of litigation matters and will work alongside the attorneys to address current civil rights issues in the state of Montana.
ABOUT THE ACLU OF MONTANA
The ACLU of Montana (founded in 1972) is an affiliate of the national ACLU (founded in 1920) and operates as a private, non-profit organization. We are the state’s largest and most influential civil rights organization, combining litigation, policy advocacy, communications, and organizing tactics to promote individual rights and liberties. We cover the broad waterfront of civil rights issues, including the right to privacy (including reproductive rights), voting rights, criminal-legal reform, and 2S-LGBTQIA rights, with a particular emphasis on our strategic priority areas of Indigenous Justice and decriminalization of poverty. The ACLU of Montana envisions a fair, equitable, and free Montana that welcomes and celebrates diversity of all kinds. In our Montana, everybody is treated with dignity and respect and has equal access to rights and freedoms.
The ACLU of Montana maintains a fast-paced and friendly work environment, with a current staff of 12 spread across the state of Montana. To learn more about the work of the ACLU of Montana, please visit http://aclumontana.org.
COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
ACLU of Montana is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. We believe that having a board, staff, and volunteer base with diverse personal and professional backgrounds enhances our ability to meet our mission and creates an environment where all members of our community can thrive.
We strongly encourage applications from people of color, Indigenous people, immigrants, women, people with disabilities, individuals who identify as Two-Spirit or LGBTQIA+, those who have been formerly incarcerated or are currently under supervision, and other underrepresented and historically marginalized groups. We are building a team reflective of the diverse communities that we fight in partnership with and on behalf of. All qualified applicants who share this vision and who have a desire to contribute to our mission are encouraged to apply.
The ACLU of Montana does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, faith, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, tribal affiliation, disability, veteran status, or record of arrest or conviction. We are committed to providing a work environment free from discrimination and harassment and one that honors and promotes a culture of equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging. We are engaging in ongoing internal equity work, with an emphasis on anti-racism and anti-colonialism
We commit to collaborating to develop thoughtful training programs and opportunities and onboarding processes with eventual hires to identify individual growth areas relating to job responsibilities, while empowering existing knowledge and skills. We have a flexible working environment and strive to accommodate individual needs.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Interns will have the opportunity to gain valuable experience by working alongside the Legal Department’s attorneys on the following:
- Conducting legal research.
- Drafting memoranda, public records requests, complaints, or other legal documents.
- Researching prospects for new litigation.
- Researching and drafting materials for public education.
- Other projects as assigned.
COMMITMENT TO RACIAL EQUITY
The ACLU of Montana is committed to and engaging in ongoing racial equity work with an emphasis on anti-racism and anti-colonialism. As a staff member, you will be asked to commit, contribute and engage in the following ways:
- Demonstrate commitment to building or deepening understanding of equity, in which racial equity and anti-racism and anti-colonialism are centered.
- Engage with the issues of institutional and structural racism and bias and their impact on underserved and underrepresented communities.
QUALIFICATIONS
The following experiences are integral to meeting the job responsibilities. Please be sure to identify these in your application materials through lived, professional or volunteer experience, and/or coursework.
- A demonstrated commitment to public interest law and civil rights and liberties.
- Current enrollment in law school and completion of the first year before the internship commences.
- Experience with and demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging with anti-racist, anti-colonialist understandings of and respect for differences of race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, ability, and socio-economic circumstance and class.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
The ACLU of Montana will offer compensation of $8,160 for a 12-week full-time (40-hours per week) internship. A legal intern eligible for compensation must be based in Montana. The ACLU-MT is a fully remote office with staff working across Montana.
A monthly reimbursement for personal mobile phone and internet is offered to all working remotely.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
All applications are treated confidentially. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, with an initial review beginning on December 16, 2024.
Please submit (in pdf format if possible):
- A cover letter (please indicate where you saw this internship posting)
- Resume
- A short writing sample (no more than 10 pages in length)
- A list of three references
Email your application to jobs[at]aclumontana.org. Please reference “Legal Internship Application” in the subject line of your email.
Applicants with Disabilities: Reasonable accommodation will be made so that qualified disabled applicants may participate in the application process. Please advise in writing to jobs[at]aclumontana.org to request reasonable accommodation at the time of application.
This posting provides a general but not comprehensive list of the opportunities of the internship. It does not represent a contract of employment. The ACLU reserves the right to change the posting at any time without advance notice.
PROCESS
Our hiring process is managed by a dedicated hiring committee of two and our HR & people team. The committee will begin careful review of all applications on December 16, 2024. The steps for finalist selection include a screening call by HR staff, in-person interview (via videoconferencing) with the hiring committee, reference calls for the selected finalist, decision and making a job offer to the finalist candidate by January 24, 2025. We commit to regular communication with all applicants throughout the process, will apprise candidates of next steps as appropriate, and will promptly communicate any change in timeline above.
To learn more about the work of the ACLU-MT, please visit http://aclumontana.org.
