DC Area Civil Rights Legal Internship

About the role

The Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs civil rights internships provides law students with hands-on experience in civil rights litigation and advocacy. Each year, law students from around the country spend a quarter, semester, or summer at the Committee completing a variety of assignments under the supervision of experienced staff.

Responsibilities

Depending on the needs of our cases and clients at a given time, law student interns should expect to do work in one or more of the following areas:

• Creating equal opportunity to economic stability for individuals and families
• Challenging the conditions that force racial and economic segregation and that limit options for safe, decent and affordable housing based on race and national origin
• Reducing barriers to public services and public accommodations
• Creating equal opportunity for an education
• Advocating on behalf of DC prisoners and reducing the impact of an unfair criminal system

Additional information

Work assignments will typically involve factual and legal research, drafting memos or pleadings, and other work supporting our litigation and advocacy agenda, as well as participating in case/issue area check-ins and strategy sessions. Full semester and part-time (15 hours/week minimum) internships are available. Our legal internships include a combination of in-person and remote work.

During the fall or spring, this internship will not be paid and the intern will need to be able to receive school credit. If WLC is not able to provide stipends for summer interns, candidates must be able to receive school credit or secure external funding to participate in the Civil Rights Legal Internship.

Qualifications

• We are currently accepting applications for Spring 2026.
• We accept and review applications on an ongoing basis until the positions are filled.
• We encourage you to apply as early as possible.
• All applications are reviewed, and interns are selected, on a rolling basis.

Applications must include the following

• Cover letter explaining your interest in the internship, your experience with/commitment to social justice, and your anticipated dates of availability
• Current resume

About Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, Inc.:

About Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs

The Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs (WLC) works to create legal, economic, and social equity through litigation, client and public education, and public policy advocacy with a primary focus on racial justice. For the last 55 years, the Committee has been on the cutting edge of civil rights advocacy in the region bringing precedent setting litigation to address discrimination.

• Our work focuses on injustices in housing, employment, the criminal legal system, education, public accommodations, and the civil rights of immigrants.
• We partner with individuals and communities facing discrimination and with the legal community to achieve justice.
• The Committee’s staff is unionized with the National Organization of Legal Service Workers Local #2320, UAW.