The Center for Appellate Litigation (“CAL”) is a non-profit public defender office dedicated to the pursuit of equal justice under the law for indigent New Yorkers in their criminal appeals or other post-conviction proceedings. We believe all people deserve dignity, respect, and the right to be heard and treated fairly when their liberty has been taken from them or threatened, regardless of their ability to pay for an attorney.

The Immigrant Justice Practice (IJP) of CAL seeks full-time volunteer interns for the summer of 2024.

Interns will have three main experiences including:

1. extensive hands-on contact with our clients and their family members
2. significant responsibilities in all aspects of case investigation, including drafting legal and other advocacy documents and
3. potentially have the opportunity to attend court on behalf of clients.

Our Immigrant Justice Practice analyzes the cases of CAL’s noncitizen clients to determine the immigration consequences of their criminal conviction and pursues the full range of post-conviction legal remedies available to them — whether by bringing state law collateral proceedings or on direct appeal of the criminal conviction — to advance their rights, protect them from the threat of immigration detention and deportation, and keep them united with their families and communities.

Our practice is composed of six attorneys and two dedicated client advocates.

Qualifications:

• Commitment to advocating for people convicted of crimes
• Ability to both connect with and empathize with members of marginalized communities
• Strong research and writing skills
• Ability to think critically and creatively about legal issues
• Excellent communication and active listening skills, particularly with people of varied backgrounds and experiences
• Ability to work independently and multi-task on various assignments
• Ability to exercise excellent judgment, discretion, and confidentiality around sensitive issues ● Fluency in Spanish is appreciated but not required

CAL particularly welcomes applications from people of color, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQ+ community.

Application Instructions:

Applications should be submitted by Friday, October 27, 2023, for 2Ls and Friday, January 26, 2024, for 1Ls using the Google form at the following address:

Google Form Application - IJP

Applicants without a Gmail account may email their materials to internship@cfal.org with the subject line "Summer 2024 IJP Internship Application." (Please do not submit via both the form and the email address.)

Application Materials:

Name

Pronouns

Email Address

Phone Number

Have you ever applied to CAL for a position before? (Y/N)

Cover Letter

Resume

We will conduct interviews and make offers on a rolling basis, so we encourage applicants to apply early.

We will accept applications from 2Ls between Monday, August 14, 2023, and Friday, October 27, 2023. We will accept applications from 1Ls between Monday, December 4, 2023, and Friday, January 26, 2024.

*Note* We will not be accepting any 1L applications until Monday, December 4, 2023.