Public Interest Law Intern
About TCP
The Constitution Project (TCP) is a bipartisan, not for profit organization in Washington, D.C. Our mission is to safeguard constitutional rights and values threatened by our government’s criminal justice and national security practices, and to strengthen our system of checks and balances.
TCP’s current issue priorities are:
- To protect privacy and Fourth Amendment rights threatened by government surveillance practices based in emerging technologies and outdated legal doctrines;
- To ensure the lawful and humane treatment of terrorism suspects;
- To rein in government overreach in criminal prosecutions by safeguarding the Sixth Amendment right to counsel and encouraging prosecutorial professionalism;
- To expose and address profound defects in the capital punishment system;
- To promote policing practices that protect individual rights without sacrificing public safety; and
- To make government more transparent and accountable, in particular by improving congressional oversight.
We conduct strategic advocacy and public education to advance these issues.
Our approach: Sometimes TCP leads campaigns for reform. Other times we fill a gap in broader coalition efforts. Sometimes we speak out publicly. Other times we approach policymakers behind the scenes. We avoid a one-size-fits-all approach because what works in one case might not in another. At all times we work with experienced advocates and litigators to ensure that our efforts are useful and sustainable.
Our toolbox: Our talented staff is armed with a variety of education and advocacy tools. We can produce first-rate research and analysis. We can engage policymakers directly, through private meetings, legislative briefings, testifying at hearings, and writing letters. We can work through the press, by holding news conferences, educating editorial boards, or reaching out to individual journalists. We can advocate in the courts, through amicus briefs. And we can speak directly to the public, by placing op-eds, engaging on social media, and organizing in-person events.
Responsibilities
Because we are a small office covering a variety of important issues, we give the law students who work with us significant responsibility and expect them to produce high-quality work.
Law students assist in all aspects of our work, including researching and drafting documents, attending meetings and events, and otherwise helping to develop our recommendations and disseminate them to policymakers, the media, and the public. Responsibilities also include some administrative work.
Qualifications
- Currently enrolled in law school or recent law school graduate
- Have strong research and writing skills.
- Be willing to work with experts and advocates of all partisan affiliations.
- Have some prior volunteer or internship experience.
- Be willing to work a minimum of 10 weeks for 15 hours per week during the school year, or 10 weeks for 35 hours per week during the summer semester.
Credit
TCP will support those applicants who are seeking academic credit through their home institution.
To Apply
To apply, please send the following to David Janovsky at djanovsky@constitutionproject.org:
- A cover letter describing your interest in the position
- A current resume
- One writing sample: 5-7 page essay/report from a recent course on any subject.
Additional writing samples may be requested.
Applications for summer 2019 are now closed, but information about fall semester internships will be posted soon.
US Constitution
