Apply on Employer Site

Community Legal Services of Philadelphia · 4 months ago

Summer 2026 Law Student Internship

Philadelphia, PA

Internship

Onsite

Intern

Start in 2026 Summer

Community Legal Services (CLS) offers a summer internship for law students to gain hands-on experience in civil legal services. Interns will work directly with clients and contribute to advocacy efforts aimed at promoting economic and racial equity across various legal units.

AdviceConsultingLegal

Work & Life Balance

Responsibilities

Work directly with clients

Engage with the communities we serve

Contribute to systemic advocacy efforts to advance economic and racial equity

Qualification

Public interest lawRacial justice advocacyLegal researchClient engagementCommunication skills

Required

Must have completed their first or second year of law school

Resume

Cover letter addressing interest and experience in public interest and poverty law/racial justice advocacy

Law school transcript

List of three (3) references (at least one academic reference and at least one professional reference)

Students are generally allowed reasonable flexibility for family or other obligations, so long as they complete the ten-week program and are compliant with the terms of any work study or other external funding they receive

Unit placements are assigned when we have filled our full class of interns – usually in April

Students are encouraged to staff CLS clinics for other units and can shadow another unit if they express an interest, but are generally assigned to one unit for the entirety of their summer work

Eligible law students should apply for the Fellowships when they submit their application for CLS's summer internship

Preferred

CLS welcomes applicants of all backgrounds to apply and strongly encourages law students from diverse backgrounds to apply for our internship

To include in their cover letter a statement about how your unique background and/or experiences would motivate you to work toward CLS's mission and would contribute to the vitality and perspective of our organization

Our housing unit prioritizes 2L students, especially from Philadelphia-area law schools

Demonstrated commitment to public interest work and serving the needs of underserved communities