Summer 2027 Democracy, Speech & Technology Internship

About the Legal Advocacy Department

The Legal Advocacy Department promotes policy change and pursues cutting edge impact litigation to defend and expand the civil liberties and civil rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. The Department’s work focuses on three broad issue areas: Criminal Law & Immigration; Democracy, Speech & Technology; and Special Litigation & Appeals. The Department’s staff is based in San Francisco, Sacramento, and Fresno. Department staff work closely with other departments within ACLU NorCal, including Organizing, Communications, Development, as well as with ACLU National and California Action.

Democracy, Speech & Technology Internship

Democracy, Speech & Technology Interns work directly with one or more attorneys in support of the project’s litigation and policy work, which focuses on safeguarding free speech, privacy, and open government, in the digital world and beyond.

Interns will be tasked with legal and policy research and analysis; helping to author reports, advocacy materials, portions of court documents, and pre-litigation demand letters; and/or assisting with legislative or other local campaigns. Interns may attend and participate in public hearings at the state and county level and participate in meetings with policy-makers and advocates as such opportunities arise. When possible, interns may also attend appellate arguments, trial court proceedings, and depositions. Interns are encouraged to attend and participate in departmental meetings, where prospective litigation and policy strategies are discussed. At times, assignments may arise that provide interns the opportunity to work across the Department’s three broad issue areas, including Criminal Law & Immigration and Special Litigation & Appeals.

Applicants must currently be enrolled in law school or a graduate program in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Science, Public Policy, Political Science, Journalism, or a related field, and must demonstrate a strong interest in the intersection of civil liberties and free speech, technology, and privacy. The Legal Advocacy Department accepts two to three Democracy, Speech & Technology Interns per term.

Application Process

Summer internships are full-time for 10 – 12 weeks and generally begin the day after Memorial Day. “Split” summers may be considered where the intern is available for a minimum of 10 weeks. Part-time internships are not available during the summer.

Funding and Scholarship Opportunities

For summer internship funding, students should seek funding through their institutions to the extent it is available. At ACLU NorCal, we strive to create equitable opportunities for student-applicants and recognize that not all institutions provide funding (or adequate funding) for students pursing public interest internships and career paths. As such, for students coming from schools that do not offer summer funding, ACLU NorCal will provide you with funding to compensate for you work with us over the summer.

How to apply

Applications from all interested law and graduate students are welcome. Please note that ACLU NorCal does not consider applications from undergraduate students. Applications must include the following in PDF format: (1) Cover Letter that includes (a) a brief statement about why you want to work on the particular Program/Issue Area you’ve applied for, (b) your preference and willingness to be based in each of our three office locations for the summer (San Francisco, Sacramento, and Fresno), and (c) how you encountered the internship opening; (2) Resume; and (3) Writing Sample.