Legal Advocacy Intern

Overview

Are you a law student or legal professional interested in a career in animal law and/or policy? Animal Equality’s Legal Advocacy Department is hiring a summer intern to assist with our litigation and public policy projects related to issues facing animals raised for food. This role offers the opportunity to gain real-world experience working for an international farmed animal advocacy organization, learning how to combine your legal skills with theory of change and movement strategy to be more effective in the field of animal law.

In this internship, you will assist our Legal Advocacy Counsel with legal and factual research while also getting experience writing for different types of audiences (e.g., drafting legal memoranda & briefs, letters to lawmakers, public testimony, administrative comments, online action alerts, and more). You will join strategy meetings with other Animal Equality staff as well as members of other organizations whom we work closely with, enabling you to hone your legal strategy skills and build professional connections within the farmed animal protection movement.

Join Animal Equality’s Legal Advocacy team for the summer and help us achieve our vision of a world in which all animals are protected and respected.

DETAILS

Position Title: Legal Intern / Law Clerk

Reports to: Legal Advocacy Counsel

Position Location: Remote (United States based)

Duration: 3 months (flexible start/end date)

Terms of Employment: Full-time (preferred) or Part-time; At will; Non-exempt

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Conduct legal research on assigned topics and draft legal memoranda.
• Conduct research in support of Animal Equality’s legislative & policy initiatives.
• Monitor specific legislation and review legislative alerts.
• Draft legal action alerts.
• Draft testimony on specific pieces of legislation.
• Draft public comments in response to government consultations and proposals.
• Draft complaints to various public and private bodies detailing findings of Animal Equality’s undercover investigations.
• Prepare presentations to legislators and policymakers in advancement of Animal Equality’s legislative agenda.
• Complete other tasks as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required: 

• Current law student or JD recipient.
• 1+ years of legal research and writing experience.
• Stellar written communication skills.
• Exceptional ability to think logically and analytically.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills.
• Interest in a long-term career in the farmed animal protection movement.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Completion of at least one animal law course (farmed animal focus preferred).
• Previous experience in an animal law-related role (farmed animal focus preferred).
• Proficiency with Westlaw.
• Previous legal internship/clerkship experience.
• Commitment to Animal Equality’s mission and values.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

At the end of your 3-month internship/clerkship, you will be expected to have:

• Developed a stronger understanding of the role animal law and policy can play in the farmed animal protection movement, and what your role in the movement might look like going forward.
• Advanced the Legal Advocacy Department’s strategic objectives.
• Improved your research and writing skills and your ability to adapt your writing to different audiences.
• Begun to think more strategically about using legal tactics to achieve specific objectives as well as broader movement goals.
• Strengthened your professional network among farmed animal advocates.

TO APPLY

Please fill out the application form and upload:

1. Cover letter
2. Resume
3. Law school transcripts
4. 3 professional references

Your cover letter should explain your interest in the position, your previous experience in the field of animal law and/or policy, your career ambitions, your favorite types of legal work (research, litigation, policy analysis, legislative drafting, etc.), and which specific issues within the animal protection movement interest you most.

COMPENSATION: $17/hour paid bi-weekly

If you want to learn more about what working at Animal Equality is like, please visit: https://animalequality.org/jobs/our-work-culture/

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the US on a full-time basis.

When you apply for a job at Animal Equality, we collect personal data from you during the evaluation process, including your name, contact information, resume, and cover letter. We may retain this data for internal purposes for up to 1 year, including after the hiring process is complete, to consider you for future employment. Please let us know if you would prefer we delete your data in the event we select another candidate. We will not sell or share your information with any third party. 

Animal Equality is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, reproductive health decisions or other non-merit factor.

Tagged as: administration, legal