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<p>The <strong>New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG)</strong> uses the power of the law to help New Yorkers-in-need combat social and economic injustice. We address emerging and urgent legal needs with comprehensive, free civil legal services, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and community education. NYLAG collaborates with community-based organizations, pro-bono attorneys, students, and other volunteers to expand the reach of our work to a greater number of people with unmet civil legal needs.</p>
<p>NYLAG hosts interns across our practice areas in our Fall Program starting in late August through December. Students have flexible, part-time schedules and typically work in our main office or offsite clinics, hospitals, and community based organizations. Internships may range from 5 to 20 hours per week depending on the needs of the practice area and the students’ schedule. The Fall recruitment period spans from early May through August 31. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.</p>
<p>Applicants should have excellent research, writing, and analytical skills, and a strong commitment to public interest law. Applicants may be considered for more than one position, but should indicate in a cover letter which positions are of interest.</p>
<p><strong>Consumer Protection Unit Intern</strong></p>
<p>The Consumer Protection Unit supports unrepresented litigants in consumer debt cases in New York City's Civil Courts. Interns will have the opportunity to represent clients in court, negotiate with opposing counsel, and argue before a judge. The legal intern will appear in court in defense of debt collection actions (under attorney supervision), perform legal research, draft motion papers, create legal self-help and reference materials, work directly with clients, conduct client intakes, and more. Some light administrative work is expected, such as entering client data into our client database.</p>
<p><strong>Elder Law Practice Intern</strong></p>
<p>Interns in the Elder Law Practice will work closely with attorneys to provide direct elder law services to low income seniors. Elder Law’s primary focus is obtaining health care and ensuring that client’s wishes followed through advanced life planning. Interns will gain a familiarity with public health insurance options and appeals, long term care in the home, the use of Supplemental Needs Trusts for disabled individuals, and the many planning documents, including powers of attorney, health care proxies, living wills and last wills and testaments.</p>
<p><strong>Employment Law Project Intern</strong></p>
<p>The Employment Law Project provides representation in cases involving wage and hour issues (including overtime, unpaid wages, and minimum wage claims), as well as a broad range of other employment law issues. Intern responsibilities will include: client interviewing, legal research and writing, and drafting demand letters and complaints. <em>Strong preference for fluent Spanish speakers.</em></p>
<p><strong>Evelyn Frank Legal Resources Program Intern</strong></p>
<p>Interns will help clients who are elderly or have disabilities secure Medicaid and Medicare and services, with emphasis on long-term care services that allow them to remain in their homes or transition appropriately from hospitals or long-term care facilities to the community. Responsibilities will include conducting intakes, case management and investigation, researching and writing legal memoranda, preparing materials for community or professional trainings, and editing articles for publication on NYHealthAccess.org. Interns may also have the opportunity to represent clients in Medicaid Fair Hearings in front of an Administrative Law Judge. <em>Strong preference for fluent Russian or Spanish speakers.</em></p>
<p><strong>Family Law Intern</strong></p>
<p>Interns have extensive client contact, draft petitions and motions, attend court proceedings and trainings throughout the fall. Interns will assist petitioners with orders of protection through the Courtroom Advocates Project (CAP) in Family Court, and will work on a variety of matters on their supervising attorney(s) docket including contested and uncontested divorces, custody and visitation, spousal and child support and immigration matters under the Violence Against Women Act. <em>Strong preference for fluent Arabic, Mandarin, and Spanish speakers.</em></p>
<p><strong>Federal Legal Clinic Intern (SDNY)</strong></p>
<p>The Federal Legal Clinic provides free, individual legal assistance to non-prisoner, pro se litigants in the Southern District of New York. This innovative clinic will be among the first in the nation to provide pro se assistance in federal court. Intern responsibilities will include updating the pro se manuals, developing forms for clients, researching discrete legal issues, data gathering and analysis.</p>
<p><strong>Foreclosure Prevention Project Intern</strong></p>
<p>The Foreclosure Prevention Project provides legal representation for homeowners facing foreclosure. The project also includes community education and financial counseling. Intern responsibilities include: client intakes and interviews at the Foreclosure Clinics in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Nassau or Suffolk, attending settlement conferences and court appearances, conducting legal research, submitting mortgage modification and short sale applications to lenders, assisting clients with residential real estate contracts and closings and all other aspects of foreclosure defense. <em>Strong preference for fluent Spanish speakers.</em></p>
<p><strong>Health Law Intern</strong></p>
<p>The Health Law Practice provides advice and representation to individuals throughout New York City related to Medicare, Medicaid and other public health insurance programs and serves as the principal public health insurance resource for the Public Benefit Unit’s broader benefits work. An intern in the Health Law Practice will conduct phone intakes, advocate with government agencies to assist clients secure health insurance related benefits/services, conduct legal research, and support attorneys/paralegals in the Health Law practice.</p>
<p><strong>Immigrant Protection Unit Intern</strong></p>
<p>Interns provide direct client services, including application assistance for naturalization, self-petitions for domestic violence victims, T visas for victims of human trafficking, U visas for victims of crimes, other affirmative and humanitarian based applications, and in some instances, applications for asylum. The internship provides the opportunity for extensive legal research as well as drafting comprehensive legal memoranda. Finally, students also have the opportunity to be involved in community outreach and other project based initiatives. <em>Strong preference for fluent Spanish speakers.</em></p>
<p><strong>LegalHealth Intern</strong></p>
<p>Interns will help patients secure benefits, address housing issues, handle immigration matters, access special education services, solve insurance disputes, resolve family law matters and negotiate workplace accommodations. Intern responsibilities will include client interviewing, maintaining client files, legal writing and research. <em>Strong preference for fluent Spanish speakers.</em></p>
<p><strong>LGBTQ Law Project Intern</strong></p>
<p>The LGBTQ Law Project serves New York City’s low-income Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer communities by providing free representation and advice on a wide array of civil legal matters and offering group trainings on legal issues affecting the LGBTQ communities. The LGBTQ Law Project provides free representation in the following areas: housing and family law matters, including orders of protection, second parent adoptions, custody and visitation, divorces, legal name changes, immigration issues, orders of protection, public benefits, estate matters, advance directives, housing and employment discrimination and more. Intern responsibilities will include: working directly with clients, intake, client interviews, maintaining and updating client files, legal research, drafting and filing court and client documents. S<em>trong preference for fluent Spanish speakers.</em></p>
<p><strong>Mediation Project Intern</strong></p>
<p>Interns will interview potential clients about issues to be resolved, screen out domestic violence cases through clients' interviews, observe, take notes and write a summary of mediation sessions and conduct outreach to community based organizations about the project. In addition, students assist clients prepare statements of net worth and gather financial information, draft agreements mediated by the parties at NYLAG, work on an uncontested divorce for a party who mediated their agreement at NYLAG, as well as research and write a guide on issues such as equitable distribution, support, custody/visitation and domestic violence to be used by consulting attorneys.</p>
<p><strong>Special Education Intern</strong></p>
<p>Special Education interns will address such matters as the adequacy of child’s Individual Education Plan (IEP), the appropriateness of child’s school placement, and a child’s need for related services, such as speech and language therapy. Intern responsibilities will include client interviewing, maintaining client files, legal writing and research.</p>
<p><strong>Special Litigation Intern (Writing Sample Required)</strong></p>
<p>NYLAG’s impact litigation unit works to ensure that vulnerable New Yorkers receive the government benefits and services to which they are entitled. SLU also works to protect clients’ statutory and constitutional rights. Interns will work on a broad range of substantive issues, including public benefits, consumer protection, and special education. SLU interns will conduct legal research and factual investigation, interview and advocate for clients, draft legal memoranda and court documents, and assist with motion practice and discovery in pending lawsuits. Interns will also have the opportunity to attend court proceedings and/or case-related meetings and conferences. <em>Strong preference for fluent Spanish speakers.</em></p>
<p><strong>Tenants’ Rights Intern</strong></p>
<p>Interns will get hands-on experience conducting every aspect of eviction defense litigation, including client intake interviews, engaging in deadline-sensitive research to support Housing Court motion practice, and drafting Housing Court motions (and if the intern is ready, arguing motions in court). Interns will accompany attorneys to Housing Court appearances on a regular basis and participate in negotiations with opposing counsel to settle cases. Interns will also engage in affirmative litigation to assert tenants’ rights under rent stabilization laws and to ensure tenants’ apartments are safe and habitable. Finally, interns will work on administrative law matters to help clients resolve issues with public housing, help seniors and/or disabled tenants freeze their rent, and resolve problems with housing subsidies. <em>Strong preference for fluent Russian or Spanish speakers.</em></p>
<p><strong>Total Life Choices Program Intern</strong></p>
<p>Interns will have extensive client contact and will assist with drafting Last Wills and Testaments, preparing Powers of Attorney and Advance Directives, as well as all other facets encompassing TLC’s work. <em>Strong preference for fluent Cantonese/Mandarin or Spanish speakers.</em></p>
<p><strong>Veterans Practice</strong></p>
<p>Interns in the Veterans Practice will work closely with NYLAG staff to provide direct legal services to United States military veterans. The Veterans Practice is focused on helping veterans secure the compensation and benefits they earned through their dedicated service to our country. Interns will become familiar with the eligibility, procedural, and evidentiary requirements for VA disability benefit claims and DOD discharge upgrades. Interns will have the opportunity to work on applications and appeals by gathering and reviewing evidence, drafting legal briefs and memoranda, and communicating directly with veteran clients. The Veterans Practice provides an opportunity to learn about legal protections for veterans, federal and state veterans’ benefits, and the landscape of social service providers in NYC.</p>