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Location: For Spring 2024, students located in proximity to one of our three office locations (Fresno, Sacramento, or San Francisco) may opt to work with us in-person. Students not located in proximity to one of our three office locations may work with us remotely.
Deadline: Open until filled.
The ACLU of Northern California’s Legal-Policy Department invites law and graduate students to apply for its Gender, Sexuality & Reproductive Justice Internship. Students willing to work with intensity and focus will find an internship at ACLU NorCal to be a rewarding learning experience. Qualified applicants are enthusiastic, creative, and detail-oriented; have strong research, writing, and oral communication skills; and, can articulate a commitment to work for social justice and the ideals of the ACLU.
About the Legal-Policy Department
The Legal-Policy 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 six broad program areas: Criminal Justice; Democracy & Civic Engagement; Gender, Sexuality & Reproductive Justice; Immigrants’ Rights; Racial & Economic Justice; and Technology & Civil Liberties. 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, Finance & Administration, as well as with ACLU California Action.
Gender, Sexuality & Reproductive Justice Internship
The Gender, Sexuality & Reproductive Justice Intern will assist with projects to ensure that Californians have access to the services, information, and other supports they need to make decisions about intimate relationships and reproduction free from discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation. Interns will have the opportunity to conduct research, draft materials, and otherwise work on various issues encompassed by our Gender, Sexuality, and Reproductive Justice Program. Interns will participate in staff meetings and strategy meetings with coalition partners as well as conduct legal and factual research and analysis, help author reports, draft advocacy materials, and assist with legislative or other local campaigns. Interns are encouraged to participate in monthly program meetings, where prospective litigation and policy strategies are discussed. At times, work may arise that gives interns the opportunity to work across the Department’s six broad program areas, including in the areas of Racial and Economic Justice, Criminal Justice, and Democracy & Civic Engagement.
Applicants must currently be enrolled in law school or a graduate program in public health, social work, public policy, or a related field, and applicants must demonstrate a passion for reproductive justice and a commitment to work for social justice and the ideals of the ACLU. The Legal-Policy Department accepts one to two Gender, Sexuality & Reproductive Justice Interns per term.
Application Process
School Year Internships (Spring and Fall Terms)
School year internships are full- or part-time, generally requiring a 16 hours per week minimum commitment. Students on the semester system must be able to commit to working 12 – 14 weeks. Students on the quarter system can serve shorter quarter-long internships. We greatly prefer that part-time interns commit to work full days (i.e., two eight-hour days rather than four four-hour days) and recommend that students commit as many days a week as possible for the best internship experience. Please note: School year interns must earn academic credit for their participation in our Spring/Fall internship programs.
Application deadlines
Applicants are encouraged to apply early in the hiring cycle.
- Spring term: Applications will be accepted beginning on or around August 22 for the following Spring term.
- Summer term: Applications will be accepted beginning on or around September 5 for the following summer term. ACLU NorCal staff will not begin to review applications from first year law students until December 2023.
- Fall term: Applications will be accepted beginning on or around March 15 for the following Fall term.
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) whether you are interested in in-person work or remote work, and (c) how you encountered the internship opening; (2) Resume; and (3) Writing Sample.
Please submit your online application at: Job Application for Spring 2024 Gender, Sexuality & Reproductive Justice Internship at ACLU of Northern California (greenhouse.io)
The ACLU of Northern California advances equity and inclusion in the workplace by providing equal employment opportunity to support a work environment free from discrimination on the basis of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age (over 40), sexual orientation, military and veteran status, arrest or conviction record, and any other basis prohibited by law. The organization also provides reasonable accommodations for qualified applicants and employees with disabilities. This equal employment opportunity policy applies to all aspects of employment, including recruitment, selection, advancement, training, problem resolution, and separation from employment. Through this policy, ACLU NorCal strives to establish and maintain an equitable and accessible work environment that is supportive and free from discrimination.
