2012 Summer Internship

10.12.11 - Job Title:  2012 Summer Internship

Posted On: Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Center Background: The Center for Reproductive Rights is a non-profit legal advocacy organization dedicated to advancing reproductive freedom as a fundamental right that all governments are legally obligated to protect, respect, and fulfill.  The Center engages in cutting-edge impact litigation, policy analysis, advocacy, research, and public education throughout the world, to achieve women’s equality in society and to ensure that all women have access to appropriate and freely chosen reproductive health services.

We seek to hire nine or ten skilled and highly-motivated legal interns to help us pursue our mission of advancing women’s fundamental human rights this summer.  Our New York program will have eight positions, divided evenly between the United States Legal Program and the International Legal Program.  Our Government Relations Program in Washington, DC seeks to fill one or two positions.  Applicants are encouraged to obtain funding from law schools or other sources; we may be able to provide limited funding.  Our summer program is ten weeks long.

Qualifications & Responsibilities: Law students are expected to have strong legal research and writing skills and a demonstrated interest in gender or reproductive rights. 2Ls, 3Ls and LL.M. students with prior knowledge of human rights law are strongly encouraged to apply.

New York City Office

The attorneys from CRR’s United States Legal Program have been counsel in virtually every major U.S. Supreme Court reproductive rights case of the past two decades.  The program represents women, physicians and reproductive healthcare facilities throughout the country in litigation designed to preserve and improve access to a full range of reproductive health services, including abortion, contraception, and reproductive technologies.  In addition to our groundbreaking litigation, we engage in strategic legislative advocacy at the federal and state level and we promote the domestic application of the human rights strategies that CRR has pioneered internationally.  As an intern with USLP, you will analyze state and federal legislation, conduct legal research in connection with active and potential litigation, assist attorneys with client intake, and work with members of our legal team on developing the Center’s approaches to strategic and theoretical legal issues.

CRR’s International Legal Program collaborates with women’s rights organizations and advocates around the world to promote and defend internationally-recognized reproductive rights through a range of legal strategies and global initiatives. The Center works in Africa, Asia, East Central Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean, and has regional offices in Bogota and Nairobi. Our activities include litigation to enforce reproductive rights norms in national, regional and international fora; developing advocacy tools and training materials to build the capacity and support the work of reproductive rights lawyers worldwide; monitoring and documenting violations of reproductive rights; and analyzing legal and policy developments relating to reproductive rights.  As an intern with ILP, you will assist members of our legal team with researching and writing reproductive rights-related submissions to United Nations and regional human rights bodies, and with other general legal and policy research on reproductive rights focusing on transnational and international human rights law and claims.

Our New York summer program also includes opportunities for joint International and U.S. Legal Program projects, lunches with experts in the field, social events, networking opportunities with other organizations, and other activities.

Washington, DC Office

CRR’s Government Relations Program represents the Center’s views on Capitol Hill, in the State Department, and before executive branch agencies. The Center is committed to advocating boldly for the centrality of abortion rights and women’s access to abortion services in the pro-choice agenda, and our human rights mandate and expertise in constitutional, comparative and international law give the Center a unique policy perspective.  As an intern, you will monitor and respond to legislative and other political developments, including hearings, markups and other events; draft materials, including bill analysis, fact sheets, and legal memoranda for use in our advocacy efforts; and prepare internal and external updates, blog posts, op-eds and other written analyses.

How to Apply: Please send your cover letter, resume, unofficial transcript, writing sample and contact information for two references to resumes@reprorights.org. Each document should be submitted as a separate attachment. 

Your cover letter should tell us why you share in the Center’s mission and vision, and how you think you would help us to pursue it. We encourage you to learn about us from our website, and from the cases we have litigated, before you submit your application.

You must indicate the position to which you are applying in the subject line of the email, as follows:  “United States Legal Program Intern, Code 125, your last name”; “International Legal Program Intern, Code 126, your last name”; or “Government Relations Program, Code 127, your last name.” 

Applications to multiple programs are welcome; please send each as separate emails.  We may not be able to consider applications submitted incorrectly.

Decisions will be made on a rolling basis.  We encourage you to submit your application no later than February 1, 2012.

The Center for Reproductive Rights is an equal opportunity employer, committed to inclusive hiring, and dedicated to diversity in our work and staff.  We strongly encourage people from all groups and communities to apply.  We look forward to receiving your application.