Summer 2027 Legal Internship, Family Defense Practice
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Neighborhood Defender Service Inc
New York, NY, US
Summary
Interns will conduct legal research, draft motions, and assist in preparing for hearings and trials within the family defense practice. They will also engage in direct client work, including interviews and visits to jails or juvenile detention facilities.
Job Description
Overview
Job Title: Summer 2027 Law Intern (Current 2Ls)
Department: Family Defense Practice
Location: New York
Reports To: Staff Attorney, Family Defense Practice
Position Type: Internship
Union Status: Non-union
FLSA Status: n/a
About NDS:
Neighborhood Defender Service (NDS) is a national nonprofit public defense organization that pioneered the holistic defense model more than 30 years ago. Founded in Harlem, NDS was built to challenge the traditional public defense model by centering clients, communities, and interdisciplinary advocacy. Today, NDS operates community-based offices in Harlem; the Bronx; Detroit; and Hays County, Texas, supported by a unified national infrastructure that allows local teams to deliver high-quality, responsive representation rooted in the communities they serve.
Across all locations, NDS provides client-centered legal representation through interdisciplinary teams composed of attorneys, investigators, social workers, client advocates, and team administrators. Our approach emphasizes early and ongoing engagement with clients—before arrest where possible, throughout the life of a case, and beyond case resolution—while addressing the legal, social, and systemic challenges that impact long-term stability. NDS is committed to treating every client with dignity and respect and to advancing justice for individuals and communities that have been historically marginalized and over-policed.
Core Purpose of the Role:NDS is seeking current second-year law students for our family defense summer internship in Manhattan and the Bronx.
The Family Defense Practice at NDS represents parents in family policing cases (sometimes called “child welfare” cases) filed by the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) as well as related family court cases, including custody, visitation, and termination of parental rights proceedings. Through our holistic approach to representation, the Family Defense Practice provides parents with the help they need—both inside and outside of court—to keep their families safe and stable. Parents are represented not only by a high-quality attorney, but also social workers, litigation assistants, and parent advocates. NDS is committed to advancing due process rights for parents by fighting unwarranted state intervention in their lives and advocating for related systemic change. Our internship program is hybrid and runs for 10 weeks, typically from the first week of June through the first week of August. Interns will either be placed in our Manhattan or Bronx office, with opportunities to observe both boroughs and work out of our court offices and our Harlem-based office. Legal interns can expect to conduct legal research, write legal motions, assist in preparing for hearings and trials, work directly with clients, and appear on the record pursuant to the student practice order.
Responsibilities
- The goal of the internship is to provide the intern with an experience as close to the actual practice of an NDS family defense attorney as possible.
- After a week of orientation to NDS and New York County family practice, summer interns are matched with attorneys to work with throughout the summer.
- For the remainder of the summer, intern duties may include legal research and writing, court appearances, client interviews, precinct visits, witness interviews, investigation assistance, client visits at jails and juvenile detention facilities, and participation in any of the many other activities that NDS staff undertakes on behalf of our clients.
Qualifications
NDS is looking for law student interns with a demonstrated commitment to family defense and social justice issues. In addition, the internship requires energy, enthusiasm, and an unwavering commitment to clients.
Applying:
We are looking for current second-year law students who will embrace our philosophy of client-centered, community-based, and holistic representation.
Interested students should submit a cover letter and resume to: [email protected] by October 16, 2027.
Applications without a cover letter will not be considered. You will be contacted via email if selected for an interview. Please email [email protected] with any questions.
The internship is an unpaid opportunity.
The Neighborhood Defender Service is committed to creating a diverse environment that reflects the community we serve. NDS is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. NDS encourages people with incarcerated loved ones, formerly incarcerated people, people of color, women, queer, transgender, gender non-confirming, and gender fluid people to apply.
For more information about NDS, please visit our website at www.ndsny.org.
Min
USD $0.00/Yr.
Max
USD $0.00/Yr.
Neighborhood Defender Service (NDS) is known nationally and internationally for its innovative, community-based, holistic public defense practice. Our dedicated staff is committed to providing unparalleled legal representation.
Since we opened our doors in Harlem in 1990, we have pioneered the holistic model as a way to address problems plaguing public defense. In contrast to a traditional public defense practice, NDS clients have an entire team fighting on their behalf, including criminal and civil attorneys, family defense attorneys, advocates, social workers, investigators, paralegals, law school and social work interns, and pro bono attorneys. NDS deploys all of these resources on behalf of our clients, addressing the underlying issues that bring them into contact with the criminal legal system. NDS staff use their engagement with a client as an opportunity to disentangle them from the system completely.
This approach allows defense to extend well beyond the courtroom, with robust social services and comprehensive teams meant to protect our clients from the damages of criminal legal proceedings. When clients face consequences with employment, schooling, immigration or in family or housing court, NDS works alongside them to resolve these issues.
NDS fights for our clients both by working their cases and by advocating for policy changes that provide a measure of justice to their communities. NDS is an active member of these communities, establishing meaningful relationships with clients and their families. NDS hosts frequent education and outreach events to support its neighbors and participate in local events.
NDS has been a part of the Harlem community for nearly 30 years and opened a second office in Detroit in 2019, providing the same world-class service to the people of Wayne County.
Founded
1990
Company size
51-200 employees
Industry
Law Practice
Org type
Nonprofit
Headquarters
New York, New York
Neighborhood Defender Service (NDS) is known nationally and internationally for its innovative, community-based, holistic public defense practice. Our dedicated staff is committed to providing unparalleled legal representation.
Since we opened our doors in Harlem in 1990, we have pioneered the holistic model as a way to address problems plaguing public defense. In contrast to a traditional public defense practice, NDS clients have an entire team fighting on their behalf, including criminal and civil attorneys, family defense attorneys, advocates, social workers, investigators, paralegals, law school and social work interns, and pro bono attorneys. NDS deploys all of these resources on behalf of our clients, addressing the underlying issues that bring them into contact with the criminal legal system. NDS staff use their engagement with a client as an opportunity to disentangle them from the system completely.
This approach allows defense to extend well beyond the courtroom, with robust social services and comprehensive teams meant to protect our clients from the damages of criminal legal proceedings. When clients face consequences with employment, schooling, immigration or in family or housing court, NDS works alongside them to resolve these issues.
NDS fights for our clients both by working their cases and by advocating for policy changes that provide a measure of justice to their communities. NDS is an active member of these communities, establishing meaningful relationships with clients and their families. NDS hosts frequent education and outreach events to support its neighbors and participate in local events.
NDS has been a part of the Harlem community for nearly 30 years and opened a second office in Detroit in 2019, providing the same world-class service to the people of Wayne County.
Founded
1990
Company size
51-200 employees
Industry
Law Practice
Org type
Nonprofit
Headquarters
New York, New York
