What are the responsibilities and job description for the Fall 2026 Legal Intern, Community Access Programs Unit position at NYLAG?
About NYLAG:
Founded in 1990, NYLAG is a leading civil legal services organization combatting economic, racial, and social injustice by advocating for people experiencing poverty or in crisis. Our services include comprehensive, free civil legal services, financial empowerment, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and community partnerships. NYLAG exists because wealth should not determine who has access to justice. We aim to disrupt systemic racism by serving individuals and families whose legal and financial crises are often rooted in racial inequality. NYLAG goes to where the need is, providing services in more than 150 community sites (e.g. courts, hospitals, libraries) and on our Mobile Legal Help Center. During COVID-19, most of our services were virtual to keep our community safe. NYLAG’s staff of over 400 impacted the lives of nearly 129,000 people last year.
Job description
The Community Access Programs are comprised of several programs focused on community outreach. Interns may assist across all the Community Access Programs but primarily serve the Mobile Legal Help Center project. The Mobile Legal Help Center is an innovative joint project of NYLAG and the New York State Courts’ Access to Justice Program. The Mobile Legal Help Center operates the country’s first-ever legal services office on wheels that travels directly to underserved communities to bring free, civil legal services to individuals in New York City and Long Island.
Attorneys, paralegals, interns, and volunteers on the Mobile Legal Help Center provide meaningful access for New Yorkers in or around poverty to begin addressing the legal issues they face. The Mobile Legal Help Center travels throughout the five boroughs and parts of Long Island, focusing on areas with limited public transportation including those who face health and mobility obstacles, childcare concerns, and any other conflicts that may give rise to a general inaccessibility to meeting with legal service providers.
Interns with Community Access Programs will help staff the van weekly and conduct intakes in all areas of law that NYLAG practices. Interns may also assist the rest of Community Access Programs members who practice in housing, employment, and immigration law with drafting documents, conducting research, advocacy with administrative agencies, and shadowing at court appearances, as well as other projects within Community Access Programs such as NYLAG’s joint project with Legal Hand’s East Harlem Call-In Center.
Duties and Responsibilities
Qualifications
Application Instructions: Please save resume, cover letter, and a writing sample on one pdf.
NYLAG’s Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
NYLAG is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. People of color, women, people with disabilities, immigrants, veterans, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people, and those with lived experiences in the communities we serve are strongly encouraged to apply.
NYLAG is committed to a hybrid work policy for staff whose work does not require their full-time presence in the office. NYLAG’s current policy is that most staff are required to work in NYLAG’s offices or do other in-person work at least two days each week. This policy is subject to change.
Founded in 1990, NYLAG is a leading civil legal services organization combatting economic, racial, and social injustice by advocating for people experiencing poverty or in crisis. Our services include comprehensive, free civil legal services, financial empowerment, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and community partnerships. NYLAG exists because wealth should not determine who has access to justice. We aim to disrupt systemic racism by serving individuals and families whose legal and financial crises are often rooted in racial inequality. NYLAG goes to where the need is, providing services in more than 150 community sites (e.g. courts, hospitals, libraries) and on our Mobile Legal Help Center. During COVID-19, most of our services were virtual to keep our community safe. NYLAG’s staff of over 400 impacted the lives of nearly 129,000 people last year.
Job description
The Community Access Programs are comprised of several programs focused on community outreach. Interns may assist across all the Community Access Programs but primarily serve the Mobile Legal Help Center project. The Mobile Legal Help Center is an innovative joint project of NYLAG and the New York State Courts’ Access to Justice Program. The Mobile Legal Help Center operates the country’s first-ever legal services office on wheels that travels directly to underserved communities to bring free, civil legal services to individuals in New York City and Long Island.
Attorneys, paralegals, interns, and volunteers on the Mobile Legal Help Center provide meaningful access for New Yorkers in or around poverty to begin addressing the legal issues they face. The Mobile Legal Help Center travels throughout the five boroughs and parts of Long Island, focusing on areas with limited public transportation including those who face health and mobility obstacles, childcare concerns, and any other conflicts that may give rise to a general inaccessibility to meeting with legal service providers.
Interns with Community Access Programs will help staff the van weekly and conduct intakes in all areas of law that NYLAG practices. Interns may also assist the rest of Community Access Programs members who practice in housing, employment, and immigration law with drafting documents, conducting research, advocacy with administrative agencies, and shadowing at court appearances, as well as other projects within Community Access Programs such as NYLAG’s joint project with Legal Hand’s East Harlem Call-In Center.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Conduct client intakes
- Observe and/or participate in client calls and meetings, advocacy calls
- Maintaining client files
- Legal research and writing
- Other duties that arise
Qualifications
- Must be current law student
- Comfortable working throughout NYC’s 5 boroughs
Application Instructions: Please save resume, cover letter, and a writing sample on one pdf.
NYLAG’s Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
NYLAG is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. People of color, women, people with disabilities, immigrants, veterans, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people, and those with lived experiences in the communities we serve are strongly encouraged to apply.
NYLAG is committed to a hybrid work policy for staff whose work does not require their full-time presence in the office. NYLAG’s current policy is that most staff are required to work in NYLAG’s offices or do other in-person work at least two days each week. This policy is subject to change.