Summer 2026 Legal Intern, Disability Rights Program

The ACLU seeks a Summer Legal Intern in the Disability Rights Program of the ACLU’s National office in Washington DC or San Francisco CA. This position can be remote or hybrid.

The Disability Rights Program’s mission is to achieve an America free of discrimination against people with disabilities; where people with disabilities are valued, integrated members of society who have full access to education, homes, health care, jobs, families, voting and civic engagement. We fight to ensure that people with disabilities are no longer segregated into, and over-represented in, civil and criminal institutions such as nursing homes, psychiatric hospitals, jails, and prisons.

The ACLU has fought for decades for the rights of people with disabilities - achieving key wins to stop coerced mental health treatment and unnecessary institutionalization, as well as playing a role in the drafting of the ADA. DRP litigates and advocates to use disability rights laws to end the overrepresentation of people with disabilities in the criminal legal system, including pursuing first of its kind litigation to ensure that municipalities provide trained, non-police responders to people experiencing mental health crises. We also litigate and advocate to promote alternatives to guardianship and to secure equal access to the ballot. We also provide support to affiliates and the National office on disability rights issues that intersect with core civil liberties.

The ACLU has recently strengthened its work at the intersection of disability, veterans’ rights, and civil liberties. This internship focuses specifically on this emerging area of work.

The intern will have the opportunity to gain valuable experience by working alongside the team and assisting in legal research and writing, factual investigation, and strategic advocacy to advance our litigation and integrated advocacy. The intern will have the opportunity to participate in litigation, advocacy, and internal meetings and discussions.

Interns will support DRP litigation work and integrated advocacy across our priority areas.

• Legal research
• Legal writing, such as memos and portions of court submissions
• Fact investigation
• Support in preparation for and during court cases, such as depositions, oral argument, hearings, or trial

The internship is open only to students enrolled at U.S. law schools who will have completed at least one year of law school before the internship commences.

We invite applications from candidates who have personal, professional, and/or academic experience in the military, including candidates who are veterans or servicemembers. We further invite applications from candidates who have personal, professional, and/or academic experience with disability and disability rights, including candidates who have disabilities. Additionally, interns should possess the following:

• Excellent research skills, including conducting internet and legal database research
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and writing
• Attention to detail, excellent organizing and time-management skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite
• The initiative to see projects through to completion

• Be committed to advancing the mission of the ACLU
• Center and embed the principles of equity, inclusion and belonging in their work by demonstrating commitment to diversity with an approach that respects and values multiple perspectives
• Be committed to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and conflicts

• Location: Our internship program offers a limited number of remote or hybrid intern positions. This internship may be remote or hybrid and based in our Washington DC or San Francisco, CA office.
• Time Commitment: Summer internships require a full time (35 hour/week) commitment.
• Internship Duration: Summer internships span 10 consecutive weeks with a start date of May 26 or June 8.
• Stipend: A stipend is available for those students who are lawfully authorized to work. Legal interns receive a stipend amount $24/hour (stipends are taxed)

While there is a priority deadline, our project is committed to reviewing all applications on a rolling basis until the closing of posting.

For over 100 years, the ACLU has worked to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Whether it’s ending mass incarceration, achieving full equality for the LGBTQ+ community, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties cases and issues to defend all people.