Summer 2027 Law Student Internship

CLS offers a rich and exciting summer internship experience for 15-20 law students who have completed their first or second year of law school. Our law students receive exceptional training and the opportunity to work with some of the most talented legal minds in civil legal services. All CLS interns will have the opportunity to work directly with clients, engage with the communities we serve, and contribute to systemic advocacy efforts to advance economic and racial equity. 

Interns are placed into one of our legal units: Health and Independence, SSI, Housing, Home Ownership and Consumer Rights, Family Advocacy, Energy and Utilities, Employment, Youth Justice Project, Medical Legal Partnership. We have three offices across the city where interns may be placed: North Philadelphia Law Center, Logan Square and Center City. Location placement depends on unit placement and the supervising attorney’s primary office location. 

CLS welcomes applicants of all backgrounds to apply and strongly encourages law students from diverse backgrounds to apply for our internship.   CLS invites all applicants to include in their cover letter a statement about how your unique background and/or experiences would motivate you to work toward CLS’s mission and would contribute to the vitality and perspective of our organization. 

• Resume  

• Cover letter addressing interest and experience in public interest and poverty law/racial justice advocacy 

• Law school transcript 

• List of three (3) references (at least one academic reference and at least one professional reference) 

Please either submit an application on our website OR via a hiring fair (like PIPS, GPALS, etc.). Please do not submit your application on our website if you are already scheduled to interview via a hiring fair or waiting for a hiring fair selection. If you do not get an interview slot with us at a hiring fair, you can then submit an application through our website. 

CLS Policy on the Use of AI in job applications: Strong writing skills are a required skill for 
this position. CLS requires all application materials to be the applicant’s own, and prohibits the 
use of AI in application materials, including the cover letter, writing sample, and position-specific 
writing assessment if requested. CLS reserves the right to decline to interview a candidate or 
rescind a job offer if an applicant misrepresents the originality of their application materials.

Generally, the internship is unpaid. However, 3 fellowship stipends are available and awarded on a rolling basis. Please see below for more information. We are also happy to support any requirements for work study or other external funding sources, like Equal Justice America. 

CLS operates Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Staff are expected to work in-person 2 days per week; however, students are encouraged to be in person more frequently as needed and to get the most out of their summer. 

Unit placements are assigned when we have filled our full class of interns – usually in April. When students accept their internship, they rank their top 3 units. With rare exceptions, we are able to place students in one of their top 3 choices but cannot guarantee placement in any unit. 

Students are encouraged to staff CLS clinics for other units and can shadow another unit if they express an interest but are generally assigned to one unit for the entirety of their summer work. 

Our housing unit prioritizes 2L students, especially from Philadelphia-area law schools. We encourage housing-focused students to apply for their 2L summer! 

Please contact our HR department by emailing Shaneika Patterson at spatterson@clsphila.org and/or Crystal Stackhouse at cstackhouse@clsphila.org. 

The Amber Racine and Senator Roxanne Jones Fellowships are available on a competitive basis to 3 law students with financial need from underrepresented groups based on race, color, religious creed, ancestry, age, sex (including sex assigned at birth, gender identity or expression and sexual orientation), national origin, or disability.  The recipient of each Fellowship receives a financial award of $5,000 and mentorship support to enable future leaders in public interest law to spend their summer interning at CLS.   

• Background: Tell us about yourself and how your background played a role in informing your decision to attend law school and pursue a career in public interest  

• Your accomplishments and achievements in work, life, school and your community 

• Demonstrated commitment to public interest work and serving the needs of underserved communities 

• Special circumstances establishing your financial need 

• Your future goals and dedication to a career in public interest legal services 

• All other funding sources applied for and status of each  

• Any other information you think the Selection Committee may deem relevant that you would like us to take into consideration