Spring 2026 Legal Internship for Law Students with the New York Unified Court System

Legal internships in the New York State Courts are programs for law students to gain experience in public service. Interns research and analyze legal issues and are responsible for drafting orders, proofreading opinions, verifying citations, preparing jury charges, and verdict forms. The internship program provides hands-on experience, professional development, and opportunities to work on projects that promote access to justice. Legal Interns, appointed in the Civil Term by Justices of the Supreme Court, are assigned to Judges designated as Acting Supreme Court Justices. This internship position is assigned to Hon. Mary Lynn Nicolas-Brewster, Supreme Court Justice in Bronx County Supreme Court – Civil Term.

This is an unpaid, in-person, eight-week legal internship program for law students interested in becoming a judge or public interest attorney. Interns are expected to participate for 12 hours weekly. Legal interns will receive rare opportunities to develop legal research, oral advocacy, and writing skills. Additional features of the program include weekly lunch-and-learn sessions with attorneys and judges across practice areas, individualized mentorship, and practical advice for law school success. The Internship program is designed to be a pipeline program for law students interested in careers in the courts and public service. 

The in-person legal internship will be hosted from February 16, 2026, through April 10, 2026 (internship location – Bronx Supreme Court – Civil Term, 851 Grand Concourse, Bronx, New York). The application deadline is January 9, 2026.  

Interested students should email: BXSUPCIV-IA11@NYCOURTS.GOV.

  • The subject line should be “Legal Internship – Spring 2026″  
  • You must include the following documents as one attachment: 
    • A cover letter addressed to Hon. Mary Lynn Nicolas-Brewster, Acting Supreme Court Justice, Bronx  Supreme Court, Civil Term.
    • Please highlight previous public service work or work involving equal justice issues.
  • Your resume.
  •  A writing sample – please respond to the essay prompt below:  
    • ESSAY PROMPT: In this personal injury action involving a motor vehicle accident, Plaintiff has failed  to provide responses to discovery demands and Defendant ABC Holding has moved for an order  dismissing the action in accordance with the Court’s prior April 10, 2025 order. That self-executing  order granted dismissal of Plaintiff’s complaint unless within sixty (60) days of the order, Plaintiff  provided responses to Defendant ABC Holding’s discovery demands. The Court directed dismissal of  Plaintiff’s complaint, pursuant to CPLR 3126, if there was a failure to comply with its Order. Plaintiff  failed to provide the discovery contemplated by the April 10, 2025 order and Defendant ABC Holding  has now moved to dismiss the complaint based on Plaintiff’s failure to comply with this Court’s self executing order of dismissal issued on April 10, 2025. Please draft the analysis and  conclusion/determination section of the proposed decision and order (please limit to 500 words  or less). Please limit your research to First Department case law. 

We look forward to your participation.

AABANY’s Judiciary Committee Hosts 2023 Judges’ Reception in Celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month

On Wednesday, June 7, 2023, AABANY’s Judiciary Committee hosted its annual Judges’ Reception to honor newly inducted, elevated, and retiring judges, in celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. Despite the poor air quality, the event had an impressive turnout, with nearly 80 in attendance, including  lawyers, judges, and retired judges, as well as AABANY Board Members and Committee Chairs. The event was held at the Surrogate’s Courthouse, 31 Chambers Street, in downtown Manhattan. 

The honorees recognized at the event were individuals who represent the significant strides that AAPI judges have made during the past year in the ongoing effort to enhance diversity in the judiciary. The following judges were honored: 

  • Hon. Jung Park, New York City Criminal Court
  • Hon. Anar Patel, New York State Court of Claims
  • Hon. Hari Singh, New York City Family Court, Bronx County
  • Hon. Karen Lin, New York City Civil Court, Queens County
  • Hon. Kris Singh, Surrogate Court, Montgomery County
  • Hon. Leigh Cheng, New York City Civil Court, Queens County
  • Hon. Nisha Menon, New York City Family Court, Kings County
  • Hon. Sarika Kapoor, New York State Court of Claims
  • Hon. Rina Gurung, New York City Housing Court, Bronx County 
  • Hon. Vijay Kitson, New York City Housing Court, New York County
  • Hon. Jessica Sin, New York City Family Court, Queens County
  • Hon. Shantonu Basu, New York City Housing Court, Kings County
  • Hon. L. Austin D’Souza, New York City Civil Court, Kings County
  • Hon. Zainab Chaudhury, New York Court of Claims
  • Hon. Arun Subramanian, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York

We are proud to celebrate these AAPI trailblazers in the judiciary. AAPI jurists remain significantly under-represented in New York courts. To date, there is no AAPI Justice serving on the United States Supreme Court. There is also no AAPI judge on New York’s highest court, the Court of Appeals. New York remains in 2023 as one of 42 states in the country without an AAPI judge on the state’s highest court. According to the Asian American Judges Association of New York (AAJANY), AAPI judges comprise nearly 4.60% of the total judiciary in New York State, compared to 10.8% of the population of New York State and 17.3% of the population of New York City being of AAPI descent. Hon. Shahabuddeen Ally, Supervising Judge of New York County Civil Court, and President of AAJANY, emphasized: “[T]he numbers tell us there is a lot of work to do. When the numbers go up, we all do better.” In light of current events and the rise in anti-Asian violence, AAPI representation on the bench is more important than ever. AABANY thanks the honorees for their pioneering and inspirational role.

Thanks to everyone who joined us for this event and the Judiciary Committee for organizing it. To learn more about AABANY’s Judiciary Committee and its work, click here. To see more photos, go here.