Founded in 1974, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) is a national organization that protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans. By combining litigation, advocacy, education, and organizing, AALDEF works with Asian American communities across the country to secure human rights for all.
Internships for the summer of 2015 are available in the following program areas:
- Anti-Trafficking Initiative – legal research and writing on the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act and Fair Labor Standards Act, as well as outreach, community education, and advocacy on the rights of exploited and abused workers.
- Community Health Care Initiative – legal research, community education and outreach in the areas of immigration, government benefits, language rights, and health care access;
- Economic Justice for Workers – legal research, advocacy and direct representation on behalf of Asian immigrant workers experiencing wage-and-hour, retaliation, and workplace safety violations in the restaurant, nail salon, domestic worker, and other low-wage industries.
- Educational Equity and Youth Rights: legal services, policy work, community education, research and litigation concerning educational equity, juvenile justice, language access, student free-speech and police surveillance, and anti-Asian harassment.
- Housing & Environmental Justice Project: community outreach/education, research, and litigation on gentrification and other land use issues affecting low-income and Asian immigrant communities.
- Immigrant Access to Justice: litigation, legal services, and organizing/outreach with communities impacted by post 9/11 immigration and law enforcement policies. An additional emphasis on Asian communities’ access to representation and education about immigration policies and practices that may impact them, including deferred action policies and administrative relief for undocumented youth and other immigrants, unconstitutional DHS stops, and collaboration between state/local law enforcement and federal immigration enforcement, e.g., “Secure Communities” program. **Law students ONLY**
- Voting Rights – legal research and fact development under the Voting Rights Act and Equal Protection Clause challenging anti-Asian voter discrimination, advocacy on bilingual ballot, produce reports and organize public forums, and assist in organizing legal trainings.
Description of Summer Internship Program: The summer program is ten weeks, from approximately June 1 through August 7, 2015. Interns work full-time and are supervised by attorneys in specific program areas. Depending on the program area, interns will work on litigation, legal and policy advocacy, community outreach and education, or client intakes; each program area differs in emphasis. Summer interns attend weekly brown bag lectures on a range of public interest legal topics along with interns from other legal defense funds and civil rights groups. The position is unpaid. However, in previous years many AALDEF interns have been successful at securing independent funding. Academic credit can be arranged.
To Apply:
- Interested applicants should send a cover letter, resume, and writing sample to be received by AALDEF on or before Friday, January 30, 2015 at the address below. Please indicate in your cover letter the top three preferred program areas. Only law students qualify for AALDEF’s legal internships. Applications may be faxed or emailed.
- Any bilingual ability should be stated in the application. Bilingual ability is helpful but not required. Gujarati, Hindi, Khmer, Korean, Indonesian and Urdu-speaking applicants are especially urged to apply.
- Applications will be reviewed upon receipt until the January 30, 2015 deadline. Interviewing will take place on a rolling basis. Only applicants who have been granted interviews will be notified of their advancement in the application process.
Summer Internship Search (Legal)
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
99 Hudson Street, 12th floor
New York, New York 10013-2815
Fax: 212-966-4303 Email: info@aaldef.org
For more information, contact: Ken Kimerling at 212-966-5932 x203 or kkimerling@aaldef.org
* * *Please do NOT email applications to kkimerling@aaldef.org* * *
