Who We Are:

American Oversight is a nonpartisan, nonprofit watchdog that advances truth, accountability, and democracy by enforcing the public's right to government records. From the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to state transparency laws, we file carefully crafted records requests to extract information from the government, and if officials fail to respond as required by law, we take them to court and enforce the public's right to hold our leaders accountable. Since our founding in 2017, we have obtained and published more than one million pages of emails, memos, calendars, text messages, and other records to ensure accountability, expose misconduct, and drive significant corrective action at all levels of government.

For more information, please visit our website: www.americanoversight.org

About the Role:

Reporting to one of our experienced lawyers, American Oversight (AO) is seeking part-time Spring Legal Interns to join its team.

The Spring Legal Intern supports the legal team in all respects, primarily through legal research and writing, including on valuable projects that impact AO’s mission. AO’s legal internship program provides law school students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience and AO with a pipeline of talent for future legal team recruitment.

Spring Legal Interns are expected to work part-time hours (>32 hours per week) and will coordinate with their supervisor to determine a schedule aligned with the intern’s availability and American Oversight’s business hours.

What You Will Do:

Review and research current events to spot potential legal issues and to identify opportunities to uncover state and federal government malfeasance or unethical conduct
Collaborate with our research team to craft, review, and revise draft (FOIA) and state open records requests
Draft FOIA and state open records act administrative appeals
Draft court pleadings, including complaints, motions, and briefs or brief sections
Conduct legal research to support litigation strategy
Observe litigation proceedings or meetings, such as court hearings, depositions, or conferences with opposing counsel
Contribute to reports and other editorial content for AO’s website based on the findings of investigations
Attend and participate in regularly scheduled legal team and all staff meetings

What You Will Bring:

At least one semester at an ABA-accredited law school completed before the internship commences
Solid writing, research, and oral communications skills
High degree of professional ethics and integrity

Desired Qualifications:

Commitment to public-interest advocacy and an interest in litigation
An interest in government ethics and accountability, legal investigations, and/or government oversight
Experience working independently in a remote environment and self-managing deadlines
Prior experience working collaboratively within a team and cross-departmentally
An ability to analyze situations and information to apply sound decision making skills and sound judgment

We encourage individuals to apply even if they do not have any of the desired qualifications.

Location:

American Oversight is a remote-first organization, and our interns must work from any of the following locations: AL, CA, CO, DC, GA, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, MO, NC, ND, NJ, NY, OK, OR, VA, and WI.

Our office in Washington, DC is an optional workspace.

Compensation:

The hourly wage for this position is $22.00 per hour. If you would prefer to structure this as a clinical externship for academic credit, we will be happy to assist in any necessary paperwork from your school.

Application Deadline:

To apply, please submit a resume and cover letter with your application. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply by Friday, October 11 to ensure consideration of your application. Applications received following this deadline will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Our Commitment to an Inclusive Workplace:

At American Oversight, we value and strive to hire, develop, and grow a diverse and inclusive team. We are an equal opportunity employer, and encourage applications from all individuals without regard to an individual’s race, color, sex, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local laws. We strongly encourage individuals to apply for opportunities at American Oversight even if they do not have any of the desired qualifications.

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Spring Legal Intern