Legal Internships
Ayuda currently offers two internship opportunities:
Immigration Law: Ayuda’s immigration legal team represents low-income immigrants from all over the world in immigration matters before the Baltimore and Arlington Immigration Courts, local Juvenile and Domestic Relations Courts, the Arlington Asylum Office, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Internships offered out of our DC, MD, and VA offices.
Domestic Violence & Family Law: Ayuda’s attorneys provide free family law, protection order and crime victims’ rights legal services to low-income, immigrant survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking in Maryland and the District of Columbia. Internships offered out of our DC and MD offices.
Ayuda legal interns will have the opportunity to engage in a wide variety of hands-on support, including but not limited to drafting client communication, conducting relevant legal/ background research, translating legal and background documents, preparing immigration forms, writing memos and briefs, drafting court motions and orders, drafting trial documents for attorneys, attending USCIS interviews and hearings with clients, filing consumer complaints for victims of fraud, as well as advocacy-related and community outreach. Interns will be assigned to an Ayuda attorney who will serve as their primary supervisor over the course of their internship to project supervision and professional development support.
Interns will be assigned to an Ayuda attorney who will serve as their primary supervisor over the course of their internship to project supervision and professional development support.
About Ayuda’s Legal Internship Program
FAQs
Regarding the general recruitment for our legal internships, we require that applicants are currently enrolled in law school and/or a legal graduate program”. While undergraduate legal internships are rarely offered, if so they will be noted below with specific indication of such.
While not required, we also do extend preference to bilingual applicants (especially those with Spanish fluency) and individuals with previous experience in immigration law/domestic violence law, family law, etc.
All Ayuda interns are expected to have excellent verbal and written communication skills in English, basic computer literacy and understanding of Microsoft Office suite, be able to work well independently and as part of a team, maintain initiative and responsibility, and be based in the DMV region with the ability to report to their assigned office on a weekly basis.
How To Apply
How to Apply: To apply, submit all applications via email to [email protected]. Please be sure to use one of the subject line options below to indicate your program of choice:
- Immigration Legal Internship
- Domestic Violence/Family Law Legal Internship
Applications must include a cover letter and resume. In your cover letter, please specify your desired start and end dates, availability during the week, and your preference for office location (if multiple locations able to assist at, please note such for your application to be considered by those office’s recruitment teams). Your application will not be reviewed if you do not follow the instructions above.
Ayuda is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and inclusive culture. It is Ayuda’s policy to be fair and impartial in all relations with employees and applicants for employment and to make all employment-related decisions without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, marital status, gender identity or expression, disability, sexual orientation, or any other categories protected by federal, state, or local law. We encourage applications from members of underrepresented communities. Ayuda’s dedication to social justice means that all positions will be committed to working with people from diverse cultural, linguistic, economic, educational, and vocational backgrounds.
No phone calls or inquiries regarding application status please. Applications will be reviewed as they are submitted, and positions remain open until filled. Applicants will be notified if they are invited to interview or at the completion of our recruitment cycle to inform of such.
Immigration Internship (IMM)
Immigration Internship Interns will be working directly with clients of various backgrounds, carrying active caseloads of preparing filings for US Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Immigration Court under the supervision of experienced attorneys and BIA Accredited Representatives. Cases may also involve assisting attorneys in preparing custody, guardianship, or adoption filings in state courts for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status applications. The work includes client communication, relevant research, translation, drafting personal statements, preparing immigration forms, writing memos and briefs, drafting court motions and orders, advocacy with law enforcement and other agencies, and attending USCIS interviews with clients as an interpreter.
Recruitment will begin April 2025 for Summer 2025.
Domestic Violence / Family Law Internship (DVFL) Internship
DVFL Interns will have significant contact with clients from a variety of cultures and will work directly with the attorneys and clients in helping to prepare cases. The DV/FL program represents clients in civil protection order (CPO) and domestic relations branch (DRB) cases (i.e. divorce, custody, and child support) as well as advocates for clients who are witnesses in criminal investigations and cases in DC. The DV/FL legal intern will perform tasks that include but are not limited to: conducting client intake interviews, accompanying clients to court as an advocate, drafting legal documents (i.e. complaints and motions), draft trial documents for attorneys (i.e. opening, direct examination, cross examination, closing), conducting legal research in complex CPO and DRB cases, translating documents in English and Spanish, and assisting the paralegal with pro se family law cases.
Recruitment will begin April 2025 for Summer 2025.