Summer Legal Internship
The People’s Parity Project seeks law students for our remote summer 2022 legal internship program. All interns are required to seek funding through their school or other programs; candidates for whom this is not an option should reach out to Molly Coleman (molly@peoplesparity.org) to see if other options may exist.
About the Organization
The People’s Parity Project was founded in 2018 on the belief that a movement of law students and attorneys, organizing to democratize the legal system, empower working people, and challenge corporate influence, has the power to move us towards a world where workers have power, vulnerable communities need not fight for dignity and respect, and the levers of law and government seek to increase the well-being of all. We’re a small team building, supporting, and emboldening a large, diverse community of lawyers and law students dedicated to bold advocacy and fearlessly challenging entrenched power structures. We’re fighting hard fights, but always make time to celebrate the wins, no matter how big or small. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a fast-growing movement aimed at unrigging the legal system and building a justice system that values people over profits. Learn more: peoplesparity.org/about.
About the Position
At PPP, our work includes:
- Supporting our organizers—law students and lawyers who volunteer their time with PPP—at every stage of their involvement with PPP: recruiting them to become members of the organization, supporting organizing campaigns and chapter development, providing training and learning opportunities for organizers at all stages of their work with PPP, and building a community that supports members in using their legal degrees to build a just and equitable world.
- Building a federal judiciary that works for people, not corporate profits. This consists of identifying promising, nontraditional progressive lawyers who would make excellent judges in order to encourage and promote their candidacy, as well as engaging in public education and deep organizing work around court reform.
- Developing a state court program aimed at increasing democratic engagement with state courts, at all levels, around the country. Our focus is on bringing in law students and lawyers to serve as engaged, creative state court organizers, working on public education and advocacy campaigns to build a deep progressive bench that works for the people, not corporate profits.
- Unrigging the legal system so that the law promotes, rather than obstructs, worker power. We run and support campaigns aimed at ending forced arbitration, non-compete clauses, and other coercive contract provisions; hold lawyers accountable for their role in upholding corporate power; develop public education campaigns around the law and worker power; and more.
Responsibilities
Summer legal intern work may include, but is not limited to:
- Supporting the planning and execution of PPP’s Summer 2022 Convening, which will bring together progressive lawyers and law students from around the country for deep-dives into substantive policy areas, organizing and skills training, community-building and networking, and more.
- Building out materials to support chapter-led and working group campaigns, such as guides for effectively holding anti-worker attorneys accountable and strategy documents for using the power of law students to influence corporate law firms.
- Researching state judiciaries to produce state-specific reports on professional diversity on the bench.
- Engaging in high-level strategic planning around key PPP priorities, such as court reform and building worker power; developing and executing on action plans to advance these priorities.
- Meeting with PPP partners to plan campaigns and events around the Supreme Court’s end-of-term decisions, shadow docket decisions, and more.
Required Qualifications
To be considered, a candidate must be:
- A current law student or policy-focused graduate student.
- Committed to building a legal system that works for working people, not corporate profits.
- Excited about working in a small, start-up environment.
- Willing and able to work remotely, as this is an entirely remote position.
Desired Qualifications
The ideal candidate will possess many of the following qualifications and personal attributes:
- Deeply knowledgeable about the legal system and the role that the legal profession currently plays in upholding systems of corporate power and worker oppression.
- Critical and creative thinking to challenge systems of oppression and the people and institutions that uphold them.
- Commitment to challenging subjugation in all forms, and to building internal structures that elevate historically marginalized groups and individuals.
- Ability to clearly communicate, both verbally and in writing, in a way that moves people to take action. The ideal candidate will be comfortable with both external or public-facing communication, and internal and 1:1 communication.
- Ability to work in a self-directed manner, solving problems and navigating obstacles as they arise, while also taking initiative to seek support when needed.
We strongly encourage people with the following identities to apply: Black and Indigenous people; people of color; LGBTQIA+, women and non-binary people; people living with disabilities; and others with lived experience being part of marginalized communities.
To Apply
Send resume, cover letter, writing sample for which you are the sole author (any length), and three references to hello@peoplesparity.org. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled.