Legal Intern Position

The National Campaign to Restore Civil Rights (NCRCR) is looking for a student to help generate content over the course of a semester for a campaign dedicated to public education and outreach about the rollback of civil rights in the federal courts.

BACKGROUND

As Americans we expect that we all have opportunity, and that our laws make our society fair and our government accountable. Our civil rights laws were written not to benefit just a few, but to protect us all. But a series of cases over the past three decades have made it harder to enforce our civil rights and our federal courts are no longer places that we can rely on for help. Ideological judges are being appointed to promote partisan agendas rather than to be fair and impartial or to pursue justice. Every time this happens, we all lose. We deserve better.

ABOUT THE POSITION/OPPORTUNITY

The Campaign has unpaid intern positions available for SPRING SEMESTER 2011. The positions are open to law students who have completed at least their first year of law school and recent graduates. The internships require a minimum commitment of 15 hours per week. This is a great opportunity for someone studying law who wants a career in civil rights or social justice and wants some hands-on research, writing, and advocacy experience. Interns will work with the Campaign staff and partner organizations on legal advocacy, coalition building and public outreach to develop and execute initiatives to address the challenges presented by federal court decisions and laws that impact our civil rights.

Responsibilities include:

• Creating a bank of "human stories" - research cases and draft compelling and moving stories about real people impacted by the rollback of civil rights
• Drafting and updating fact sheets and key content about the broad range of issues and communities affected by the rollback of civil rights: racial justice, disability rights, women's rights, access to health care, environmental justice, etc.
• Assisting the Web Coordinator with outreach to the media and media/communications contacts of partner organizations
• Researching and publishing links to local and national news articles that illustrate the rollback of civil rights
• Assisting with developing content and to help make current, past, and upcoming court cases, legal issues and events accessible to the general public
• Assist with day-to-day operations of the Campaign

Candidates should:

• Have excellent research and written and oral communications skills
• Be able to write about complex concepts in everyday English
• Be able to work collaboratively and independently
• Be able to work professionally with organizations and individuals across the country from many different backgrounds
• Be responsible and reliable
• Be organized and detail oriented
• Be proficient with Microsoft Office Word, Excel and PowerPoint and have strong familiarity with social networking and media sites including Facebook and twitter
• Enthusiasm and a demonstrated interest in civil rights and social justice issues preferred. Fluency in a second language is helpful, but, not required.

ABOUT US

Created in response to recent federal court decisions that are eroding civil rights protections, the National Campaign to Restore Civil Rights (NCRCR) is a collection of more than one hundred civil rights organizations and numerous individuals. NCRCR is a non-partisan movement working to ensure that our courts protect and preserve equal justice, fairness, and opportunity for everyone. We achieve these goals through raising awareness, outreach, and building alliances. NCRCR fosters democratic engagement by driving home the importance of court decisions for a broad national audience, while strategically collaborating with advocates to address critical civil rights issues. NCRCR accomplishes its goals through multi-organizational strategic collaborations on legal and communications issues, and public education and outreach.

Please send cover letter, resume, writing sample, and three professional references to:

Juanne Renee Harris
Director
The National Campaign to Restore Civil Rights
307 Seventh Avenue, Suite 1201
New York, NY 10001

Or via email to: jharris@nylpi.org.

The National Campaign to Restore Civil Rights is an Equal Opportunity Employer.