Legal Internships

The Bazelon Center is a private, nonprofit legal advocacy organization that promotes and protects the rights of adults and children with mental disabilities by bringing cutting edge litigation and shaping federal policy. Bazelon's litigation staff work on U.S. Supreme Court and other federal and state appellate cases, bring impact litigation at the trial court level, work with state-based and national advocacy organizations, and provide technical assistance on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other laws that address the rights of people with mental illnesses. The Center is considered an expert in system reform litigation. The Bazelon Center's litigation staff includes five attorneys.

Summer interns draft documents and conduct legal and other research in support of Bazelon's litigation and technical assistance efforts. Recent examples of intern projects include: preparing part of a brief supporting a unique and far-reaching settlement that will reform Arizona's mental health system for children, identifying and analyzing cases addressing the constitutionality of Title II of the ADA, researching state obligations to arrange for the continuation of SSI and Medicaid benefits for individuals being discharged from jail, and researching potential claims for a suit challenging inadequate special education services for children and youth who have serious emotional and behavioral problems. The Bazelon Center also accepts interns/externs during the academic year.

Interns normally spend 10 weeks at the Center, starting sometime between mid-May and mid-June. Some interns have split their summers between a firm and the Center. Interns typically receive summer stipends from their law school or their school's Equal Justice Works chapter. Sometimes the Center receives grants that allow us to pay interns for summer work if the intern has already exhausted other funding sources.

The Bazelon Center has been very successful in securing prestigious post-law school fellowships. The Center has had three Skadden and two Equal Justice (formerly NAPIL) fellows. Former Bazelon interns have also received fellowships to work at other public interest organizations.

We seek second and third year law school students with excellent academic credentials and strong research and writing skills. Related experience is a plus. Early applications are encouraged. We try to make offers before December 31. In your cover letter, please indicate why you want to work at the Bazelon Center and what particular aspects of our work interest you the most. To apply for a summer internship, please send by e-mail, fax, or regular mail a cover letter, resume, writing sample, law school transcript (unofficial is ok), and list of three references to:

Ira Burnim
Legal Director
Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
1101 15th Street, N.W., Suite 1212
Washington, D.C. 20005
irab@bazelon.org
202-223-0409 (fax)
No calls, please.