Job Description
Legal Services NYC (LSNYC) fights poverty and seeks racial, social and economic justice for low-income New Yorkers. For over 50 years, we have challenged systemic injustices that trap people in poverty and provided legal services that help our clients meet basic needs for housing, income and economic security, family and immigration stability, education, and health care. LSNYC is the largest civil legal services provider in the country; our staff of more than 600 people in neighborhood-based offices and outreach sites across all five boroughs helps hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers annually. We partner with scores of community-based and client-run organizations, elected officials, public agencies, pro bono lawyers, and the courts to maximize our effectiveness. Our work fights discrimination and helps to achieve equity for all low-income New Yorkers.
LSNYC employees have numerous opportunities for growth and professional development, including access to our internal Justice Learning Center, which provides opportunities to earn free CLEs and gain experience as a trainer.
BROOKLYN LEGAL SERVICES
Summer/Fall 2026 Legal Internships - LGBTQ/HIV Advocacy Project
The LGBTQ/HIV Advocacy Project at Brooklyn Legal Services is accepting applications from law students for summer and fall 2026 legal internships. We are a general practice unit providing direct legal services to low-income members of the LGBTQ community and people living with HIV and AIDS. Practice areas include: anti-discrimination; eviction defense; government benefits; confidentiality; insurance appeals for denials of gender-affirming care; name and gender marker changes; identity document updates; and other legal issues.
Interns work directly with staff attorneys and clients, and assignments include interviewing clients, legal research, preparing internal memos, drafting pleadings, advocating with local and state agencies, and representing clients in administrative hearings and in city and state court. Interns will attend intake clinics at community organizations and table at various outreach events during the summer, such as at Brooklyn Pride.
To apply, please submit a cover letter, resume, and writing sample. A good cover letter will describe the following:
• Why you want to work with clients who are LGBTQ and living with HIV and AIDS;
• Your interest in direct legal services;
• Your preference for working in Brooklyn, New York;
• What you seek to learn from this internship; and
• How you will integrate your past experiences into your work this summer in our generalist and population-based unit.
Applicants will be considered on a rolling basis. Applications for Summer 2026 received by February 28, 2026 and for Fall 2026 received by May 1, 2026 may be prioritized. Internships are unpaid, but Brooklyn Legal Services will work with individual applicants to satisfy grant/funding source requirements.
Due to the volume of applicants, only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.
Brooklyn Legal Services has a hybrid work policy that includes 50⁄50 remote and in-office work.
All employees are strongly encouraged to continue to receive and maintain up-to-date COVID vaccinations unless they are unable to for medical or religious reasons.
Legal Services NYC is an equal opportunity employer. People of color, women, people with disabilities, people over 40, and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people are strongly encouraged to apply.
