At Volunteer Legal Advocates, we provide free legal representation in protection order, family law, and immigration cases and host weekly walk-in clinics across Washington, DC, and Montgomery County, MD. Our dedicated team of staff and volunteers helps thousands of individuals build safer, more stable futures—at no cost to them.
We recruit, train, and support volunteer lawyers to provide pro bono legal services to survivors of domestic violence and at-risk children. Our team represents clients in protection order cases and family law matters involving custody and divorce. We also serve as court-appointed Guardians ad litem for children at risk of harm in high-conflict family law disputes. We also represent survivors and children in achieving humanitarian immigration relief.
•UNDERGRADUATE INTERNSHIP IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD
We are no longer accepting applications for Summer and Fall 2025.
Volunteer Legal Advocates (formerly DC Volunteer Lawyers Project) is breaking the cycle of violence for survivors and children through pro bono legal aid. We recruit, train, and support a dedicated network of volunteer attorneys who provide free legal representation to survivors of domestic violence, immigrant survivors of gender-based violence, and vulnerable children in dangerous situations. With hands-on staff support, our volunteers handle protection orders, custody, and immigration cases, serve as court-appointed attorneys for children, and staff walk-in clinics that offer legal guidance, safety planning, and referrals to essential resources. Our innovative model expands access to justice for thousands of clients at no cost to them. Learn more at VolunteerLegalAdvocates.org.
Volunteer Legal Advocates is seeking current college students or recent graduates to join our dedicated staff of lawyers and administrators for a part-time fall semester internship in Rockville, MD., beginning in September 2025 and ending in December 2025. Our Maryland office supports and trains volunteer attorneys to represent domestic violence survivors in the areas of family law and divorce, protective orders, and in our domestic violence and family law clinic. The stipend for this part-time internship is $500. If you are interested in working at an established legal nonprofit, this could be the internship for you! You will work directly with lawyers and contribute to helping low-income residents in Montgomery County, MD with their legal needs.
Responsibilities:
- Attend court hearings virtually and in person at Montgomery County District Court and provide legal and administrative support to the supervising and volunteer attorneys.
- Assist in the case administration of Domestic Violence matters, including court document management.
- Support the operation of our weekly remote and in-person Domestic Violence Clinic.
- Any additional projects as assigned.
Requirements:
- Minimum commitment of 12-15 hours per week.
- Availability to attend our weekly legal clinic at Rockville Library from 12-4 PM every Wednesday.
- Availability to travel to and from Volunteer Legal Advocates’ Rockville office, legal clinics, and Montgomery County District Court (a Volunteer Legal Advocates-funded SmarTrip card is provided, if needed, for travel on Metrorail and Metrobus).
- Keen attention to detail and strong organizational, computer, and writing skills.
- Positive attitude and ability to deal with sensitive issues.
The stipend for this internship is $500, which will be paid in two installments of $250 (installments are paid during the first and last week of the internship). Volunteer Legal Advocates can also assist in obtaining academic credit if provided with the required documents.
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•UNDERGRADUATE INTERNSHIP IN WASHINGTON, DC
We are no longer accepting applications for Summer and Fall 2025.
Volunteer Legal Advocates (formerly DC Volunteer Lawyers Project) is seeking current college students or recent graduates to join our dedicated staff of lawyers and administrators in Washington, D.C., beginning in September 2025 and ending in December 2025. The stipend for this internship is $500. If you are interested in working at an established legal non-profit, this could be the internship for you! In this role, you will be able to work directly with lawyers and contribute to helping low-income residents in Washington, DC with their legal needs.
Internship Responsibilities:
- Attend court hearings virtually and in person at DC Superior Court and provide legal and administrative support to the supervising and volunteer attorneys.
- Assist in the case administration of Child Advocacy (Guardian ad Litem) and Domestic Violence matters, including court document management.
- Support the operation of our weekly remote and in-person Domestic Violence and Immigration Clinics.
- Any additional projects as assigned.
Requirements:
- Minimum commitment of 12-15 hours per week.
- Availability to travel to and from Volunteer Legal Advocates’ office, our legal clinics, and DC Superior Court (a Volunteer Legal Advocates-funded SmarTrip card is provided, if needed, for travel on Metrorail and Metrobus).
- Keen attention to detail and strong organizational, computer, and writing skills.
- Positive attitude and ability to deal with sensitive issues.
The stipend for this internship is $500, which will be paid in two installments of $250 (installments are paid during the first and last week of the internship). Volunteer Legal Advocates can also assist in obtaining academic credit if provided with the required documents.
TO
•LAW STUDENT INTERN PROGRAM
Fall 2025 applications are now open until June 27, 2025.
Volunteer Legal Advocates hosts law school students or recent law school graduates as full- or part-time interns in Washington, DC and Rockville, MD. In this role, you’ll have the opportunity to work alongside lawyers and other professionals to contribute to helping low-income residents with their legal needs. The duties and responsibilities of the internship vary from term to term, depending on Volunteer Legal Advocates’ current needs and capacities.
Students may choose to work solely with our immigration practice, solely in our domestic violence practice, or in both areas. Interns may be able to assist with the following kinds of projects:
- Drafting legal memos
- Conducting legal research
- Drafting pleadings
- Outlining briefs for asylum cases
- Preparing work permit applications, including direct client representation
- Creating pro se materials for clients
- Drafting country conditions reports to submit as part of an asylum application
- Creating materials to train volunteer attorneys when representing U visa, SIJS, or VAWA clients
- Gathering client information in a legal clinic setting
- Attending custody, divorce, or civil protection order hearings
- Assisting in trial preparation, such as drafting motions and pleadings and gathering evidence
The stipend for this internship is $500, which will be paid in two installments of $250 (installments are paid during the first and last week of the internship). Volunteer Legal Advocates can also assist in obtaining academic credit if provided with the required documentation.
This opportunity requires a commitment of 15-20 hours per week, or it can be full-time (40 hours). The student is required to be in the office at least once a week, with the additional opportunity to attend one or more in-person legal clinics per week. As part of the internship, students would attend staff-wide professional development training, family law and immigration practice team meetings, and observe client meetings and/or trials. Students with Spanish proficiency are highly preferred; all are encouraged to apply.
TO APPLY: Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume to internships@volunteerlegaladvocates.org by June 27, 2025. Please include “Fall 2025 Legal Internship” in the subject line. Early applications are encouraged and will be considered on a rolling basis.
