Internship Paralegal Student, (Summer)

Full-time

No

Organization: New Jersey Office of the Public Defender (NJOPD)
Job Title: Internship Paralegal Student (Summer)
Salary: Unpaid, but students gain real-world experience and excellent training and mentorship opportunities.

Experience Required: N/A, but preference given to college juniors and seniors, graduate students, and paralegal students.

Location: Statewide, with opportunities available in various specialized units.

Application Period: Applications are considered on a rolling basis and must be received between December 15th and April 15th.

NJOPD offers hands-on experience for college and graduate students interested in the legal field. As an intern, you will have the opportunity to work with attorneys, investigators, and staff in providing legal representation to indigent clients. This is a valuable opportunity to gain real-world experience in a fast-paced and challenging environment.

Internship Opportunities:

- Investigator Intern: Assist NJOPD investigators, attorneys, and staff with a variety of tasks, including locating and interviewing witnesses, serving subpoenas, researching and gathering information and documents, conducting field investigations, drafting reports, and attending court proceedings and training programs.
- Graduate Student Intern: Graduate students in fields such as social work can apply to intern in NJOPD's specialized units, including Recovery Court and Mental Health Advocacy.
- Paralegal Student Intern: NJOPD also offers internship opportunities for paralegal students.

To Apply:

- Submit a cover letter explaining why you are seeking an internship with NJOPD, your practice area(s) of interest, geographic preference or limitations, and availability (including anticipated start/end date, number of hours, and schedule).
- Applications are considered on a rolling basis and must be received between December 15th and April 15th.

In addition to submitting application materials, all applicants must also go through an interview process with the regional office and/or Internship Coordinator, complete confidentiality and ethics paperwork, and be screened and approved prior to being offered an internship with the NJOPD.

About NJOPD:

- NJOPD provides first class legal representation to indigent individuals at both the trial and appellate levels.
- Our attorneys defend individuals charged with criminal offenses, represent individuals whose children have been removed based on allegations of abuse and neglect, represent children who have been removed, represent individuals involuntarily committed to state psychiatric facilities, represent individuals facing Megan’s Law tier classification, and represent individuals seeking post-conviction relief.
- We also have specialized units for Recovery Court, Intensive Supervision Program, and Forensic Science.
- Our interns have the opportunity to work alongside experienced attorneys and gain valuable hands-on experience in a variety of legal areas.

Legal research, writing, communication, investigation, trial preparation, advocacy, training, mentorship

College junior or senior, graduate student

Submit cover letter explaining interest, practice areas, geographic preference, availability, and resume. Must also complete an interview and screening process.

Qualification and Experience College junior or senior, graduate student

Legal