TRGPD Clerkships and Internships, Semester Unpaid

Full-time

No

# TRPD Clerkships and Internships

## Overview
Texas RioGrande Public Defender (TRPD) regularly hosts undergraduate students, recent graduates, and law students in offices across our service area for a semester, internship, externship, or the summer. Interns and clerks will have the opportunity to gain experience in a traditional public defender setting or through our Operation Lone Star Special Project.

TRPD clerkships and internships are unpaid. Applicants who wish to join TRPD for the summer should seek fellowships or other public interest funding through their school or other external sources.

## Preferred Qualifications
TRPD looks for interns and clerks who are motivated to work in public interest law and have an interest in rural or border placements. Spanish fluency is also a preference.

## Application Process
To apply for an internship or clerkship with TRPD, applicants must provide the following information:

- Undergraduate students or recent graduates should select "Undergraduate student or recent graduate seeking internship"
- Law students should select "Law student seeking clerkship" and list their year in their cover letter
- The types of cases or areas of public defense that interest the applicant
- Any tasks the applicant is particularly interested in helping with or any skills they would like to develop
- The name of the university where they obtained or will obtain their most recent law degree
- The approximate date of graduation or anticipated graduation date from law school
- The name of their undergraduate school
- The approximate date of graduation from undergraduate school
- A description of their Spanish language proficiency using the Interagency Language Roundtable Language Skill Level Descriptions
- A cover letter addressing one or more of the following:
- Describing a significant legal or social justice experience and its impact on the applicant's plan to pursue public interest law
- Describing some of the unique challenges clients in TRPD's service area may experience in rural or border areas and how an agency like TRPD can help
- Describing any connection, personal or professional, to TRPD's service area and the client populations it serves
- A resume
- A writing sample
- References
- How the applicant heard about TRPD and/or its clerkships/internships
- Whether the applicant is related to any current employee of TRPD, TRPD's Board of Directors, or other person that is compensated by TRPD for their services

## Benefits
Interns and clerks will gain experience in public interest law, and potentially gain experience specifically in rural or border placements. They will also gain a better understanding of the unique challenges clients in TRPD's service area may experience.

## Salary Information
TRPD clerkships and internships are unpaid. Applicants who wish to join TRPD for the summer should seek fellowships or other public interest funding through their school or other external sources.

None

Spanish

Provide the information required on the TRPD website.

Legal