Public Counsel is a nonprofit public interest law firm dedicated to advancing civil rights and racial and economic justice, as well as to amplifying the power of our clients through comprehensive legal advocacy. Founded on and strengthened by a pro bono legal service model, our staff and volunteers seek justice through direct legal services, promote healthy and resilient communities through education and outreach, and support community-led efforts to transform unjust systems through litigation and policy advocacy in and beyond Los Angeles.

Consumer Rights & Economic Justice (CREJ)’s mission is to advance economic justice, with a specific focus on addressing structural racial inequalities that have long hampered individuals and communities of color. We are a diverse team of dedicated and nationally recognized attorneys and support staff who strive to lift up our clients and each other with excellence, dedication, tenacity, compassion and kindness.

We provide direct legal services, engage in policy and legislative reform, and litigate impact cases in federal and state courts. We strive to engage with community directly as we build our community lawyering approach. Our practice covers a wide array of consumer matters including predatory lending, debt collection, real estate fraud, foreclosure, student loan debt, predatory for-profit schools, bankruptcy, criminal system debt, consumer fraud, and unfair business practices. We offer a suite of consumer and litigation related trainings throughout the summer for consumer lawyers and their law clerks across the state.

What do student interns do in the Consumer Rights & Economic Justice team? 

Working under the supervision and mentorship of our team of experienced attorneys, summer law clerks will get front-line experience and will carry their own caseload. Typical duties include, interviewing clients and witnesses, analyzing new potential cases, researching pertinent aspects of law, drafting memoranda, drafting demand letters, and engaging in various other associated litigation and policy tasks. Summer law clerks participate in our weekly case review meetings and are encouraged to participate in policy coalition calls, observe court proceedings and attend depositions and mediations where possible. Our clerks will gain insight into the legal profession and have the opportunity to develop valuable relationships within the legal community.

To apply for a summer internship with CREJ, please submit two PDFs, one containing your cover letter and the other containing your resume (and a transcript, if available).

In your cover letter, discuss why you are interested in interning with Public Counsel generally and with CREJ specifically. Note that we are especially interested in receiving applications from historically underrepresented students consistent with our active, ongoing commitment to increasing equity and inclusion, and that we value lived experiences and experiences working with clients across a range of settings. Please consider addressing these topics in your cover letter, especially if not reflected in your resume.

If you also would like to be considered for a summer internship with another project at Public Counsel (Children’s Rights, Community Development, Gender Justice, Homelessness Prevention, Immigrants’ Rights, or Opportunity Under Law), please submit a separate application to that project. Note, however, that we can hire you to work with only one project during summer 2025. 

We strongly encourage you to submit your application no later than February 1, 2025.