Legal Intern - Community Legal Services

Help Travis County Community Legal Services advocate for and implement best practices for providing legal services to those in Travis County who cannot afford them. Conduct legal research regarding criminal and civil representation issues and draft legal memoranda on those findings. This internship is funded by Travis County at a rate of $26/hour for 40 hours/week for up to 10 weeks, or a total of $10,400 maximum.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS:
This is a legal intern position that will run through the Summer of 2027 (approximately ten weeks to be scheduled between May - August 2027). Exact dates are flexible but applicants should be interested in serving with the office for the entire Summer.

• Conducts legal research regarding criminal and civil issues relevant to the legal services provided by Travis County (TC) and Community Legal Services (CLS). 
• Conducts policy research regarding national and state standards, as well as best practices regarding the legal services Travis County provides. 
• Drafts advisory memos to the CLS County Executive. 
• Drafts advisory and persuasive memos to other county departments. 
• Attends policy and funding meetings related to the departments represented by Community Legal Services to stay abreast of developing issues. 
• Assists in planning the adoption and adaptation of best practices for legal representation in Travis County. 
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

Education and Experience: 
Currently attending an Accredited Law School with completion of at least 2 semesters of study.

PREFERRED:

• Applications with a cover letter detailing interest in the position, including why applicant wants to work for Travis County Community Legal Services 
• Demonstrated interest or experience with relevant policy matters and local government.
• Mission-aligned experience (work or lived) advocating on behalf of clients who cannot afford legal services.
• Effective rapport-building and interpersonal techniques.
• Strong research and writing skills.

Knowledge of: 

• Legal research, including Lexis or Westlaw. 
• Oral advocacy skills.
• Policies, practices, procedures and legal terminology related to criminal and civil court systems
• Technology, including word processing, spreadsheets, and databases. 
• Business letter writing, including tone, grammar, and punctuation. 
• Confidential handling of certain criminal justice and health information. 

Skill in: 

• Problem-solving and decision-making. 
• Analyzing and appraising facts, policies, procedures, and legal precedents. 
• Both verbal and written communication, including presentations. Collaboration in developing team-wide persuasive strategy. 

Ability to: 

• Conduct legal research and analysis, both manually and electronically. 
• Present facts, precedents, and arguments verbally and in writing and apply negotiation skills. 
• Communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing. 
• Work independently. 
• Manage time well, perform multiple tasks, and organize diverse activities. 
• Work well under pressure and exercise tact in trying situations. 
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with representatives of outside agencies, other County employees and officials, and the general public.

Physical requirements include the ability to lift/carry up to 25 pounds occasionally, visual acuity, speech and hearing, hand and eye coordination and manual dexterity necessary to operate a computer and office equipment. Subject to standing, walking, sitting, repetitive motion, reaching, climbing stairs, bending, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, pushing, pulling, balancing, client/customer contact, squatting to perform the essential functions.
Travis County employees play an important role in business continuity. As such, employees can be assigned to business continuity efforts outside of normal job functions. This job description is intended to be generic in nature. It is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities. The essential duties, functions and responsibilities and overtime eligibility may vary based on the specific tasks assigned to the position.
 
Work Hours: 8 am - 5 pm, Monday-Friday. 

Location: 700 Lavaca St, Austin TX 78701

Department: Community Legal Services

Criminal, Driving, Education, and Employment Background Checks Required.

For updates or questions on this position, contact: [email protected]