Full-time and part-time legal clerkships are available for law students year-round, typically in the St. Louis office. Kansas City placement will be considered upon request. Clerkships are unpaid, but the ACLU of Missouri will work with law schools to secure academic credit, work study, and/or public-interest stipends. Parking or public transit provided.  

Summer law clerk applicants should endeavor to apply between January 1 and January 31 of the year for which they are seeking a position. After that date, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Offers for summer positions typically are extended no later than the first week of March. Our summer spots have been filled, and we are no longer accepting applications for summer 2023.

Remote placements: Although law clerks benefit from in-person placement, which allows greater collaboration with staff, the ACLU of Missouri will consider remote placement upon request. Interested applicants should explain in their cover letter why they wish to pursue a remote legal clerkship with the ACLU of Missouri and what steps they plan to take to ensure their experience is robust and meaningful.

DUTIES

  • Assist legal staff in developing cases for litigation
  • Conduct legal research on civil liberties matters and prepare legal memoranda analyzing constitutional law and civil liberties issues
  • Draft demand letters, pleadings, and/or briefs
  • Interview potential clients
  • Attend meetings of the ACLU-MO Legal Committee
  • Attend court proceedings
  • Organize and manage case files
     

BENEFITS

  • Hands-on experience working on real cases
  • Improve legal research and writing skills; get feedback on written work product
  • Learn how to manage case files
  • Develop strong client communication skills
  • Work on complex, cutting-edge constitutional law and civil liberties issues
  • Work on a wide variety of legal matters
  • Relaxed work environment; flexible hours
  • May qualify for work study or public interest stipends
     

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Basic legal research and writing skills
  • Familiarity with Westlaw or Lexis
  • Interest in constitutional law and civil liberties (coursework in these areas not necessary, but helpful)
  • Familiarity with Bluebook helpful
     

TO APPLY

Please email a cover letter, a resume, and a legal writing sample to LawClerkApplications@aclu-mo.org. Your writing sample may be of any length. If it is not evident from the sample itself, please explain the parameters of the assignment and/or the purpose for which you wrote it. Your documents should be attached as PDFs to your email, and the body of your email need not contain any additional information. Transcripts and letters of recommendation are not required.

 

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