The Legal Aid Society’s Internship & Fellowship Program allows law students and recent graduates to make equal access to justice a reality.
Interns & Fellows help expand LAS’ capacity to provide legal services to clients in need.
LAS’ four practice groups each hire interns, externs, and legal fellows. We welcome applications from current law students and recent law school graduates. Interns, externs, and fellows generally work out of LAS’s downtown Chicago office, but some positions can be based in Wheaton or Decatur, Illinois. LAS internships & fellowships offer mentorship, hands-on legal skill building, and networking opportunities with attorneys and fellow students.
LAS pairs each intern or fellow with a staff attorney supervisor. Interns and fellows work closely with their supervisor on active legal cases throughout their internship or fellowship. Interns and fellows have the opportunity to:
- Interview clients;
- Prepare pleadings, motions, and discovery requests/responses;
- Conduct legal research;
- Present cases at case acceptance meetings;
- Observe court hearings;
- Argue motions in court (711 license required).
Opportunities
LAS hires law student interns/externs three times per year: Spring semester, Summer, and Fall semester. Spring and Fall positions are part-time for the duration of the academic semester. Summer positions are full-time and typically begin at the end of May, continuing through late July or early August.
LAS student positions are generally intended for law students/recent graduates; undergraduate positions will be specifically noted. Some positions require Spanish-language skills and/or a 711 student attorney license.
Please note: a background check and fingerprinting will be required as part of the on-boarding process for all positions.
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Spring 2026 Intern hiring has concluded.
Summer 2026 Positions are now available.
Please see below for position descriptions and application steps:
Elder & Disability Justice Initiative
Safe Families Program
Individual Rights & Social Justice – Immigration Chicago Team
Health Housing & Economic Stability – Housing Chicago Team
General Counsel/LAS Support
Applications are accepted and hiring is done on a rolling basis. To apply, please send a resume and cover letter to LASInterns@metrofamily.org. Please include which position/practice group you are applying to in the subject line of your email. If interested in multiple positions, LAS expects cover letters will discuss all positions desired, or students are welcome to submit multiple cover letters.
Funding
The Legal Aid Society provides a very limited number of paid internships. We also welcome students and recent graduates with outside funding, federal work-study grants, or those seeking academic credits. Some funding sources to consider:
Please note: LAS welcomes fellowship applicants for post-graduate positions For such positions, LAS is unable to provide additional funding to cover fellow benefits/salary differentials as required by some funders. Please check with fellowship organizations about employer and host requirements/expectations before applying. Thank you.