VLA seeks qualified law students for internships on a rolling basis in our various offices to assist us in our projects, which include: Disability, Elder, Housing Discrimination, Mental Health, and Poverty Law. VLA will consider law students for positions based upon the student’s application and upon VLA’s workload and space constraints. If you are interested in a particular project area, please tell us so in your cover letter, as we may consider designing an internship around your skills and interests.
We accept applications from law students seeking academic credit, those who have funding or work-study eligibility, and volunteers. We regret that we do not have the resources to work with individuals engaged in Vermont’s Law Office Study Program or “reading the law.”
During the summer, VLA hosts interns from law schools across the country. For ten weeks, these law students intern full-time and perform a variety of duties depending on their experience level and the needs of a particular project. These duties can include client interviews and case investigation; memoranda and brief writing; drafting of pleadings and judgments; court representation as a legal intern pursuant to Rule 21; direct representation at administrative hearings; and legal research. VLA also accepts law students for the spring or fall semesters who are available to commit to 10 hours per week for the full semester.
At the current time, we are not anticipating hosting any clerkship/internships/externships that have not already been finalized. Please check back in the future.
How to apply
At the current time, we are not anticipating hosting any clerkship/internships/externships that have not already been finalized. Please check back in the future.
Application Components
1. Cover Letter
Your cover letter can be addressed to David Koeninger, Deputy Director, and should address the following:
a) Please indicate whether you are applying for a full-time or part-time clerkship. If you are applying for a part-time clerkship, please clearly indicate your proposed start and end dates, and weekly time commitment.
b) Please indicate whether you are interested in our Housing Discrimnation Summer Internship, or other project area(s) you are interested in (if any in particular), and how your interests, knowledge and experience prepare you for the clerkship for which you are applying.
2. A Current Resume
3. References
Please provide the phone numbers and email addresses of three academic or professional references.
4. Writing Sample
Please provide a sample of expository writing. While there is no page limit, excerpts of long briefs or articles are sufficient.
Application Submission
Email your application as a single PDF file to Betsy Whyte with the subject line "VLA Clerkship Application."
It is the responsibility of applicants to ensure that their applications are correctly formatted and complete. If you encounter a problem, please do not hesitate to email Betsy Whyte.
We are an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building cultural competency in order to effectively serve our increasingly diverse client community. We encourage applicants to share in your cover letter how you can further this goal.