Overview
Job Description
ArchCity Defenders is a holistic legal advocacy organization that combats the criminalizationofpovertyandstateviolence,especiallyincommunitiesofcolor.ACD’s foundationofcivilandcriminallegalrepresentation,socialservices,impactlitigation,policy andmediaadvocacy,andcommunitycollaborationachievesandinspiresjusticeandequitable outcomes for people throughout the St. Louis region and beyond.
ArchCity Defenders envisions a society liberated from systems of oppression where the promiseofjusticeandracialequityisrealized;communitieswhereourapproachtopublic safetyprioritizesinvestmentinwell-being,health,andtransformationwithoutrelyingon criminalizationandincarceration;andpeoplelivingfreelyintheircommunities,thriving regardless of their race or income.
While continuing to provide holistic legal advocacy to those in St. Louis, ArchCity Defenders is working on broad-based change to the region’s criminal legal systems.Onewayweadvancethischangeisthroughtheuseofimpactlitigation brought by our Civil Rights Litigation team on issues like debtors' prisons, police misconduct, cash bail, and jail conditions. This litigation is primarily federal Section 1983 litigation, both class actions and individual.
Whileimpactlitigationhasbecomeaneffectivetoolforchange,ArchCityDefendersremains dedicatedtochangingourclients’livesthroughindividualrepresentation.Tothisend,our DirectRepresentationteamsrepresentclientsinthefollowinglegalpracticeareas,among others:housing,consumer,criminal,andmunicipal. Our Direct Representation work is spread across two separate teams: one focusing on housing & civil advocacy and another focusing on providing defense in criminal and municipal proceedings. Both teams’ work helps to inform the work of the Civil Rights team.
Legalinternapplicantsselecttheteamtheyprefertoworkwithbutwillhavesomewhatsimilar internshipexperiencesacrosstheboard.However,aninternseekingmoreindividualclient contactwilllikelyprefertoworkwiththedirectrepresentationteam. An intern seeking federal court experience or lengthier motion drafting experience would likely prefer to work with the Civil Rightsteam.
Alllegalinternswillperformfactandlegalresearchtobolsterourunderstandingofclaimsand issues; draft memos synthesizing findings as well as motions, pleadings, and other legal documents;assistwithdiscoveryandinvestigation; andinterviewandcommunicatewithclients or class members. To the extent there are court hearings taking place during the internship hours, interns are encouraged to attend court proceedings with staff attorneys.
Legalinternsfunctionasapartofaninterdisciplinaryteamandcoordinatewithattorneysand staff to support ArchCity Defenders’ mission and expand our reach. A successful intern needs to be assertive,independent,persistent,empathetic,proactive,flexible,andself-directed.Theywillneedtotakeinitiative,useproblem-solvingskills,seeprojectsthroughtocompletion,and become a strong advocate for themselves and others.
Undergraduatestudentsparticipatinginlegalinternshipswillnotreceivethesametypesof assignmentsaslawstudents.Theinternwillbeabletoengageinsomeresearchanddrafting butwillspendmoretimeondiscovery,documentreview,investigation,andadministrative work. Undergraduate students are also encouraged to attend and observe court proceedings with staff attorneys. Please note that we are only able to host 1-2 undergraduate legal interns each term.
Qualifications:
- Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills
- Excellent legal research and writing skills
- Detail-oriented approach to working in a team-driven organization
- High capacity for problem-solving and self-direction and the ability to work independently within time constraints
- Flexible and able to respond appropriately to ACD’s changing needs
- Commitment to racial and economic justice and systems change
- Cultural awareness and sensitivity toward diverse populations; awareness of structures of power, privilege, and oppression
Important Information:
- We plan to host Spring 2027 interns and practicum students in person, and they are required to work in-person at our office at 5939 Goodfellow. However, that plan may change to remote work at any time due to public health requirements, work locations and expectations, and school-related policies and procedures.
- There is a mandatory, in-person orientation for all Spring 2027 interns from 5-7 p.m. on Tuesday, January 19, 2026.
- The earliest possible start date is Wednesday, January 20.
- Spring 2027 interns and practicum students must be able to work part-time for 8-12 weeks, this may vary to meet the needs of the students and ACD staff.
- Due to the potential for conflicts of interest (among other reasons), we are not able to accept interns or practicum students who seek to simultaneously engage in more than one internship while working with ACD.
- ArchCity Defenders is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, LGBTQIA+, and gender non-conforming applicants.
Cover Letter & Writing Sample Submission Instructions:
- Please submit your cover letter as a single PDF file that includes your cover letter followed by a writing sample.
- Your writing sample should illustrate your professional writing ability. While we're not looking for a specific “type” of sample or number of pages, it is ideal to submit a sample that is relevant to the role you are applying for. You may attach an existing piece of work or something newly drafted to the end of your cover letter.
Automate your job search with Sonara.
Submit 10x as many applications with less effort than one manual application.
