Legal Intern

About the Program

The Tommy Raskin Summer Legal Intern Program for Animals was established in 2021 in memory of Tommy Raskin, who we hosted as a legal intern during the summer of 2020 after his first year of law school. Tommy was a visionary and intellectually rigorous animal activist who brought kindness and insight to every encounter. Tommy had a profound impact on us and inspires us to continue working on the issues that he cared about.

Mercy For Animals is deeply grateful to the Raskin family and the Tommy Raskin Memorial Fund for People and Animals, through the Greater Washington Community Foundation, for the chance to honor Tommy’s contributions through two paid legal internships. The Raskin legal interns will continue Tommy’s work to end one of the greatest causes of suffering: the exploitation of animals for food.

As a Raskin legal intern, you’ll help shape farmed animal protection law and gain invaluable legal advocacy experience to apply to your future work. You will assist on high-impact projects, such as campaigns, litigation, and policy work, while connecting directly with our team of attorneys to research and analyze federal, state, and local laws; draft memoranda; review undercover footage; execute campaigns; and assist with administrative and corporate governance tasks pertaining to general nonprofit administration and legal compliance. You’ll leave with hands-on experience in a wide variety of legal disciplines and insight into the field of animal protection.

Responsibilities

• Research and analyze federal, state, and local laws
• Draft memoranda
• Review undercover footage
• Execute campaigns
• Assist with administrative and corporate governance tasks pertaining to general nonprofit administration and legal compliance

Requirements

• Current law students or lawyers with a license to practice law in at least one U.S. state

Schedule

Raskin legal interns will work up to 29 hours per week for eight to 12 weeks.

Pay

Interns who do not receive funding through their law schools will earn $20/hour.

Location

This opportunity is remote. Raskin legal interns will meet virtually at least twice per week with their attorney supervisor and will attend Mercy For Animals legal-team meetings and other internal events.

Selection Process

The application deadline is September 30. We will interview top candidates in October and make offers by the end of the month.

Community Building

• Meet with one another virtually once a week
• Attend educational sessions with various Mercy For Animals teams, such as investigations, campaigns, policy, and organizing, to learn about our organization’s work
• Attend a virtual event with members of the Raskin family
• After the internship ends, Mercy For Animals will host biannual virtual meetings for the Raskin legal interns with our legal staff and members of the Raskin family to catch up on the interns’ professional lives and Mercy For Animals’ work

In addition to the Tommy Raskin summer internship program, Mercy For Animals offers paid internships during the fall and spring, which can be completed remotely. We are looking for a minimum commitment of eight weeks.