Summer 2026 Internship, Criminal Defense Practice presso Neighborhood Defender Service Inc

Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem

Summer 2026 Internship, Criminal Defense Practice

The Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (NDS) is a community-based, client-centered, holistic public defense office providing free legal representation to residents of Northern Manhattan.   In contrast to a traditional public defense practice, NDS clients have an entire team fighting on their behalf, including criminal and civil attorneys, family defense attorneys, advocates, social workers, investigators, paralegals, law school and social work interns, and pro bono attorneys. NDS deploys all of these resources on behalf of our clients, addressing the underlying issues that bring them into contact with the criminal legal system. NDS staff use their engagement with a client as an opportunity to disentangle them from the system completely. This approach allows defense to extend well beyond the courtroom, with robust social services and comprehensive teams meant to protect our clients from the damages of criminal legal proceedings. When clients face consequences with employment, schooling, immigration or in family or housing court, NDS works alongside them to resolve these issues.

The goal of the internship is to provide the intern with an experience as close to the actual practice of an NDS criminal defense attorney as possible.  After a week of orientation to NDS and New York County criminal practice, summer interns are matched with attorneys to work with throughout the summer. For the remainder of the summer, intern duties may include legal research and writing, court appearances, client interviews, precinct visits, witness interviews, investigation assistance, client visits at jails and juvenile detention facilities, and participation in any of the many other activities that NDS staff undertakes on behalf of our clients.

NDS is looking for law student interns with a demonstrated commitment to criminal defense and social justice issues. In addition, the internship requires energy, enthusiasm, and an unwavering commitment to clients.

HOW TO APPLY

All interested applicants are REQUIRED to submit a COVER LETTER and RESUME. Applications without a cover letter will not be considered.

PDF files containing both Cover Letter and Resume are preferred. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.

Candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

For more information about NDS, please visit our website at www.NeighborhoodDefender.org.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At NDS we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

The Neighborhood Defender Service is committed to creating a diverse environment that reflects the community we serve. NDS is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. NDS encourages people with incarcerated loved ones, formerly incarcerated people, people of color, women, queer, transgender, gender non-conforming, and gender fluid people to apply.