INTERNSHIPS & FELLOWSHIPS

Learn more about current intern opportunities at LIFT:

Legal Internship for Law Students
Fellowship
Development Internship

>> Legal Internships for Law Students

LIFT has a robust partnership with New York Law School, St. Johns University School of Law, and Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. LIFT provides law students with comprehensive professional development and substantive legal training on family law topics. Students will gain invaluable experience empowering participants to successfully navigate the Family Courts and family law matters as well as develop professional communication skills. Current opportunities include:

LIFT Family Law Information Telephone Hotline: Provide legal support, information, and referrals to hotline users. The Telephone Hotline is located at LIFT’s Central Office.
Education & Information Sites/Help Centers: Work side-by-side with LIFT staff at our Family Court-based Sites to answer questions, address concerns regarding Court procedure and family law matters, and distribute Legal Resource Guides. Sites are located in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and Bronx.
Family Legal Center: Work one on one with participants that have cases involving a custody, child support, or visitation matter. Provide legal information, assist with document preparation, answer case specific questions, moot court simulation to prepare the participant for court and court accompaniment. Prerequisite – volunteers must have served one full semester in another LIFT program

Commitment:
We request all volunteers to commit to a minimum of four hours per week for all LIFT programs. In addition, we ask law students to volunteer for a complete semester.

If you are a current law student and wish to learn more about our internship program, please contact Melanie Hart, Chief Program Officer at mhart@liftonline.org.

>> Fellowship Opportunity

LIFT is currently accepting applications for our fall fellowship program.

LIFT’s mission is to enhance access to justice for children and families by providing legal information, community education, and compassionate guidance, while promoting system-wide reform of the courts and public agencies.

LIFT offers one-of-a kind services to some of the City’s most vulnerable families in the Family Court system. Working with unrepresented families in Family Court, all of LIFT’s programs are designed to empower individuals to effectively self-advocate for themselves in Family Court.

LIFT seeks to host third-year law students and recent law school graduates currently in clerkships or with clerkships to begin in the fall 2010 for public interest fellowships, including the Skadden, Equal Justice Works, Kirkland and Ellis and Liman fellowships. LIFT offers three unique opportunities for Fellows to serve families in the Family Court system:

Military Families
The Fellow will examine policy and family law issues that affect enlisted parents and veterans, to help LIFT to implement an adaptable approach to addressing these issues. The Fellow will also work one-on-one with military families facing Family Court issues without legal representation. Further, the Fellow will compile, and in some instances create, resources oriented to family law issues for military parents that will enhance the holdings of the Family Legal Center resource library, which is an important resource for families. Finally, the fellow will collaborate with LIFT’s Social Services Coordinator to strengthen and expand upon LIFT’s existing referral partnerships with social service organizations that work with military families.

LGBTQ and Family Law
The Fellow will examine policy and family law issues as they specifically impact the LGBTQ community, to help LIFT to implement an adaptable approach to addressing these issues. The Fellow will also work one-on-one with members of the LGBTQ community facing Family Court issues without legal representation. Further, the Fellow will compile, and in some instances create, resources oriented to family law issues for the LGBTQ community that will enhance the holdings of the Family Legal Center resource library, which is an important resource for families. Moreover, the Fellow will collaborate with LIFT’s Social Services Coordinator to strengthen and expand upon LIFT’s existing referral partnerships with social service organizations that work with the LGBTQ community. Finally, the Fellow will help to develop a staff training to support LIFT’s work with the LGBTQ community.

Help Center
Based out of one of the New York City Family Courts, the LIFT Help Center Fellow will work directly to support families by working one-on-one with those facing Family Court issues without legal representation by addressing general inquires regarding family law, and family court process. Moreover, the Help Center Fellow will conduct an analysis of operations, systems, and data to monitor and measure LIFT’s impact within the court based Help Center.

The LIFT Fellow will be fully integrated into LIFT’s work and organization, and will have the opportunity to participate in staff meetings and trainings.

Qualifications:

Third-year law student or recent law school graduate with an approved public interest fellowship;
Experience or demonstrated interest in family law, increasing access to justice and providing service to the public;
Strong communication skills;
Excellent writing skills;
Commitment to providing high quality, compassionate service;
Professional, energetic and enthusiastic;
Attention to detail and critical thinking skills; and
Proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel.

To apply: Please send via email a thoughtful cover letter including a brief description of the applicant’s interest in the proposed project, and resume to Melanie Hart, Chief Program Officer at mhart@liftonline.org. Please put “LIFT Fellowship” in the subject line. No telephone calls please.

>> Development Internship

Responsibilities include:

Organizing and maintaining fundraising materials (filing, assembling press kits, photocopying, label making, etc.)
Assist in the implementation of a new communications work plan (includes researching tools and data related to social media and Web 2.0 technology)
Providing administrative support for special events
Assisting production of mass mailings (creating mail merges, address labels, personalization)
Conducting database entry and revision
Performing prospect analysis (including researching information about foundations and potential donors)

Qualifications:

Working towards (or completed) a 4-year degree
Outstanding computer skills (Internet and Microsoft programs, Web 2.0 technology, knowledge of Fund-EZ, Dreamweaver, and/or Photoshop a plus)
Attention to detail
Excellent research and administrative skills
Ability to meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment
Commitment to helping families and children

Applications: Send resume and cover letter to development@LIFTonline.org. Please put “Development Intern” in the subject line. No phone calls please.

LIFT internships and fellowships are unpaid. All interns/fellows receive comprehensive training.