The National Association for College and University Attorneys (NACUA) is pleased to host the National Higher Education Law Internship Program. The program provides law students with an opportunity to build valuable legal skills, professional experience, and an expanded body of knowledge in the field of higher education law, while learning about different areas of NACUA’s work, such as continuing legal education programming, external outreach and collaborations, association management, and more.
You'll work at the nation's premier higher education law association, advancing the effective practice of higher education attorneys for the benefit of the colleges and universities they serve. You'll work with experienced, sophisticated attorneys and professionals on meaningful work regarding substantial legal issues and developments. You'll get to test your interest in entering the dynamic world of higher education as a legal professional.
We also provide our interns with first-hand opportunities to attend in-person workshops, conferences, and meetings, as well as virtual programs on topics related to higher education. The program also provides interns with opportunities to work with leadership and other professionals across the organization to develop valuable cross-disciplinary teamwork and collaboration skills.
Selected interns must demonstrate a strong commitment to NACUA’s core values, academic achievement, excellent legal research and analytical skills, strong writing and verbal communication skills, excellent interpersonal skills, and an interest in working in the field of higher education law.
Interns must be current second- or third-year law students. In select circumstances, we may consider a candidate who is in their first year of law school with a demonstrated interest in higher education law and policy.
Summer Interns
During the summer, the program accepts two (2) law students for a full-time paid commitment of 10 weeks from mid-May through the end of August, which includes a week-long break after the NACUA Annual Conference. Interns are required to be located in the greater Washington, D.C. area during the program and are expected to work at the NACUA office in Washington, D.C. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, which are the NACUA staff’s in-office core days. Interns may work remotely during the rest of the week or may choose to work from the NACUA office. Some experience with legal research, analysis, and writing is necessary. Excitement and interest in higher education law or practice will speed your way.
Fall & Spring Legal Publication Interns
During the academic year, the program accepts one (1) law student per term, who will work exclusively on supporting NACUA’s legal publications, for academic credit from their institution. We prefer a commitment of 10 - 15 hours per week for one semester (approx. 12 weeks). Regular visits to the NACUA office, primarily on Wednesdays and Thursdays, will be necessary. As with the summer program, experience with legal research, analysis, and writing is necessary. For the fall and spring program, preference is given to law students at institutions in the greater Washington, D.C. area.
Applicants should submit (1) a cover letter, (2) resume, and (3) brief writing sample (no longer than 10 pages) sent via attachments in Adobe PDF or Microsoft Word Document format to: jobs@nacua.org.
Given the large number of applications we receive for each deadline, to ensure full consideration, we encourage you to proofread your application to guarantee it is accurate and free of grammatical or typographical errors.
Applications are considered on a rolling basis, and positions may be filled before the deadlines indicated:
- Fall Term: Applications will be considered through June 15.
- Spring Term: Applications will be considered through October 15.
- Summer Term: Applicants will be considered through January 15.
If you have questions regarding our internship program, please email jobs@nacua.org.