Paid Internships

Legal Services of New Jersey (LSNJ) coordinates the statewide Legal Services system, which provides free legal assistance to low-income New Jerseyans for their civil legal problems. Through its work, LSNJ strives to secure substantive and procedural justice for those living in poverty. LSNJ embraces the vision of full access to essential civil legal aid for all economically disadvantaged people who cannot secure a lawyer on their own. This belief in the importance of legal assistance to indigent people stems from an underlying concern with fairness, and a conviction that important legal needs of individuals should be addressed.

LSNJLAW Hotline

The LSNJLAW Hotline provides advice and referral to low-income people facing civil legal issues in New Jersey. The majority of our work involves family and tenancy issues; however, Hotline staff give advice to self-represented individuals in matters from bankruptcy to wills and estates.

Available Positions: LSNJ has 8 part-time paid summer internships available with the LSNJLAW Hotline. These positions are in-person (NOT remote). Our office is within walking distance from the Edison train station. LSNJ is an EOE. 

Responsibilities: 

• Reach out promptly to applicants for services who have submitted an online intake to confirm receipt of their submission and schedule or conduct an intake interview. Verify applicant identity and contact information, clarify presenting issues, set expectations re: next steps, and follow up on missing information to ensure efficient handoff for attorney review.
• Answer queue calls from new applicants for services or from previous clients, greeting callers professionally, triaging urgent issues, and managing multiple calls using the Hotline’s call-management system. 
• Screen callers for the type(s) of legal problem(s) they are experiencing, across common hotline areas; evaluate and document income eligibility using income and asset guidelines and criteria; and determine if the case type is one that falls within LSNJ’s programmatic guidelines.
• Interview the prospective client following a questionnaire script for the particular case type/problem, conducting structured, empathetic interviews and adapting to caller needs.
• Enter, in real-time, information into the Hotline’s computerized case management database in a clear and concise manner—creating and updating client records, call notes, eligibility determinations, and issue codes with accuracy and attention to detail; tagging priority matters, deadlines, referrals, or supervisory review and attaching electronic documents as directed; and adhering to confidentiality, data integrity, and quality-control protocols.
• Interns will participate in both Hotline-specific and LSNJ-wide trainings, as well as intern orientation. 

Learning Goals:

• Gain firsthand insight into a variety of civil legal issues by working directly with low-income New Jerseyans; observe systemic barriers faced by callers and how legal assistance addresses those need; and reflect on professional responsibility, access to justice, and the ethics of serving a vulnerable client population.
• Engage in active listening; learn/employ de-escalation techniques; navigate challenging conversations, e.g., distressed callers, language access issues, and cultural considerations; and maintain a courteous, trauma-informed approach. 
• Strengthen professional judgement and teamwork in a legal environment by collaborating with attorneys, paralegals, and fellow interns. 
• Improve client interview and case management skills by managing a dynamic call queue with punctuality, accountability and attention to detail suited to a high-volume legal services setting. 

Desired Major(s) & Qualifications: This opportunity is open to any undergraduate or graduate student or recent graduate, but may be of particular interest to students studying political science, sociology, psychology, criminal justice, or labor and management relations or considering a career in law. The position requires sensitivity and attention to detail. We seek applicants with a strong commitment to the public interest.

How to apply: If interested, please apply by submitting a resume and cover letter to [email protected].

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Poverty Research Institute (PRI)

Available positions: LSNJ has 1 part-time paid summer internship available with our Poverty Research Institute (PRI). This position is in-person (NOT remote). Our office is within walking distance from the Edison train station. LSNJ is an EOE. 

Description: We are seeking a detail-oriented intern to conduct research and data analysis on issues related to poverty in the state. This internship is an excellent opportunity for students who are passionate about social justice to contribute meaningfully to improving the lives of New Jerseyans experiencing deprivation, while simultaneously advancing their research skills. 

Responsibilities & Learning Goals: 

• Develop concise, data-driven policy reports for internal and external audiences.
• Monitor & summarize policy developments and legislative changes related to PRI’s focus areas.
• Identify potential data sources for research projects on emerging policy issues.
• Clean and analyze quantitative data to support PRI’s ongoing projects.
• Create compelling data visualizations, charts, and graphs to communicate findings.
• Support advocacy related to poverty.

This internship will enable the selected candidate to: 

• Contribute to meaningful projects that create a positive impact on New Jerseyans experiencing True Poverty.
• Gain hands-on experience in policy research and data analysis within a nonprofit setting.
• Strengthen your professional portfolio of research, data analysis, and written work.
• Receive mentorship from experienced staff members to support your research skills and career growth.

Desired Major(s) & Qualifications:

• Advanced undergraduate student, graduate student, or recent graduate in public policy, sociology, economics, or a related social science field.
• Strong research and analytical skills, with the ability to synthesize complex information and quantitative data from various sources.
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel; familiarity with SPSS and GIS software is a plus.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple tasks.

How to apply: If interested, please apply by submitting a resume and cover letter to [email protected].

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Software Engineer

Available Positions: LSNJ has 1 part-time paid software engineering summer internship. This position is in-person (NOT remote). Our office is within walking distance from the Edison train station. LSNJ is an EOE. 

Description: Legal Services of New Jersey (LSNJ) seeks a software engineering intern to join our technology team, which supports the statewide New Jersey Legal Services system. Candidates should have experience with modern front-end frameworks like Angular. This position is overseen by the Managing Senior Software Engineer. Our environment consists of a statewide network with nearly 700 users, over 100 servers, Docker, Kubernetes, GIT, Microsoft Team Foundation Server, VMware, Enterprise Class Network Infrastructure, Network Faxing, Exchange Clustering, SQL Farm, CMS, DMS, and IIS. Our web and development applications are used by clients, partners and internal staff. We adhere to weekly sprints and utilize JIRA for project planning. Code reviews are incorporated with each JIRA issue. You will be working with a team of 4 developers on a variety of modernization projects underway in our organization.  

Responsibilities & Learning Goals: 

• Rewriting existing front ends using modern UI frameworks.
• Migrating static website content to a Content Management System.
• Participate in daily scrum, in code reviews.
• Provide suggestions to improve functionality and accessibility of our websites and applications.
• Ensure your work is thoroughly documented.

Through this internship, the selected candidate will not only enhance software engineering skills, but gain the unique opportunity to apply these hard skills toward public interest goals and for use by staff, partners, the general public, and low-income and other vulnerable New Jerseyans.
 
Qualifications: We seek undergraduate or graduate applicants with a commitment to public interest and the following desired skills and qualifications:

• Knowledge of Object-oriented Programming
• Knowledge of relational databases
• Angular (or similar front end framework)
• Bootstrap (responsive web design)
• HTML5 and CSS
• JavaScript
• RESTful services and APIs
• Front end and mobile first design
• Ability to write clean and maintainable object-oriented code
• Excellent debugging and problem-solving skills.

How to Apply: If interested, please apply by submitting a resume and cover letter to [email protected] and [email protected]. 

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Development

Available Positions: LSNJ has 1 part-time paid summer internship available within our development team. This position is in-person (NOT remote). Our offices are located at 100 Metroplex Drive in Edison New Jersey, which is within walking distance from the Edison train station. LSNJ is an EOE. 

Description: Legal Services of New Jersey (LSNJ) is seeking an enthusiastic, driven, and mission-oriented intern to join our development team. Our development team is responsible for the design and execution of a strategic development plan that maximizes financial support from both the public and private sectors to support the mission and work of the New Jersey Legal Services system. 

Responsibilities & Learning Goals: 

• Assist with planning, organizing, and executing ongoing fundraising events and campaigns
• Help manage donor relations and assist with donor communication efforts, including emails, reports, newsletters, and social media outreach
• Support data entry and maintain up-to-date records of donor information and event details, to support donor cultivation
• Conduct research on potential funding opportunities, including private and public grants and corporate sponsorships
• Assist with grant writing and editing and, when relevant, conduct research to support grant applications
• Collaborate with team members to brainstorm and implement strategies to increase donor engagement and fundraising goals

The selected candidate will benefit from the expertise and mentorship of our Director of Development and management team. The development intern will gain concrete skills and firsthand experience in grant writing and research, donor cultivation and communication, event planning, and more. 

Desired Major(s) & Qualifications: This opportunity is open to any undergraduate or graduate student or recent graduate, of any major or area of study, with a commitment to the public interest. This opportunity may be of particular interest to students studying nonprofit management, marketing, communications, or fundraising, or otherwise considering a career in development or philanthropy. We seek applicants with excellent written and verbal communication skills, strong organizational skills, and attention to detail. 

How to apply: If interested, please apply by submitting a resume and cover letter to [email protected].