POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT:
INTERN

THE ORGANIZATION

The Citizen Advocacy Center (“CAC”) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to building democracy in the 21st Century by strengthening the public’s capacities, resources, and institutions for self-governance. Now entering its 30th year and based in the Chicagoland area, the CAC, through its Community Lawyers, applies legal advocacy, community organizing, public policy analysis, media outreach, civic education, and litigation to foster the growth of citizen-initiated community engagement with government.

The CAC’s office is currently located in Elmhurst, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago.

POSITION DETAILS

Every year, the Citizen Advocacy Center takes on interns from law school, college, and high school.  An internship with the Citizen Advocacy Center is an excellent way to learn about how government really works, and to develop an array of skills that are useful to good citizenship and to the practice of law including:   

• How to research and make sense of state statutes and local codes

• How to document facts

• How to make government and the law work for citizens

• How to make requests for government information

• How to conduct interviews;

• How to coordinate press and publicly release information
  

General information for prospective interns:

Email us to apply for the following opportunities. Before you send an email application, please see all the information provided on this page for the requirements.

LAW SCHOOL STUDENTS:

• CAC hosts several full time legal interns each summer.

• Split summers are allowed.

• Compensation for summer legal interns: CAC will cooperate to secure outside funding or school credit.  In addition, CAC is eligible for one paid summer graduate fellow and one paid summer intern through the Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) in Chicago. Find out more at pili-law.org/programs.

• Application materials for law school interns: resume, cover letter, and writing sample of up to 10 pages.

• Application deadline: all legal internship applications are due March 1st.

COLLEGE STUDENTS:

• CAC hosts college students each summer and throughout the year.

• College student internship applications are considered on a rolling basis.

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS: 

• Summer High School Internship Program: CAC hosts high school students each summer.  

• School-year Internships: CAC hosts high school students during the school year.

STATEMENT OF NON-DISCRIMINATION:

The Citizen Advocacy Center does not tolerate any discrimination by any of its employees or volunteers, including any discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, personal appearance, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, military discharge status, or disability. Impermissible discrimination also includes actions or language that create a working environment that is hostile, intimidating, or offensive to members of a particular sex, race, or protected class, or otherwise allows harassment related to sex, race, or other discriminatory grounds.

Applicants should email a cover letter and resume to:

Jack Bentley Executive Director | Community Lawyer
jbentley@citizenadvocacycenter.org