Job Title: Law Internship
PVN ID: VB-2503-006741
Category: Research
Location: OFFICE OF SR VC-BUDGET, FINANCE & FISCAL POLICY

Job Description

General Description

CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance (ISLG): About Us 

The CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance has a mission to improve the financing, delivery, and measurement of critical public services through research, technical assistance, and education. We lead projects aimed at reforming the criminal justice system, measuring urban inequality, expanding the reach of social service providers, and more. Each project has a dedicated team of research and policy experts who collaborate closely with internal and external organizations. For more information about ISLG, please visit www.islg.cuny.edu. 

Our Goals for Diversity and Inclusion 

We strive to foster an office environment and an approach to work that welcomes and respects different perspectives, backgrounds, and life experiences. We are working towards our goal of recruiting and retaining staff, interns and advisory group members who are diverse in terms of race, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, veteran status, socioeconomic status, disability, and justice system involvement. 

Who we are looking for

ISLG is recruiting up to one (1) CUNY Law Student to work on a variety of projects, including projects focused on

  • Incubating grassroots organizations that are focused on addressing a policy gap or challenge in New York City;
  • Providing funding and training and technical assistance to organizations that incorporate community-based restorative justice practices;
  • Developing education and leadership fellowships;
  • Supporting gender-based violence projects; and
  • Collecting and analyzing data from various sources (jails, community partners, health and mental health service providers, municipalities, etc.).

Specifically, we are seeking an intern to support the Legal Department on a range of legal and policy matters, including:

  • Assisting with drafting legal documents such as grantee contracts, data use agreements, amendments, and memoranda;
  • Reviewing project-specific materials, including scopes of work, requests for work proposals and submissions, and other program materials;
  • Participating in meetings and calls with internal teams and external partners about legal and policy matters;
  • Supporting the Legal Department in reviewing and drafting policies and procedures, including data security policies; and
  • Assisting the Legal Department with administrative support, including developing and updating legal templates, organizing project files, and other matters as needed.

The core of this internship is creating community and peer-to-peer learning among ISLG interns; to foster community we will have bi-weekly in-person convenings that will cover a range of topics such as relationship building, project management, participatory policy making, etc.

We are hiring interns to work at ISLG from June 2nd to August 1st. Interns will have a hybrid work schedule and report to a designated ISLG staff member. Interns will work on a range of tasks to support the projects listed above as well as others not listed here.

Other Duties

Qualifications

We would love to hear from you, if you are/have:

  • Currently enrolled in CUNY’s Juris Doctor (JD) program with strong academic standing
  • Ability to commit to a consistent schedule of approximately 35 hours per week for the internship period (i.e., June 2– August 1)
  • Ability to attend peer-to-peer credentialed in-person weekly sessions on Wednesday’s from 9:00am-11:00am
  • Personal, professional, or academic knowledge of any of the following fields/areas: public interest law, contract law, criminal legal reform, police reform, data-driven research and evaluation, peer leadership development, restorative justice, gender-based violence, community engagement, youth development, and violence intervention
  • Excellent research and writing skills with attention to detail
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
  • Excellent time management skills and experience working in deadline-driven environments
  • Ability to prioritize and work on a number of tasks simultaneously
  • Flexibility about projects and workflow 
  • Passion about equitable state and local policy solutions to pressing social issues 

ISLG is open to flexibility on the requirements above, but we would expect candidates to fit most of the items described.

How to Apply

To apply for an internship, you will need to submit a cover letter describing your qualifications and interests and attach your curriculum vitae. Additionally, we ask that candidates submit the following materials:

  1. A cover letter that includes your area(s) of interest, how you hope to contribute to ISLG’s mission, and your proposed start and end dates and work schedule. (1 page limit)
  2. A resume or curriculum vitae. (1 page limit)
  3. The contact information for 2 references (preferably professors or former supervisors of employment relating to the work of ISLG).
  4. Unofficial transcripts (Strongly Recommended).

All application documents must be in English and submitted in a single PDF to info@islg.cuny.edu by the deadline listed below. Please use the subject line “Summer Law Intern Application.” Incomplete application packets will not be considered.

Application deadline will be on March 31.

About the Research Foundation

The Research Foundation of The City University of New York (RFCUNY) is a nonprofit educational corporation founded in 1963 to provide post-award fiscal and administrative support for CUNY’s research and sponsored programs. RFCUNY’s services allow CUNY researchers, faculty, and staff to focus on their intellectual curiosity and scientific discoveries, on projects and programs that serve our local and global communities, proposing concrete solutions to society’s most pressing challenges.

RFCUNY serves as a fiscal agent and works closely with all the CUNY campus Grants Offices to perform the core functions of post-award financial management for CUNY research projects and sponsored programs. These functions include legal assessment and signing of agreements where RFCUNY is named as a fiscal agent; setting up award accounts; preparing sub-awards and assisting PIs in monitoring the work of the recipients of sub-awards; supporting project directors with hiring and managing research project and sponsored program staff; supporting the purchasing and paying for goods and services with grant and program funds; managing financial aspects of projects including accounts receivable, financial reporting, invoicing, budget monitoring, and cost compliance with uniform guidance; ensuring that sponsor financial requirements are met; monitoring compliance with applicable project and financial management rules and laws; supporting the management of independent and external audits and financial reviews; and providing data, information, management expertise, and other supports to CUNY’s research and sponsored programs.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The Research Foundation of the City University of New York is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Americans with Disabilities Act/E-Verify Employer. It is the policy of the Research Foundation of CUNY to provide equal employment opportunities free of discrimination based on race, color, age, religion, sex, pregnancy, childbirth, national origin, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, domestic violence victim status, arrest record, criminal conviction history, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

Key Features

Department
CUNY Institute for State and Local Gover
Status
Full Time
Pay Range
$20.00-$25.00
Closing Date
Mar 31, 2025 (Or Until Filled)
Bargaining Unit
No

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