Summer 2024 Legal Interns
Job Description
Global Labor Justice – International Labor Rights Forum (GLJ-ILRF) is a strategy hub supporting transnational collaboration among worker and migrant organizations to expand labor rights and new forms of bargaining on global supply chains, capital markets, and international labor migration corridors. Through transnational campaigns, organizations of low-wage workers are rewriting the governing rules of the economy, bargaining in new ways with the state and corporate and market actors, and sustaining powerful worker-led movements. Women and migrant workers play a crucial leadership role.
GLJ-ILRF holds global corporations accountable for labor rights violations in their supply chains, advances policies and laws that protect decent work and just migration, and strengthens freedom of association, new forms of bargaining, and worker organizations. GLJ-ILRF has a team of 20 staff people based in our Washington DC office and around the world committed to defending labor rights and building worker power in the global economy.
Overall, GLJ-ILRF’s Legal Department works to realize freedom of association, living wages, and decent work for all—centering women, migrants, and global South workers. The Department brings the capacity to expand and enforce labor rights in workplaces and at the policy level, as well as to defend against retaliation. The Department seeks not only to advance campaign strategies but also to reimagine what is possible. We push for transformative changes in law and policy that raise standards for workers and build worker power to realize and defend their rights. All of the Legal Department’s work is guided by our organizational values, including anti-racism, anti-colonialism, and gender justice, and a deep commitment to working in partnership with unions and worker organizations. We are a transnational movement of lawyers defending labor rights and building worker power in the global economy.
GLJ-ILRF is seeking legal interns to work with its legal department during Summer 2024. Legal work at GLJ-ILRF supports worker-led campaigns to win power in the global economy. Current campaigns involve several sectors globally, including garment manufacturing, agriculture, fishing, and hospitality. Issues covered include freedom of association, living wages, racial and gender justice, and just migration. Our legal team works closely with our campaign staff as well as partner unions and civil society organizations on building legal strategies that advance their organizing goals.
Roles and responsibilities
During Summer 2024, GLJ-ILRF will host law interns who are currently JD students or enrolled in a joint JD program.
The 2024 internship program will be fully remote, though students in the Washington DC area may choose to come to work at our DC office.
Interns will work on ongoing GLJ-ILRF campaigns as well as urgent case response as necessary, under the direct supervision of GLJ-ILRF attorneys and campaign staff. Responsibilities include drafting factual and legal memoranda, research reports, and external communications (letters to targets, press releases, etc.). Past interns have worked on cases involving advocacy with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), International Labor Organization (ILO), UN Special Rapporteurs, and US Government.
Interns will be provided opportunities to attend educational sessions on movement lawyering as well as ongoing work at the organization.
Dates
The summer internship program will run from early June to mid-August for 10 weeks, during which interns are expected to work 35 hours per week.
Compensation
GLJ-ILRF will support interns to seek school funding where possible and will work with interns who do not have access to outside funding to obtain academic credit for their work. Please note that GLJ-ILRF participates in the Peggy Browning Fellowship (PBF) program.
Application
Applications for summer fellowships will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis through Sunday, December 31, 2023. However, we very strongly encourage students to apply as soon as possible rather than waiting until the deadline as offers will be made on a rolling basis until the positions are filled.
Students who wish to apply to GLJ-ILRF through the Peggy Browning Fellowship program should apply through the Peggy Browning Fellowship process once applications are open.
Demonstrated knowledge of labor, employment, or human rights law and proficiency in language(s) other than English are beneficial. Please send a cover letter, resume, two professional references, and a writing sample to sahibagill@globallaborjustice.org. Due to the volume of applications, we will contact you only if you are granted an interview. Thank you for your understanding. If you have any questions, please contact sahibagill@globallaborjustice.org.