[ legal internships | volunteer needs | pro bono assistance ]

ELAW relies on the generous support of volunteers, interns, and pro bono experts to help public interest environmental advocates defend our global environment. We need volunteers, interns, and experienced pro bono experts with various skills and interests to expand our capacity to meet the information and resource needs of our partners.

Volunteers and interns who work with ELAW can gain valuable experience, skills, and information about global environmental issues, and meet visiting ELAW partners. ELAW volunteer and intern positions are generally unpaid, but volunteers and interns have obtained academic credit through educational institutions for their work at ELAW. In  If you are outside the U.S., please see our Partners page to link to environmental lawyers and public interest environmental law nonprofit organizations in other countries.

We appreciate your interest in ELAW. Please contact the Volunteer Coordinator, Melanie Giangreco at volunteer@elaw.org for more information or to volunteer. Thank you.

Summer Legal Internships

ELAW hosts a summer legal intern program in our Eugene, Oregon office for students studying for a J.D. or equivalent degree. The U.S. office of ELAW gives public interest environmental lawyers around the world access to the scientific and legal resources in the U.S. and the lessons of more than 30 years of using law to protect the environment. Legal interns assist the Staff Attorneys in responding to requests for assistance from overseas advocates. These requests generate both short- and long-term projects. Projects may include obtaining information about multinational companies; identifying model statutes and regulations; researching case precedents; or evaluating legal doctrines and theories. Interns prepare memoranda to send to overseas colleagues and communicate directly with these lawyers. The Staff Attorneys work directly with the interns and oversee all projects.

Applications should be submitted by February 25th. ELAW begins interviewing selected applicants in early March.

How to Apply

To apply for a summer legal internship in Eugene, Oregon, please email a cover letter, resume, writing sample (less than 10 pages), and a list of three references (including phone numbers) to:

ELAW 2009 Legal Intern, Brett Pruess at the summit of South Sister, Oregon Cascade Range

elawus@elaw.org (no calls, please).

Successful applicants generally possess excellent research and writing skills and a strong dedication to public interest environmental law. Proficiency in a language or languages other than English is preferred, but not required. ELAW actively seeks applicants with diverse backgrounds.

The ELAW summer legal internship involves considerable English-language research and writing, plus frequent research of U.S. laws.  If you are an applicant from a non-English speaking country, ELAW requires the following proficiency scores to be considered for an internship:

Paper-based TOEFL: 600

Computer-based TOEFL: 245

Internet-based TOEFL: 100

IELTS: 8

At ELAW's discretion, we will work with summer internship applicants who wish to provide alternative proof of English language proficiency.  This may include a telephone conversation with a member of ELAW staff to evaluate an individual's level of fluency.

Due to limited resources, we are unable to provide funding for interns. We encourage interested applicants to look for alternate sources of funding, including their law school. Previous legal interns have obtained academic credit through educational institutions for their work
at ELAW.

Volunteer Needs

Current Needs: Spanish translators, office volunteers.

Hosting International Visitors

ELAW brings public interest environmental advocates from around the world to Eugene to participate in ELAW Fellowships for up to three months. During these visits, we need volunteers to help with logistics, including setting up meetings and more. Join our visitors on outings to experience life in the U.S.

Legal and Scientific Research

ELAW 2010 Science Intern, Laura Syron (second from right) with her professors at Oregon State University, where Laura received a M.S. in Public Health.

ELAW needs law and environmental science students to conduct research and compile resources for our partners. Interns work directly with program staff to meet the information needs of our partners. 

Resources & Document Compilation

ELAW has collected laws, cases, and environmental law resources from around the world. We need volunteers to consolidate and catalog hard copy and electronic resources to make them more accessible to our partners. In addition to creating a resources library, we seek to publish these resources on the ELAW website.

Translation

ELAW works with public interest environmental advocates in more than 60 countries. ELAW advocates speak many different languages and our goal is to accommodate as many languages as possible. At this time, we need translators fluent in Spanish, Russian, and French. Translators should be able to translate to and from English. Translators should be comfortable with technical, legal, and scientific language.

Development

ELAW is generously supported by individuals, foundations, and the U.S. Government. We need volunteers to compile data, process mailings, staff tabling events, and more. We need people who are outgoing and interested in learning more about how organizations work and sustain themselves.

Media

ELAW uses journalism students and others with media experience to assist the ELAW U.S. Communications Director to publicize the work of ELAW partners around the world through ELAW publications and electronic media, including our website and electronic bulletin service.

Office Support

Lacy Clark 2009-2010 Volunteer	Amanda Bettman 2009 Volunteer

ELAW needs volunteers and interns to provide clerical support, organize resources, and process mailings. Volunteers with computer skills can gain experience using word processing, database, communication, and spreadsheet software.

Pro Bono Assistance

ELAW relies on the expertise of professionals in academia, government, nonprofits, and industry to provide technical assistance to our partners on specific initiatives. Pro bono scientific experts help ELAW scientists with advice, expert witness testimony, affidavits, and evaluation of technical documents. ELAW also works with legal experts well-versed in environmental, human rights, and international law to provide strategic support on specific projects.