Spring 2025 Legislative Law Externship

Title: Legislative Law Extern, Spring 2025 

Reports to: State Policy Attorney 

Hours: Hours per week will depend on school requirements

Location: Remote within the state of California 

For more than 30 years, the legal experts at GIFFORDS Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence have been fighting for a safer America. Led by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, GIFFORDS Law Center researches, drafts, and defends the laws, policies, and programs proven to save lives from gun violence. With over 40,000 gun deaths in the US every year, this uniquely American crisis leaves no community untouched—but it doesn’t have to be this way. From universal background checks to community-based violence intervention strategies, we know how to end gun violence, and we won’t rest until the promise of a safe and just country is a reality for every person and community in America.

We seek motivated candidates for our 2025 spring externship program to join our Policy team. The extern will focus on the California state legislature and involve legal analysis and the drafting of proposed legislation. The extern may assist in working on other states, but California will remain the priority. Legislative law clerk candidates must be current law students in their second or third year of law school. Strong applicants will have excellent research, analysis, and writing skills and a strong desire to learn tangible legal skills while contributing to our team’s mission. 

Giffords Law Center is committed to assembling a diverse staff and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage people of all races, ethnicities, gender identities, and sexual orientations, as well as veterans and those with disabilities, to apply. Giffords Law Center believes that diversity and inclusion among our staff are critical to our mission to change policies, challenge injustice, and save lives.

The spring legislative law externship program is designed to accommodate law school programs that provide course credit for externships. We will work with the applicant’s school to accommodate any programming restrictions or requirements. 

This externship will be entirely remote within the state of California, with the possibility of in-person trips to Sacramento or San Francisco, depending on organizational needs and extern availability. 

Applications are due by October 28, 2024. Due to the high volume of applicants, please refrain from making phone calls or emails.

The Legislative Law Externship Program:

Our externship program allows law students to work on a cutting-edge public policy issue at the forefront of U.S. politics and lawmaking. Law clerks will gain significant experience with statutory and legislative research and analysis and can expect to work with attorneys on projects in the following areas: 

• Legislation/Policy: Work may include reading, analyzing, and writing about proposed legislation; researching policy issues; drafting letters of support or opposition to lawmakers; working with grassroots state and local groups to support legislative goals; and possibly attending hearings on pending legislation.
• Print Publications and Website: Work may also include contributing to the development of Giffords Law Center’s print publications and internet-based materials, which provide in-depth factual summaries of federal, state, and local firearms laws and policies. 
• Other: The law clerk will also participate as an integrated member of the legal staff, attend team meetings as their school schedule allows, and receive constructive feedback about work products from supervising attorneys. 

Required knowledge, skills, and experience:

• Current 2L or 3L law student in the state of California
• Excellent writing and legal analysis skills
• Ability to interpret legislation or proposed legislation
• Ability to review legislation with an eye towards inclusion, diversity, equity, and anti-racism
• Shares GIFFORDS Law Center’s goal to save lives from gun violence

Applying + the Interview Process:

To apply, please submit your resume, a cover letter of no more than 450 words that includes a sentence outlining any school deadlines you may have for obtaining an externship and your interest in working with Giffords Law Center (including any relevant life or work experience), a writing sample (see below), law school transcript (unofficial is fine), and contact information for two references. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. The application deadline is October 28, 2024. 

Please label all documents: FirstName_LastName_DocumentName (e.g. Jay_Doe_CoverLetter) 

Writing Sample: Please answer the following question in 250 words: Which gun violence prevention issue area would you be most interested in working on as a legislative extern with the Giffords Law Center? Please reference at least one existing California law or policy that interests you. 

We will begin interviewing applicants on a rolling basis as we receive applications, and we expect offers to be extended by the end of November.

GIFFORDS is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an environment that celebrates diversity, equity and inclusion. People of color, trans individuals, gender non-conforming individuals, women, people with differing abilities, and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply.