Animal Legal Defense Fund Legislative Affairs Program Summer 2025 Clerkships

Who We Are: The Animal Legal Defense Fund’s mission is to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals through the legal system. The Animal Legal Defense Fund accomplishes this mission by filing high-impact lawsuits to protect animals from harm, providing free legal assistance and training to judges and criminal justice practitioners in order to ensure that animal cruelty cases reach just outcomes, supporting effective animal protection legislation, fighting legislation harmful to animals, and providing resources and opportunities to law students and professionals to advance the emerging field of animal law. 

Position Term: 35 hours/week for 10 weeks in summer 2025, with a start date at the end of May or beginning of June.

Reports to: Strategic Legislative Affairs Manager 

Location: Remote position 

Role Description: The Animal Legal Defense Fund summer clerkship program gives law students who demonstrate an interest in animal law the opportunity to work with and be trained by top experts in the field. Clerks are integral members of a program team and work on projects that further the current work of the program and advance the mission and goals of the Animal Legal Defense Fund. Clerks also participate in activities that will allow them to network across the organization with Animal Legal Defense Fund staff and other clerks, and engage them in the mission and goals of the organization. 

How You Will Make a Difference: Clerks will gain experience with and knowledge of animal protection issues, campaigns, and advocacy, while improving skills in research, writing, legislative analysis, coalition-building, and lobbying strategies. They will be responsible for assisting the Legislative Affairs Program in developing and implementing resources and strategies to further legislative goals.

Specific duties may include researching policy issues, developing memos or issue briefs, analyzing state and federal legislation or regulation, and assisting with administrative work; preparing correspondence and assisting with outreach to supporters, coalition partners, and public officials, including elected and appointed officials; attending virtual public hearings, coalition calls, stakeholder meetings, lobby day(s), lobby 101(s), conferences, and other events; as assigned; collaborating with Communications and other departments to propose, draft, proofread, edit, and update content on priority campaigns for the website, including project pages and online action centers, email action alerts, phonebanking scripts, etc.; coordinating with other programs, including with the Criminal Justice Program and Litigation Program staff on cases related to legislative campaigns; and preparing and delivering virtual presentations for lobby 101(s) or other advocacy trainings for advocates, professional conferences, fundraising events, etc. This position also requires the ability to communicate effectively with members, supporters, co-workers, coalition partners, and public officials and to tactfully manage challenging questions or opposing viewpoints from the public or public officials. Experience with legislative advocacy is preferred. All clerks and externs will participate in scheduled networking and engagement activities. Externs may have additional requirements depending on their school’s externship program.  

Compensation: 

• $20/ hour  
• Paid holidays   

How to Apply: On our confidential recruiting portal, Paylocity, you will be asked to upload a resume and cover letter. The following additional documents are also required: 2-3 professional references, law school transcript (unofficial okay), and original writing sample. The application deadline is March 10, 2025. Questions may be addressed to Senior Student Programs Attorney Kelly Levenda at klevenda@aldf.org.

Students may apply for more than one clerkship at a time (clerkships may be available with the Litigation Program, Criminal Justice Program, Legislative Affairs Program, Pro Bono Program, and/or Animal Law Program). The Litigation Program and Pro Bono Program have already hired clerks for summer 2025. 

Although applications for paid summer clerkships will receive priority, we will accept applications from students who would like to structure the position as an unpaid externship or student volunteer position instead of a paid clerkship. (Note: Externships are uncompensated. Students may receive academic credit from their law schools for completing externships, but award of externship credits is determined solely by the school. Applicants who would like to structure summer positions as externships should check their law school’s externship requirements before they apply to ensure Animal Legal Defense Fund externships meet their school’s requirements and the Animal Legal Defense Fund is an approved externship placement. Student volunteer positions include students who can receive pro bono credits for their law schools, and students whose schools provide a public interest stipend.) 

Additional Information:

This is a U.S. based position. Clerks will be required to provide a personal United States address and to work primarily from that address.  

Equal Opportunity Employer: The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) is committed to providing an employment environment which is welcoming of persons from diverse backgrounds and free from unlawful discrimination and harassment, and in which all legal rights of our employees are recognized and protected. ALDF conducts all internal and external operations, programs, and employment-related decision making (including hiring decisions) without regard to actual or perceived race, ancestry, color, religion, national origin, citizenship, immigration status, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, political affiliation, disability or medical condition (including physical, intellectual, or psychiatric), sexual orientation, marital status, military or veteran status, genetic information, age, or other protected category, and in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local anti-discrimination and anti-harassment laws.  

Consistent with the organization’s mission, Animal Legal Defense Fund offices and events are free of animal products and byproducts. 

We are Looking for Candidates with: 

• Experience as a rising 3L (will have completed their 2L year or part-time equivalent prior to summer 2025) or LLM student at an ABA accredited law school. Rising 2L students may also apply and will be considered if they demonstrate academic excellence. 
• Eligibility to work in the United States. 
• A sincere interest in animal protection. 
• Superior legal research and writing skills, including the ability to tailor voice and style to various audiences. 
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. 
• Positive attitude and ability to work cooperatively with others and function well in a mission-driven, team-oriented work environment. 
• Willingness to accept a variety of assignments within the expanding field of animal law. 
• Excellent organizational, prioritization, and time management skills. 
• Ability to work independently and remotely. 
• Ability to use discretion, keeping in mind the confidential and emotional aspects of our work. 
• Access to a computer with internet and Microsoft Suite. 
• Familiarity with animal law is preferred. 

We strongly encourage persons from diverse backgrounds to apply.