Intern Investigator Program

The Legal Aid Society’s Investigator Internship provides under graduate and graduate students interested in law as a career with an exciting, hands-on, in-the-field experience. Interns actually assist lawyers in investigating the facts of the cases and in preparing the cases for trial. Working in teams of two, interns help locate witnesses, conduct interviews, obtain written statements, perform criminal background checks, review crime scenes, serve subpoenas, prepare trial exhibits and testify in court. The internships are unpaid volunteer positions and are available part-time in the Spring and Fall semesters and full-time during the summer.

“The pool of energetic, highly motivated investigator interns provides a valuable resource to The Legal Aid Society,” said Alanda Edwards, Director of the Investigator and Paralegal Programs. “We are hopeful that many of the interns go to law school and then join our Criminal Practice.”

Candidates are carefully screened and must have a genuine interest in public service and the representation of low-income New Yorkers.

Training is an essential ingredient to the success of the program, which begins with a week-long orientation and training followed by a four-week lecture series.

Interns have described their experience “as one of the most fulfilling a student could have.” “I will carry the knowledge and skills that I have learned with me throughout my career in the criminal justice field,” wrote another intern.