Employment Opportunities

Business and Human Rights Legal Externship or Fellowship

IASJ is seeking a business and human rights legal extern or fellow to support shareholder advocacy efforts.

Under the supervision of a licensed attorney, the legal extern or fellow will conduct legal and policy research on a variety of human rights issues, including environmental justice, racial justice, labor rights, and tech company accountability. The extern or fellow’s work will include supporting IASJ’s overall programmatic work and conducting discrete research projects on a variety of timely human rights and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues.

Regarding IASJ’s overall programmatic work, duties may include the following:

Legal and academic research related to IASJ’s company engagements.
Participation in company dialogues and strategy development with our partner organizations.
Drafting documents governed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) related to shareholder advocacy, including shareholder proposals and material risk research filings.
Coordination and other administrative duties, when necessary, to support IASJ’s efforts.

In addition, the legal extern or fellow will work on discrete research assignments and other legal strategies related to human rights, shareholder advocacy, and ESG more broadly. Topics of research and activities may include:

Exploration of legal, quasi-legal, and regulatory strategies for corporate accountability, including the possibility of participating in drafting amicus briefs, OECD complaints, regulatory complaints, etc.
Legal and academic research on human rights violations and corporate accountability in the tech sector, including those related to artificial intelligence and cloud technologies.
Research and analysis of the EU’s human rights regulatory framework.
Legal research and analysis related to shareholder rights, fiduciary duties, and First Amendment rights.

IASJ values its externs and fellows and seeks to cultivate a space for them to learn, engage in critical thinking and creativity, and gain real-world experience in the human rights field. The extern or fellow will receive hands-on supervision and mentorship from a licensed attorney and will be treated as a valuable member of the IASJ team. Minimal administrative work is required. Here are some testimonials from previous summer legal interns:

“I interned for IASJ in the Summer of 2024 and could not have asked for a better experience. IASJ is uniquely positioned as a shareholder advocacy nonprofit to work at the center of business and human rights. As an intern, I conducted legal research on a variety of topics ranging from trusts and fiduciary law to the First Amendment. This set me up to be a creative and flexible thinker for the rest of law school!” – Ashni, NYU School of Law, Class of ‘26 (Summer Legal Intern)

“Working with IASJ prepared me to become a better advocate through my writing, on behalf of my clients, and for causes that I hold dear. The team allowed me the flexibility to be creative with my work, while providing me with requisite guidance to ensure I was growing as a practitioner.” – Cameron, Georgetown University Law Center, Class of ‘26 (Summer Legal Intern)

“Interning at IASJ allowed me to explore and understand the role investors can play in ensuring large corporations are upholding the highest principles of human rights. I gained valuable legal research skills while working on a close knit, collaborative team.” – Jordane, University of Michigan Law School, Class of ‘24 (Summer Legal Intern)

Location:

Remote. Our office is located in Montclair, NJ, but this is a remote position. Although the extern or fellow may work from any time zone, they may be required to virtually attend work-related meetings and events within IASJ’s operating hours: M-F, 9am-5pm ET.

Duration:

Externship: The extern is expected to work the requisite hours in accordance with the credits being sought. Externships will start at the beginning of the upcoming semester and will conclude at the end of the semester.

Fellowship: The fellow is expected to work full time (40 hours per week) for one year, or as otherwise stipulated in the fellowship requirements. Fellowships may begin at any time, as agreed upon by IASJ and the fellow.

Compensation:

This externship or fellowship opportunity is offered on an unpaid basis. Externship applicants must be eligible to receive academic credit. Fellowship applicants must secure funding from a paid fellowship.

Qualifications:

Externship applicants must be a 2L, 3L, or LLM law student in an ABA-approved law program (or its equivalent in a law school based outside the US). Fellowship applicants must be a graduate from an ABA-approved law program (or its equivalent in a law school based outside the US).

The candidate should possess strong legal research and writing skills, and demonstrate experience or a strong interest in human rights issues with a passion for social justice.

IASJ seeks candidates who demonstrate self-initiative, good interpersonal skills, creativity, and a willingness to learn and perform under supervision in a fast-paced environment. Knowledge of Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, and Westlaw or LexisNexis is preferred. Additionally, fluency in another language (in addition to English) is a plus.

Equal Opportunity:

IASJ is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity, equity, and fostering inclusion and a sense of belonging, both for its employees and for its externs and fellows. Women and people of color are strongly encouraged to apply. In addition, applicants of any faith tradition or belief system are encouraged to apply.

Application Process:

Interested applicants should send a resume, cover letter, and writing sample to Aaron Acosta, Senior Director: Legal and Programmatic Initiatives, at jobs@iasj.org. Please, indicate in your email whether you are applying for an externship or a fellowship. Additionally, for externship applicants, please indicate how many hours per week you intend to work. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. The writing sample should not exceed 5 pages (it may be an excerpt of a larger paper), and should preferably focus on a human rights issue.