“Working as an intern with Great Rivers gave me the unique opportunity to do meaningful work that helped to develop my own professional skills while simultaneously serving Missouri communities. As a Community Outreach and Development intern, I developed content covering the legal work being done by the firm on a variety of matters and assisted in drafting various communications. It felt incredibly fulfilling to contribute my own skills to an organization whose work is so vital.
Elizabeth Goblirsch, 2020 Summer Intern
Great Rivers is unique among law firms in the friendly, inclusive atmosphere that it fosters. I always left the office feeling that I was valued as an intern and had contributed in a meaningful way to the firm. I cannot recommend it enough to anyone who is pursuing an internship in the nonprofit sector.”
Learn about some of our past interns here (Summer 2023) and here (Summer 2022).
GREAT RIVERS ENVIRONMENTAL LAW CENTER
VOLUNTEER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
PLEASE NOTE: ALL LEGAL INTERN SUMMER 2024 POSITIONS ARE FILLED
Great Rivers Environmental Law Center takes on 3-6 interns summer interns each year. Great Rivers is also open to working with school-year interns on a case-by-case basis. These positions are open to both law students and undergrads.
Great Rivers Environmental Law Center is a non-profit environmental law organization. The organization works to advance environmental justice, protect public health, safeguard and preserve the waters of Missouri and surrounding states, defend the quality of air in the region, preserve parks and open space, advance clean energy and combat climate change. The organization partners with environmental groups, individuals, and communities to achieve these objectives, engaging in administrative and legislative advocacy where feasible, or litigation where necessary to attain desired outcomes. The organization’s litigation docket aims to strengthen environmental standards, counteract efforts to weaken such standards, challenge government or industry failure to implement or comply with applicable standards, and otherwise protect and promote the environment and sustainability. Promoting public awareness of the organization’s causes also remains a fundamental underlying goal.
Because the organization is composed of only five lawyers and two non-lawyer staff, interns are offered the opportunity to work side-by-side with staff and to take on significant responsibility in the organization.
Past legal interns have helped to investigate complaints, draft pleadings, compose advocacy pieces, interface directly with clients, and accompany Great Rivers’ attorneys to public appearances in court or administrative agencies.
Past community outreach and development interns have helped develop content engaging the public in Great Rivers’ work and environmental protection at-large; represented Great Rivers at community events; assisted with website management, social media, video and graphic design, constituent data management and more. Especially motivated individuals are invited to collaborate with the Director of Development and Outreach to design and execute a project of special significance to their personal and/or career goals.
All interns are invited to attend regular team meetings with Great Rivers’ staff.
The internship is very flexible – interns may work for increments of time that are preferable to them. In addition, work may be performed in the office, library or from home as the matter allows. Great Rivers is even open to working with interns remotely from other cities (a benefit that proved most useful during the summer of 2020 when due to COVID-19 concerns, Great Rivers employed three interns from other states). While Great Rivers lacks the capability to offer a stipend for the internships, many colleges and universities have programs that provide summer stipends. Great Rivers cooperates with students in obtaining such funding, and such efforts typically prove successful.
Interns that have teamed up with Great Rivers in the past include those from the following colleges, universities and law schools:
American University School of Law
Harvard Law School
St. Louis Community College
St. Louis University School of Law
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale School of Law
Tulane University Law School
University of Denver School of Law
University of Illinois-Champaign School of Law
University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law
University of Oregon School of Law
University of Virginia School of Law
Vanderbilt University
Washington University
Washington University School of Law
To apply for a legal internship position, please contact Sarah Rubenstein, srubenstein@greatriverslaw.org, (314) 231-4181.
To apply for a community outreach and development position, please complete the application form here and alert Linden Mueller of your interest at linden@greatriverslaw.org.