Sanctuary for Families is New York’s leading service provider and advocate for survivors of domestic violence, sex trafficking, and related forms of gender violence. Sanctuary works to end gender violence through three key areas: direct service; outreach, education and training; and systems-change advocacy. Every year, Sanctuary empowers thousands of adults and children to move from fear and abuse to safety and stability, transforming lives through a comprehensive range of services.
The Queens Family Justice Center Family Law Project (QFJC FLP) team is currently looking for a law school student as a Family Law intern/extern for the Fall 2023 semester under the supervision of Lindsey Song, Associate Program Director. The QFJC FLP intern will assist the QFJC FLP team with family law assistance for survivors gender-based violence who are seeking services at the QFJC.
Qualifications:
The QFJC FLP team seeks a bright, conscientious individual who enjoys the challenge of working on a project basis and is able to work at several tasks throughout the day in a fast-paced environment. This position is open to law students who will have completed at least one year of law school by Fall 2023. Applicants should possess strong interpersonal, analytical and writing skills, and a demonstrated commitment to social justice. Coursework in family law or domestic violence issues, and experience working on or with gender-based violence survivors are preferred, but not required. Proficiency in a foreign language, particularly Spanish or another community language (Mandarin, French, Bengali, etc.) is helpful but not required.
Responsibilities may include:
- Under the supervision of an attorney, prepare petitions and other filings in family offense, custody, visitation, and other family court or matrimonial matters;
- Help with the preparation of witnesses and materials for trial;
- Attend family court proceedings;
- Educate clients about their legal rights and remedies;
- Provide clients with safety planning and referrals to meet clients’ diverse needs including those relating to safety, healthcare, public benefits, housing and education;
- Engage in advocacy, in particular related to technology-facilitated domestic violence;
- Assist in research and writing.
This internship is unpaid; however, we will work with students who seek to obtain school credit or outside funding.
To Apply:
Please send an e-mail describing briefly your interest and qualifications, including language skills, and a resume in pdf format to Associate Program Director, Queens Family Justice Center Family Law Project, at lsong@sffny.org and Hope Faison at hfaison@sffny.org. Please indicate “Fall 2023 internship – QFJC” in the subject line of your email. Due to the high volume of applications, we are unable to respond to applicants not selected for interview.