About the role#
The Youth Advocacy Division (YAD) of the Committee for Public Counsel Services offers internships for law, graduate, and undergraduate students during Summer 2027. This program supports our mission to provide zealous legal representation and protect fundamental constitutional rights for youth across Massachusetts. Interns gain experience in a public defense setting while working with diverse communities.
What you'll do#
Interns work alongside lawyers and social workers to provide representation in delinquency and youthful offender cases. You will incorporate a Positive Youth Development approach in your work. Responsibilities include:
- Conducting legal research and writing.
- Assisting with arraignment and bail advocacy.
- Performing pretrial investigations, such as visiting crime scenes and interviewing witnesses.
- Collaborating with the Juvenile Appeals Unit on direct appeals and screenings.
- Participating in policy discussions and helping develop training materials.
What you'll need#
- Current enrollment as a law student, graduate student, or undergraduate student.
- A commitment to zealous advocacy, community-oriented defense, and the protection of human rights.
- Access to a personal computer with home internet for remote work tasks.
- Access to reliable transportation for travel to courts, client meetings, and investigation sites.
Location & details#
This is a paid, full-time internship. Work is conducted on-site and remotely. Opportunities are available in the following Massachusetts locations:
- Hyannis
- Fall River
- Lowell
- Malden
- Salem
- Worcester
- Springfield
- Roxbury
- Quincy
About Committee for Public Counsel Services
The Committee for Public Counsel Services is a government agency based in Boston, Massachusetts. It manages legal representation for indigent individuals in criminal, civil, and administrative cases where the law requires counsel. The organization coordinates a network of approximately 500 staff attorneys and 3,000 private attorneys. Its work covers areas including child welfare, mental health, and juvenile delinquency.
How to get in at Committee for Public Counsel Services
Applying early to the Committee for Public Counsel Services gives you a distinct advantage because recruiters review applications before the volume becomes unmanageable. Intern Insider sends an instant alert the moment a role matching your target is published, ensuring you are among the first to submit your materials. This timing often determines whether your application receives a thorough review or gets lost in a large queue. You can also improve your chances by reaching out to the recruiters behind the company roles directly to ask about the position or a potential referral. Intern Insider surfaces these specific contacts for you, which helps you bypass the standard portal and materially improves your response rates. Connecting with a human at the Committee for Public Counsel Services shows genuine interest and helps you stand out from the crowd.
