Student Internships

Immigration, Housing & Community Advocacy in Massachusetts

Are you interested in immigrant rights, housing justice, and civil legal aid in Massachusetts? The Asian Outreach Center at Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) offers hands-on internships for students who want to make a real impact in Asian American communities across Greater Boston.

The Asian Outreach Center is a leading hub for Asian Americans in Massachusetts seeking legal help and community support. Using a movement lawyering model, we combine direct legal services with community organizing and policy advocacy to address structural racism and expand access to justice.

We work closely with communities in Boston neighborhoods like Chinatown and Dorchester, and we support statewide Asian American advocacy networks.

What We Do

Asian Outreach represents individuals, families, and community groups in civil legal matters, including:

• Immigration and deportation defense
• Housing instability and tenant displacement
• Workers’ rights and wage theft
• Access to public benefits
• Language access in voting, education, and public housing
• Protection against anti-Asian violence

Current projects include:

• Defending Southeast Asian refugees and immigrants facing deportation
• Representing tenants fighting displacement in Chinatown and Dorchester
• Educating nail salon workers about their legal rights
• Supporting small businesses to strengthen community stability
• Protecting the rights of undocumented immigrants

We believe strong communities build lasting change. Our work centers on empowerment, cross-cultural collaboration, and multiracial social justice.

What You’ll Do as an Intern

Asian Outreach internships provide real-world experience in immigration law, housing law, poverty law, and civil legal aid in Massachusetts.

As an intern, you may:

• Participate in community-based outreach and intake
• Interview clients and assist with case preparation
• Support legal research and writing
• Help develop educational materials and community resources
• Observe or assist with representation and advocacy efforts

You’ll gain practical legal skills while working alongside experienced public interest attorneys committed to immigrant justice and community power.

Who Should Apply

We welcome Legal Students and Undergraduate students interested in:

• Immigration law
• Housing justice
• Civil rights and racial justice
• Community lawyering
• Public interest and nonprofit legal careers

Language skills in Cantonese, Vietnamese, Khmer, or Mandarin are a plus, but not required.

Civil Legal Aid

Are you a law student interested in housing law, public benefits, and poverty law in Massachusetts? The Cambridge & Somerville Legal Services (CASLS) office of Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) offers hands-on internships focused on civil legal aid in Greater Boston.

CASLS provides free legal assistance to low-income residents of Cambridge and Somerville. Our work centers on protecting housing stability, income security, disability rights, and access to essential benefits.

This internship is open to law students only.

What You’ll Work On

As a CASLS intern, you’ll engage in all aspects of case handling and client advocacy. You will gain practical experience in:

• Interviewing clients
• Conducting legal and factual research
• Drafting legal documents and written advocacy
• Negotiating with opposing parties
• Representing clients at administrative hearings and court proceedings (where appropriate)

You may also contribute to broader systemic reform projects, including research and writing aimed at improving policies that affect low-income communities across Massachusetts.

Practice Areas

CASLS focuses on civil legal issues that directly impact health, housing, and financial stability, including:

• Housing law (evictions, subsidized housing denials or terminations)
• State and federal public benefits
• Elder law and poverty-related issues affecting seniors
• Mental health and disability rights for adults and children

Through this work, you’ll see firsthand how civil legal aid protects families from eviction, preserves access to income and healthcare, and supports people with disabilities and older adults.

Who Should Apply

This internship is ideal for law students interested in:

• Housing law and eviction defense
• Public benefits advocacy
• Disability rights and elder law
• Poverty law and systemic reform
• Public interest and legal services careers in Massachusetts

At CASLS, you won’t just observe — you’ll actively contribute to meaningful legal work that strengthens communities in Cambridge, Somerville, and beyond.

Foreclosure Prevention, Debt Defense & Consumer Protection in Massachusetts

Are you a law student interested in consumer protection, foreclosure defense, or debt collection law in Massachusetts? The Consumer Rights Unit at Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) offers hands-on internships focused on protecting low-income consumers across Greater Boston.

This internship is open to law students only.

Our unit fights unfair and abusive financial practices that threaten housing stability and financial security. We represent individuals and families facing foreclosure, debt collection lawsuits, coerced debt, bankruptcy, and other consumer law issues.

What We Do

The Consumer Rights Unit works on both individual cases and systemic reform, including:

• Foreclosure prevention for homeowners
• Defense in debt collection cases
• Addressing coerced debt and identity-related financial abuse
• Bankruptcy advocacy
• Affirmative litigation under fair debt collection laws
• Impact litigation and policy advocacy
• Legislative and community outreach in low-income communities, particularly communities of color

We also operate a Debt Collection Lawyer for the Day Project, representing consumers in small claims sessions in the Roxbury, East Boston, and Chelsea District Courts.

Law students certified under Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Rule 3:03 may represent clients in Clerk-Magistrate hearings.

What You’ll Do as an Intern

As a Consumer Rights intern, you will gain direct experience in civil litigation and client advocacy. Responsibilities may include:

• Conducting client intake and case screening
• Assisting with the Lawyer for the Day program
• Reviewing court documents and financial records
• Conducting factual investigations
• Performing legal research and drafting memoranda
• Assisting with pleadings and litigation materials
• Developing educational resources for consumers
• Participating in legislative and community advocacy efforts

You’ll work alongside experienced public interest attorneys who are committed to protecting families from foreclosure, stopping unfair debt practices, and advancing economic justice in Massachusetts.

Who Should Apply

This internship is ideal for law students interested in:

• Consumer protection law
• Civil litigation and courtroom advocacy
• Housing and foreclosure defense
• Economic justice and racial equity
• Public interest legal careers in Boston and Massachusetts

At GBLS, you won’t just study consumer law — you’ll help defend real clients facing urgent financial crises and contribute to broader efforts to create fairer systems.

Criminal Record Sealing, Racial Justice & Community Advocacy in Massachusetts

Are you a law student interested in racial justice, criminal record sealing, and reentry advocacy in Massachusetts? Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) is seeking law student interns to help individuals overcome barriers caused by past criminal records.

This internship is open to law students only.

Communities of color — particularly in Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan — are disproportionately impacted by mass incarceration and racial disparities in the criminal legal system. A criminal record can prevent people from securing housing, employment, professional licenses, and other essential opportunities.

Our work focuses on removing those barriers and advancing systemic reform.

What We Do

We represent individuals seeking to:

• Seal or clear their Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI)
• Overcome barriers to housing and employment
• Access occupational licensing opportunities
• Address discrimination linked to criminal record history

In addition to direct representation, we engage in:

• Clemency advocacy
• Juvenile justice reform
• Addressing racial profiling and “driving while Black” issues
• Legislative campaigns to reform laws that perpetuate racial inequity and poverty
• Systemic law reform and impact advocacy

We work closely with community coalitions and grassroots partners across Boston.

What You’ll Do as an Intern

As a CORI & Reentry intern, you will gain hands-on experience in civil and post-conviction advocacy. Responsibilities may include:

• Conducting client intake interviews
• Drafting motions and other legal documents
• Performing legal research and writing
• Representing clients in sealing hearings (if certified under Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Rule 3:03)
• Assisting attorneys in court proceedings
• Staffing CORI help tables in Roxbury and Dorchester courts
• Supporting appeals and systemic reform projects
• Participating in community outreach events
• Assisting with legislative advocacy efforts

This internship provides meaningful courtroom exposure and the opportunity to work directly with clients seeking a second chance.

Who Should Apply

This internship is ideal for law students interested in:

• Criminal record sealing and reentry law
• Racial justice and civil rights advocacy
• Legislative reform and policy change
• Community-based legal services
• Public interest law careers in Boston and Massachusetts

Work-Study funding is available for Northeastern University School of Law students.

At GBLS, you’ll help remove legal barriers that stand between individuals and economic opportunity — and contribute to broader efforts to dismantle systemic racism in Massachusetts.

Public Benefits, Disability Rights & Education Justice in Massachusetts

Are you interested in elder law, disability rights, public benefits, or education justice in Massachusetts? Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) offers hands-on internships across several practice areas that protect access to health care, income, housing, and education for low-income families, elders, and people with disabilities across Greater Boston.

These internships combine direct client advocacy with opportunities for systemic reform and policy change. They are designed for law students, but may be open to undergraduates during the Summer Term.

Elder Law Internship

Housing Stability, Public Benefits & Elder Justice

Work with older adults facing urgent legal challenges, including:

• Evictions and housing instability
• Discharge from nursing homes
• Denial or termination of MassHealth and other public benefits
• Department of Transitional Assistance hearings
• Elder abuse and quality-of-life issues

Students will:

• Interview clients
• Conduct legal and factual research
• Develop evidence for administrative hearings
• Represent clients in agency hearings (when eligible)
• Participate in legislative and administrative advocacy

You’ll work on both individual cases and broader systemic reform efforts that strengthen protections for elders across Massachusetts.

Health & Disability Law Internship

MassHealth, Social Security & Access to Care

Help protect access to health care and income for individuals with disabilities and low-income families.

This work includes:

• Social Security disability claims before the Office of Hearing Operations
• MassHealth coverage denials and terminations
• Appeals before the Office of Medicaid
• Health Care Reform access and tax penalty issues
• Affordable Care Act implementation in Massachusetts

Students may:

• Interview clients and prepare cases for administrative hearings
• Appear at hearings in certain circumstances
• Conduct legal research and draft memoranda
• Work with agencies such as the Office of Medicaid and the Health Connector
• Support community advocacy around access to care

Fluency in a second language, especially Spanish, is a plus.

Children’s Disability Project (CDP)

SSI Benefits & Federal Appeals for Children

The Children’s Disability Project represents children under 18 with disabilities in Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disputes with the Social Security Administration.

Student responsibilities include:

• Client interviews and factual investigation
• Gathering medical and educational evidence
• Legal research and brief writing
• Preparing cases for administrative hearings
• Potential hearing appearances
• Assisting in federal court appeals

This internship offers strong training in administrative law, disability law, and federal litigation.

Medicare Advocacy Project

Navigating Medicare for Elders & People with Disabilities

Work directly with elders and individuals with disabilities to help them access and understand Medicare.

Students may:

• Conduct client interviews
• Develop cases involving coverage, enrollment, and premium disputes
• Perform legal and factual research
• Draft educational materials for beneficiaries
• Provide advice and representation

You’ll gain experience working with complex federal benefit systems and supporting vulnerable populations.

School-to-Prison Pipeline Project

Education Justice & Racial Equity in Massachusetts

This project works to keep children in school and disrupt racial disparities in school discipline — particularly for Black and Latinx students and students with disabilities.

Student interns may:

• Conduct client intake interviews
• Review school discipline and special education records
• Attend school discipline hearings and IEP meetings
• Conduct legal research and draft advocacy materials
• Meet with medical and behavioral health providers
• Assist with case development and representation
• Participate in coalition meetings and systemic advocacy

Fluency in a second language, especially Spanish, is a plus.

Who Should Apply

These internships are ideal for Law students interested in:

• Elder law and public benefits
• Disability rights and Social Security law
• Health care access and Medicaid advocacy
• Education justice and racial equity
• Administrative law and systemic reform
• Public interest careers in Boston and Massachusetts

At GBLS, you won’t just observe — you’ll work directly with clients and communities facing urgent legal challenges. You’ll gain practical experience while helping protect housing, health care, education access, and economic stability for families across Massachusetts.

Domestic Violence Advocacy & Custody Representation in Massachusetts

Are you a law student interested in family law, domestic violence advocacy, or courtroom litigation in Massachusetts? The Family Law Unit at Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) represents survivors of domestic abuse in high-stakes custody and protection order cases across Greater Boston.

Our work takes place in the Probate and Family Courts in Suffolk, Middlesex, and Norfolk Counties, as well as in District Courts throughout our service area.

What We Do

The Family Law Unit provides free legal services to survivors of domestic abuse who are facing:

• Contested child custody disputes
• Abuse prevention (“restraining”) orders
• Ongoing safety and stability concerns in family court

In addition to individual representation, the Unit engages in systemic advocacy in both the trial courts and the Massachusetts Legislature to improve legal protections and access to justice for survivors.

What You’ll Do as an Intern

Interns work directly with survivors and are involved in all aspects of case handling. You may:

• Conduct client interviews
• Perform legal research and draft memoranda
• Prepare pleadings and discovery documents
• Assist in trial and hearing preparation
• Participate in strategic case planning
• Engage in courtroom advocacy (if certified under Massachusetts SJC Rule 3:03)

This internship offers hands-on litigation experience in family courts, including exposure to evidentiary hearings and trial preparation.

Systemic Advocacy Opportunities

Interns may also contribute to broader reform efforts aimed at improving how courts respond to domestic violence survivors. Opportunities may include:

• Supporting legislative campaigns
• Assisting with court practice reform initiatives
• Contributing to continuing legal education (CLE) efforts
• Participating in community outreach
• Working on one of the Unit’s specialized projects

Preferred Qualifications

• SJC Rule 3:03 student attorney certification preferred
• Fluency in a language other than English is strongly valued
• Interest in domestic violence law, family litigation, or survivor advocacy

Work-study funding is available.

This internship is for law students seeking meaningful courtroom experience while standing alongside survivors navigating some of the most critical legal moments of their lives.

Eviction Defense & Affordable Housing Advocacy in Massachusetts

Are you a law student interested in housing law, eviction defense, or affordable housing policy in Massachusetts? The Housing Unit at Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) offers hands-on litigation and advocacy experience focused on preserving housing stability for low-income individuals and families across Greater Boston.

Housing is the foundation for health, safety, and economic security. Our work protects tenants from displacement and strengthens affordable housing in Boston-area communities.

What We Do

The Housing Unit represents:

• Tenants facing eviction
• Tenants at risk of losing housing subsidies or public housing benefits
• Tenants seeking to seal past eviction records
• Organized tenant groups working to preserve and improve their housing
• Homeless families seeking placement or retention in the Emergency Assistance Shelter system

We combine direct representation with legislative advocacy, housing policy reform, and community organizing to increase access to safe, stable, and affordable housing.

What You’ll Do as an Intern

Interns work closely with Housing Unit attorneys and advocates in a fast-paced, collaborative environment. You may:

• Interview clients facing eviction or housing instability
• Draft motions, pleadings, and other legal documents
• Represent clients at administrative hearings
• Appear in court (if certified under Massachusetts SJC Rule 3:03)
• Assist with eviction record sealing cases
• Draft legislation and research housing policy issues
• Attend and help lead community meetings
• Participate in media outreach and public education efforts
• Engage in community organizing initiatives
• Meet with clients in court and community settings

This internship offers meaningful courtroom experience and exposure to systemic housing reform efforts in Massachusetts.

Who Should Apply

This internship is ideal for law students interested in:

• Housing law and eviction defense
• Public benefits and subsidy preservation
• Homelessness prevention
• Tenant organizing and community lawyering
• Legislative advocacy and housing policy
• Public interest legal careers in Boston and Massachusetts

The Housing Unit is a collegial, mission-driven team where interns learn by doing — gaining practical litigation skills while helping families stay in their homes.

Asylum, Humanitarian Relief & Immigrant Protection in Massachusetts

Are you a law student interested in immigration law, asylum representation, or protecting survivors of violence? The Immigration Unit at Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) provides direct representation to immigrants before:

• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
• Immigration Court (EOIR)
• The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA)
• The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit

We focus on serving individuals seeking humanitarian protection, including asylum seekers, survivors of domestic violence, and unaccompanied minors.

What We Do

The Immigration Unit represents clients in a wide range of immigration matters, with particular emphasis on:

• Asylum and protection-based claims
• Self-petitions under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
• U visa applications for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and other violent crimes
• Protection for unaccompanied immigrant children

Our work centers on safety, stability, and long-term legal status for vulnerable immigrants across Massachusetts.

What You’ll Do as an Intern

Law student interns work closely with clients and attorneys throughout the life of a case. Responsibilities may include:

• Preparing asylum applications and supporting declarations
• Assisting with VAWA self-petitions and U visa applications
• Conducting client interviews
• Researching country conditions and human rights documentation
• Drafting legal memoranda and court filings
• Supporting appeals before the BIA or First Circuit

This internship offers meaningful one-on-one client interaction and exposure to both administrative and federal court advocacy.

Preferred Qualifications

• Language ability in Spanish, French, or Haitian Creole strongly preferred
• Coursework or prior experience in immigration law helpful, but not required
• Strong interest in humanitarian immigration and public interest law

This internship is ideal for law students who want direct client experience while helping individuals seek safety and legal protection in the United States.

Tax Controversy & Economic Justice in Massachusetts

Interested in tax law, economic justice, or representing low-income clients in disputes with the IRS? The Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) at Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS), part of the Workers’ Rights Unit, offers hands-on experience in tax controversy and advocacy.

The LITC represents low-income individuals in tax disputes before federal and state tax agencies, including the IRS and the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. We also conduct community outreach and education to help families access critical tax credits and prevent tax-related financial crises.

What We Do

The LITC focuses on:

• Representation in IRS audits and tax disputes
• Tax debt relief and collection defense
• Innocent spouse claims
• Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and other refundable tax credit issues
• Outreach and education in low-income communities
• Systemic advocacy to improve tax administration and access to services

Through direct representation and policy advocacy, we help clients stabilize their finances and protect their income.

What You’ll Do as an Intern

Law student interns in the LITC may:

• Interview clients with pending IRS or state tax issues
• Review tax records and financial documents
• Conduct legal research and draft memoranda
• Assist with administrative appeals and negotiations
• Support outreach and educational initiatives
• Contribute to systemic reform efforts

Students may apply specifically for an LITC-focused internship. Workers’ Rights Unit interns may also have the opportunity to engage in tax-related work, if interested.

Language Skills

For both the Workers’ Rights Unit and the LITC, fluency in Spanish, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Cantonese, Mandarin, or Vietnamese is helpful but not required.

Who Should Apply

This internship is open to law students interested in:

• Tax controversy and IRS representation
• Economic justice and anti-poverty advocacy
• Administrative law
• Public interest legal careers in Boston and Massachusetts

At GBLS, you’ll use tax law as a tool to protect income, promote stability, and advance economic equity for families across Greater Boston.

Open to Law Students Only

The Welfare Law Unit (WLU) uses a client-centered and trauma-informed approach to represent individuals and families in cases involving benefits administered by two state agencies: the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) and the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC). Individual cases often involve unlawful denial or termination of cash assistance, SNAP (food stamps), and childcare benefits. We also represent clients who cannot access benefits due to barriers including disability, language and domestic violence. Law students must be prepared to work with clients who face multiple barriers, including domestic violence, disabilities, limited English proficiency, limited education and literacy, housing instability, immigrant status issues, and the challenges of the low wage work market.  

The WLU also engages in many forms of systemic advocacy, which is informed by our individual cases.  We use our systemic advocacy to make the welfare system more accessible and to defend against efforts to attack welfare benefits.

Law students in the WLU work directly with clients, and may have opportunities to support systemic advocacy as well. Courses in Administrative Law and Welfare Law are helpful but not required. Language capacity (especially Spanish and Haitian Creole) is helpful but not required.

Workplace Justice, Wage Theft & Economic Equity in Massachusetts

Open to Law Students Only
Accepting Applications for Summer Term Only

Are you a law student interested in employment law, wage theft, or workplace justice in Massachusetts? The Workers’ Rights Unit at Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) offers a hands-on summer internship focused on advancing the rights and economic security of low-wage workers across Greater Boston.

Our unit combines direct representation, impact litigation, and policy advocacy to protect workers from exploitation and abuse.

What We Work On

The Workers’ Rights Unit addresses a wide range of workplace justice issues, including:

• Unemployment benefits appeals
• Wage theft and unpaid wages
• Paid sick leave and paid family & medical leave
• Workplace retaliation and discrimination
• Injured workers’ rights
• Labor-related immigration protections, including U and T visas for survivors of workplace crimes and labor trafficking

We partner with grassroots worker organizations and community groups to support collective advocacy and push for systemic change at the legislative and administrative levels.

What You’ll Do as an Intern

Law student interns participate in all aspects of the Unit’s work, including:

• Assisting with direct client representation
• Conducting legal research and writing
• Supporting litigation strategy (individual, group, and class action cases)
• Helping prepare cases for hearings
• Engaging in community outreach and worker education
• Contributing to systemic legislative and policy advocacy

Full-time summer interns may have the opportunity to represent a client in an unemployment benefits appeal hearing. These hearings function as a “mini-trial,” giving interns valuable experience in:

• Client preparation
• Legal and factual analysis
• Direct and cross-examination
• Oral advocacy

Who Should Apply

This internship is ideal for law students interested in:

• Employment and labor law
• Wage and hour litigation
• Immigrant worker rights
• Economic justice and racial equity
• Public interest legal careers in Boston and Massachusetts

At GBLS, you won’t just study employment law — you’ll stand alongside workers fighting for fair pay, safe workplaces, and economic stability.