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Legal Internship Summer 2026

Internship Description

Position: Legal Intern   

Location: The Tribone Center, 914 Fifth Ave Pittsburgh PA  

Time commitment: 35-40 hrs/wk for 10 weeks 

About us:  The Pennsylvania Innocence Project is a non-profit law firm seeking to exonerate those convicted of crimes they did not commit and to prevent innocent people from being convicted. The Pennsylvania Innocence Project also seeks to raise awareness about issues within the justice system, along with advocating for the convicted innocent. The Project operates out of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. 

Description:  Summer legal interns assist the Project staff in identifying, investigating, and litigating cases of possible wrongful convictions in Pennsylvania.  The interns will each be assigned a case for which they will conduct an in-depth review of all documents, including trial transcripts, appellate materials, and discovery materials. The focus of the review is on whether the incarcerated individual is factually innocent, but also involves trying to determine whether evidence may exist to submit in court. Interns will prepare an “Investigative Report” regarding their findings, which is a lengthy memo of twenty to over one hundred pages.  In appropriate cases, the intern will present the case to a committee of the Project’s board for potential acceptance by the Project. Interns are expected to complete their case work in person and attend weekly meetings with staff members.

Summer interns will also have the opportunity to correspond with incarcerated individuals; perform legal research; hear from guest speakers; and assist the Project’s attorneys with drafting briefs and motions. 

Qualifications:  

• Currently enrolled in law school 
• Self-motivated, detail-oriented, and strong organizational skills 
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills 
• Exceptional critical thinking skills 
• Ability to apply coherent reasoning to arrive at logical conclusions 
• Ability to remain objective when analyzing large quantities of evidence 
• Strong interest in criminal justice 
• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite 
• Minimum GPA of 3.0 

Compensation: The position is unpaid, but the Project is an eligible off-campus work study employer with several schools, and many of our interns have also been able to secure public interest fellowship funding. Interns can also receive academic credit if available through their school.

To Apply: Please apply by January 1, 2026

The Pennsylvania Innocence Project is an equal opportunity employer. The Project does not discriminate in the selection of employees on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, sexual identity, age, national origin, disability, or veteran status. 

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