The Public Policy Litigation and Law Department of Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) seeks second- and third-year law student externs for its New York and Washington, D.C. offices for the fall 2023 semester. The externship is a part-time position that lasts throughout the academic semester.
PPFA conducts impact litigation in courts across the country and has been lead or co-counsel in nearly every reproductive rights case to have reached the Supreme Court over the past thirty years. PPFA also provides strategic legal advice on legislation in Congress and state legislatures and on regulatory issues at the national, state, and local levels.
Our litigation docket includes challenges to laws and policies that restrict Planned Parenthood patients’ access to abortion, contraception, and other comprehensive reproductive health services. The cases we bring are designed to protect patients’ constitutional and statutory rights and expand their access to reproductive health services, and to protect providers of those services from discrimination. Externs can expect to work closely with PPFA attorneys on a wide variety of litigation- and policy-related responsibilities, including legal research and analysis; drafting memoranda, affidavits, briefs, talking points, and informational backgrounders; factual development for ongoing or developing litigation; and communicating with clients and coalition partners.
The externship is open to second- and third-year law students. Successful applicants will have excellent research and writing skills, enthusiasm for working with both litigation- and policy-focused attorneys, a demonstrated commitment to social justice, and a strong interest in reproductive rights and justice, health law, racial and economic justice, and/or public interest law more generally.
Applicants are encouraged to seek external funding for the externship. However, if an applicant is
unable to secure funding, PPFA may be able to provide funding.
Interested applicants should submit a cover letter explaining their relevant experience and interest in externing for PPFA, a resume, a writing sample, and a law school transcript (either an official or an
unofficial transcript is acceptable). Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.
Applicants should submit their application using the following link:
https://jobs.lever.co/ppfa/be704011-d79c-49b7-80bb-4a74486229f4/apply
Contact Information: Reilly Johnson, Paralegal, reilly.johnson@ppfa.org