Placement Description:

Pine Tree Legal Assistance is a statewide, non-profit organization committed to providing high quality, free, civil legal assistance to low-income people in Maine. Pine Tree advocates to help Maine’s most vulnerable residents overcome pressing problems of everyday life – domestic and sexual violence, homelessness, economic insecurity, financial exploitation, and more. Pine Tree is committed to access to justice for all Mainers, maintaining six offices throughout the state.

Student externs at Pine Tree work with attorneys and advocates to respond to the varied needs of low-income clients. The externship is a great introduction to public interest law. Student responsibilities include client intake, outreach, client communication, case management, legal research, records review, legal writing, and other case work. Students may have the opportunity to observe staff in administrative and court proceedings.

The externship may be in person, hybrid, or remote depending on unit and location. The externship is unpaid. Students may apply for full or part time.

Practice Areas:

Pine Tree is open to hosting externs in the following practice groups:

  • Family Law and Victims’ Rights (Augusta in person or hybrid, Lewiston in person or hybrid)
  • Housing and Benefits (Portland in person, Lewiston in person or hybrid)
  • Consumer (Portland in person or hybrid, Augusta in person or hybrid, or fully remote)

More information about Pine Tree, including areas of practice, can be found on our website, https://ptla.org.  Students should indicate their preferred practice area(s), location(s), and whether in person/hybrid/remote in their cover letter. 

Placement Supervisor:

Students will be assigned to a supervising attorney within their designated practice area.

To Apply:

Pine Tree is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all staff and volunteers. We encourage applications from people with diverse backgrounds, including women, Black, indigenous, and people of color, people who identify as LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, immigrants, and people who have experienced poverty or homelessness.

Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis. Applicants should send a resume and cover letter (including desired practice area(s), location(s), whether in person/hybrid/remote, and hours per week) to:

Shannon Karam
she/her/hers
Director of Pro Bono Services
Pine Tree Legal Assistance
skaram@ptla.org