Summer 2021 Volunteer Opportunity for Law Students

*As of March 19, 2021, we are no longer accepting applications for our summer intern/extern program. Please check back in early summer for Fall semester opportunities.*

Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS) Seeks Applicants for the Summer 2021 Virtual Volunteer Program for Law Students

This volunteer program provides the opportunity to strengthen legal research and writing skills, gain in-depth knowledge of civil legal issues, and learn more about access to justice and pro bono work in Tennessee. Participants can expect to produce meaningful work, to receive personalized feedback on every assignment, and to interact with attorneys at TALS and partner organizations across the state.

Volunteers can expect to gain experience working with all of TALS’ programs, including the civil legal helpline and TN Free Legal Answers. Each participant will produce blog posts for HELP4TN.org, provide research and write drafts for attorneys volunteering through TN Free Legal Answers, and develop written resources for TALS’ legal helpline attorneys, as well as assist with ongoing projects throughout the summer. TALS will work with each student to create a meaningful work plan for the summer.

All participants will work remotely. TALS is developing a professional development and networking series for all program participants. Students will have the opportunity to hear from, and meet with, leaders from across the state through the weekly video or phone conference sessions. These calls will provide a check-in for all participants as well as a featured speaker(s) and discussion. Volunteers will also be invited to the attend TALS Board of Directors meeting in June.

This is a part-time program. Volunteers will work with TALS to set to an average hour-per-week commitment, but this commitment and scheduling is flexible. For example, some students may commit to an average of 8 hours of volunteer work per week while some may commit to 15 hours of volunteer work per week. Most projects will be completed independently with a deadline set by TALS. All volunteers are expected to attend weekly check-in calls with the volunteer team and supervisor.

This program is unpaid but TALS will work with students to secure academic credit or pro bono graduation credit. 

Interested candidates should send a resume and cover letter to Kirsten Jacobson at kjacobson@tals.org. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until all program spots are filled.