ACLU-TN Law Clerk Program

The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee (ACLU-TN) is dedicated to translating the guarantees of the Bill of Rights into realities for all Tennesseans. The principles ACLU-TN fights for include: the right to free speech and expression; the right to freely practice any religion or no religion; the right to equal treatment, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, disability, or sexual orientation; the right to reproductive freedom; and the right to privacy. Underlying these principles is the most fundamental freedom of all: the right to be left alone and conduct one's life free from government input or intrusion.

ACLU-TN hires law clerks year-round. Summer clerks are expected to work full time, while hours during the academic year are flexible. Law clerks working at ACLU-TN gain hands-on experience in the full range of civil liberties and constitutional rights cases. Students are involved in research and preparation of legal memoranda, fact investigations, client and witness interviews, discovery, pre-trial motions, handling of expert witnesses, as well as accompanying lawyers at court appearances. Law clerks have the opportunity to work closely with the staff attorney, cooperating attorneys around the state, and attorneys at the national offices of the ACLU in New York and Washington, DC.

Due to ACLU-TN's limited resources, all law clerk positions are unpaid. Students are encouraged to apply for Public Interest Law Foundation Grants or other grants and to investigate work-study options as alternative sources of compensation. ACLU-TN will also assist law clerks in obtaining academic credit for internships at their law schools (when available).

Applications will not be considered without a cover letter and writing sample. Applications may be mailed to:

ACLU-TN
Attn: Law Clerk Program
P. O. Box 120160
Nashville, TN 37212

If you have any questions, please call (615) 320-7142.

In addition to Law Clerk positions in the ACLU of Tennessee office described above, we currently have an opening for a Summer Law Clerk position with the ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender & AIDS Project. For more information about this position, please click here.