2Ls: Paid Internships with Southern Environmental Law Center (Nashville & Birmingham)

The Southern Environmental Law Center is accepting applications for summer legal interns in our Nashville, TN and Birmingham, AL offices. This paid opportunity is open to second-year law students for the summer of 2026. Applications are due by October 31, 2025. Applicants who previously applied to these offices remain under consideration and do not need to reapply.

The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) is one of the nation’s most powerful defenders of the environment, rooted in the South. With a long track record, SELC takes on the toughest environmental challenges in court, in government, and in our communities to protect our region’s air, water, climate, wildlife, lands, and people. Nonprofit and nonpartisan, the organization has a staff of over 200, including more than 130 legal and policy experts. At our core, we are place-based, rooted in our region, and connected with the communities and clients we serve. We believe in an equitable and inclusive workplace that reflects the rich racial and cultural diversity of our region and allows diverse perspectives to come to the forefront.

SELC’s summer legal internship program provides second-year law students with a unique opportunity to address critical environmental challenges such as climate change, environmental justice, clean energy, healthy air, transportation and land use, clean water, wetlands and coasts, and forest protection.

Interns will engage in a variety of projects, such as research and writing related to litigation and other forms of environmental advocacy; participating in hearings, strategy sessions, client meetings, site visits, and/or depositions; and engaging in environmental policy discussions with government officials and community groups. Interns also attend internal legal team meetings, specialized weekly training sessions, and group outings such as hikes or canoe trips.

If you’re passionate about using the power of the law to protect the people and places of the South, we encourage you to apply! For any questions, please feel free to reach out to us at hiring@selc.org.