The Southern Environmental Law Center is now accepting applications for summer legal interns, a paid opportunity for second-year law students for the summer of 2026. Applications are due by October 1, 2025.

About the Southern Environmental Law Center   

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, and is headquartered in Charlottesville, VA, with offices in Asheville, Atlanta, Birmingham, Chapel Hill, Charleston, Nashville, Richmond, and Washington, DC.

Learn more at https://www.southernenvironment.org/.

Primary Responsibilities

SELC’s summer legal internship program provides second-year law students with a unique opportunity to join a highly successful, nationally recognized organization that is effectively addressing some of the most pressing and challenging environmental issues throughout the South and the nation. Legal interns will 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. Depending on the focus area, interns may conduct research on federal and state environmental statutes and regulations, as well as procedural and evidentiary issues.
• Participating in hearings, strategy sessions, client meetings, site visits, and/or depositions.
• 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. For more information on SELC’s docket and priorities, visit our website.

Logistics

• Locations: Asheville, NC; Atlanta, GA; Birmingham, AL; Chapel Hill, NC; Charleston, SC; Charlottesville, VA; Nashville, TN; and Washington, DC.
• Work Model: SELC offers a hybrid work model, requiring a minimum of three days per week in the office, with additional days as needed to support program needs.
• Duration: 10 weeks (40 hours per week), beginning May 26, 2026.
• Compensation: $9,000 for the summer ($900 per week for 10 weeks). SELC does not reduce this amount for additional funding received by interns from other sources. Interns based in our Washington, DC office are also eligible for a cost-of-living supplement.

Qualifications

We value the diverse paths and backgrounds that lead applicants to pursue this position, and we expect candidates to offer a variety of the following attributes and experiences:

• Second-year law student in good standing at an ABA-accredited law school.
• Strong academic record, demonstrated through law school and/or other postgraduate coursework.
• Excellent legal research and writing skills.
• Interest in environmental law. Commitment to a career in public interest is a plus.
• Ability to manage multiple assignments, communicate effectively with colleagues, and incorporate feedback.
• A genuine interest in and commitment to helping SELC create and foster an equitable and inclusive workplace that reflects the rich racial and cultural diversity of our region.

 To Apply 

Applicants must submit the following materials via the online application portal by October 1, 2025:

• Cover letter (Required: please indicate the office locations you are interested in applying to, ranked in order of preference)
• Resume
• Writing sample
• Law school transcript (with date of birth and social security number redacted)
• Names and contact information for three academic or professional references

If you need an accommodation or have any questions or concerns about this posting or the structure of the internship program, please contact hiring@selcva.org.