Serving Clients in the Second Circuit and the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York
Investigator-Interns
Investigative Internship—Unpaid
Federal Defenders of New York Investigator Internship: Program Overview
Federal Defenders of New York is currently accepting applications for summer interns to work in our Investigative Unit within our offices located in the Eastern (Brooklyn & Central Islip) and Southern (Manhattan & White Plains) Districts of New York. This internship is available to recent graduates, as well as active graduate and undergraduate students alike, allowing all students to obtain valuable work experience and exposure for those who are interested in the areas of criminal defense law, direct service, social work and social justice.
Though this is an unpaid internship, interns that are a part of the Investigator Internship program will receive guidance, direction, and professional advice from one of FDNY’s professional staff members during their time with us. Applicants to our program should be highly motivated and contemplating careers within the criminal justice space. Additionally, in reflection of the population of clients we serve and communities that they come from, we value and seek interns that hold a wide and diverse range of experiences, including various cultural, academic backgrounds and perspectives.
Investigator Internship Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Under the direct supervision of the Chief Investigator, summer interns will work as a part of the legal team to represent clients accused of federal crimes. Caseloads may be comprised of, but are not limited to bank robbery, drug trafficking, firearm possession, fraud, immigration-related offenses, and internet-related crimes including child pornography.
For this role no prior experience is required, as training will be provided. Although your days as an intern will vary, the primary responsibilities and duties include, but are not limited to:
Assisting with completing reports and correspondence for courts and other stakeholders
Review and analysis of police reports, digital forensics, social media research, open-source research, as well as analyze and create discovery indexes and digests.
Help case teams plan strategies, prep for trials & hearings, and attend court proceedings.
Obtain court records, witness statements, surveillance videos and draft subpoenas.
Participation in field investigations, client interactions, and perform other duties as assigned.
The Investigator Internship is an unpaid 12-week program that begins in the summer 2025. In the role, interns must maintain a minimum commitment of two days a week, for 16 hours a week in-person.
Who you are & how to apply
Interested candidates should be individuals who are committed to the mission of FDNY. We are looking for students with a passion for working with the underprivileged and the marginalized. The ideal intern is an individual who is able to maintain a professional appearance and demeanor, demonstrates initiative, critical thinking, flexible in adapting to changes that present in the work, exhibits good time management and organizational skills, maintains confidentiality, demonstrates strong communication skills, displays compassion, patience and sensitivity. Interns must also possess the ability to work independently and collaboratively with a team.
Other qualifications include:
A bachelor’s degree or higher or must actively be in pursuit of one
A basic understanding of Microsoft Systems (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
A New York City resident or in location by the start of the internship
Passion and desire to gain substantive exposure to criminal defense law and direct service work
To apply, interested candidates must submit a brief writing sample using one of the prompts below and submit it, along with their resume and cover letter by the deadline of February 2, 2025 to, https://airtable.com/appDMXVXy1CPvWJVB/shrbKVXbsyyNxN3eE
The prompts are:
What motivates you to advocate for marginalized groups and communities within the criminal justice space/system?
Describe a current event or a personal experience that has shaped your understanding of the challenges faced by individuals involved in the criminal justice system. How has this situation shaped your view of the criminal justice system overall?
Once the deadline of February 2, 2025, has passed, the acceptance of applications will be closed. Candidates of interest will receive communications from FDNY on next steps regarding the interview process.
Who are we?
We are the Federal Defenders of New York. It is our mission to provide the highest-quality representation to our clients by drawing upon the collective skill, dedication, and passion of our team. As an organization, we strongly believe in collaboration, and that is what allows us to show up at our best to defend indigent persons who have been charged with federal crimes—free of cost. The majority of the clients we serve come from underprivileged and marginalized communities.
FDNY is a nonprofit organization, independent from the Judiciary, that is committed to equal justice and fights vigorously for those who have been accused of crimes. We believe that what we do matters. That is why we subscribe to a client-centered approach to legal representation. As an agency, we are a collective of information technology specialists, interpreters, investigators, lawyers, paralegals, social workers, as well as other experts and administrative support staff—devoted to serving our clients with zeal within the Second Circuit, Eastern & Southern Districts of New York. Recognizing the frequent injustices within the legal system, we use our positional privilege to not only fight for our clients as individuals, but also as an opportunity to advocate for public policies that will benefit our clients in creating meaningful and the much-needed change within the system. For more information about our office, please visit our website at www.federaldefendersny.org.