By participating in internships in the field of law, students can incorporate classroom concepts in a work environment, enhance their legal skills and increase their marketability. Internships also give students a means to experiment with a number of fields, gain experience in a chosen field, evaluate potential employers, explore career options, enhance individual networks, build resumes and develop skills.
Past internship providers include:
- Alliance for Justice
- Amnesty International
- International Monetary Fund
- World Bank
- The Nature Conservancy
- INTELSAT
- Inter-American Development Bank
- United Nations High Commission for Refugees
- American-Arab Anti- Discrimination Committee
- Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights
- Center for International Environmental Law
- Office of the Public Defender
Students may pursue an internship for academic credit or simply for the experience. Internships for credit must be pre-approved by the ILSP internship coordinator. Students can earn one credit hour for each 70 hours of supervised internship experience. Students may earn up to six total credit hours for internships or independent study combined. The compensation for any given internship is determined by the preferences of the organization and the student involved. Further information can be found on our the internship contract.
Students can also use the ILSP’s password protected online database of internships, tailored to meet the needs and requirements of ILSP students.
NOTE: The ILSP staff does not select or place interns. Internships are awarded on a competitive basis, according to the awarding organization's needs. The ILSP staff offers assistance to students in securing internships, but students must take an active role. Placement is not guaranteed. However, our students have been quite successful in securing internships.
For more information on internships, contact:
Adriana Vito
Room 122
Assitant Director, International Career Programs
American University Washington College of Law
Tel: 202.274.4097
Fax: 202.274.4096
Email: avito@wcl.american.edu
Optional Practical Training
Optional Practical Training (OPT) is an employment authorization granted by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. It allows students holding F-1 visas to gain up to one year's work experience in their current field of study.
For more information on Optional Practical Training, visit AU's Office of International Student Services webpage on OPT.
