Alternative Spring Break Program-2026 - New York, NY

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The Legal Aid Society (LAS) invites law students from outside of New York City to apply for our Alternative Spring Break (ASB) program, a week-long hands-on learning experience that gives students who do not attend a local New York Law school a chance to learn more about our zealous advocacy and engage directly with LAS staff.

The Legal Aid Society is built on one simple but powerful belief: that no New Yorker should be denied the right to equal justice. Legal Aid ensures every New Yorker has access to justice through comprehensive legal representation in courts throughout the five boroughs. We provide free legal representation to low-income New Yorkers on issues including criminal trials, parole revocation and appeals, juvenile justice and child protection cases, and civil issues such as housing and immigration. Learn more about what we do here.

Each spring, we welcome a cohort of students to spend a week working alongside staff representing the Criminal Defense, Civil, and Juvenile Rights Practice areas and specialized units within them that work on nearly every area of law that impacts New Yorkers. Participants will experience firsthand the diversity of work at The Legal Aid Society and an understanding of the legal landscape.

During the week, participants will:

• Get a behind-the-scenes look at Legal Aid's day-to-day operations

• Work on projects alongside experienced attorneys & learn about the systemic issues impacting our clients

• Create connections with Legal Aid staff

PROGRAM DATES

The Spring 2026 Alternative Spring Break program will take place from Monday, March 9th, to Friday, March 13th. The ASB program runs Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM each day. Participants should be able to commit to full-day in-person participation in one of our New York city borough offices for the entire week. Assignments to specialized units or borough-specific placements depend on availability.

FUNDING

This is an unpaid opportunity; however, students will receive a $400 stipend. OMNY cards will also be provided to help with travel to work assignments in borough offices. Additional support may be available to help with lodging for students who do not have available accommodations in New York City. The number of students who receive financial support may be limited by available funding.

ELIGIBILITY

• Current 1L and 2L law students who do not attend a New York City based law school

• Must be able to participate in the full week of programming (March 9th - 13th )

• Priority will be given to students with a demonstrated interest in public defense & social justice

• Familiarity with MS Teams, Zoom, or other group meeting platforms preferred

APPLICATION & SELECTION PROCESS

Application Deadline is January 15, 2026.

All applications must be completed through the application portal. Submit your resume and cover letter as a combined PDF. Indicate your top 3-unit interests in order of preferences. A list of units can be found here. Placements to be determined by availability.

Applicants should anticipate a virtual interview via Microsoft Teams. Notifications of acceptance will be sent on a rolling basis, with final decisions communicated by the second week of February.

For technical difficulties or questions regarding this posting, please email jobpostquestions@legal-aid.org.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

As an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer, The Legal Aid Society prohibits discriminatory employment actions against and treatment of its employees and applicants for employment based on actual or perceived race or color, size (including bone structure, body size, height, shape, and weight), religion or creed, alienage or citizenship status, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity (one's internal deeply-held sense of one's gender which may be the same or different from one's sex assigned at birth); gender expression (the representation of gender as expressed through, for example, one's name, choice of pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, or body characteristics; gender expression may not conform to traditional gender-based stereotypes assigned to specific gender identities), disability, marital status, relationship and family structure (including domestic partnerships, polyamorous families and individuals, chosen family, platonic co-parents, and multigenerational families), genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, arrest or pre-employment conviction record, credit history, unemployment status, caregiver status, salary history, or any other characteristic protected by law.

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

The Legal Aid Society is committed to a work culture of zealous advocacy, respect, diversity and inclusion, client-oriented defense, access to justice and excellent representation. We are dedicated to building a strong professional relationship with each of our clients (people), to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us and our ability to build strong relationships with our colleagues. Every member of our community is expected to continuously learn about the dynamic, evolving, and emerging field of knowledge of identity, bias, and systemic forms of oppression and participate in productive efforts to dismantling bias in all forms.

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