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AMERICORPS

Make a difference by becoming a member of AmeriCorps and being placed at Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI).

Click here for information about two AmeriCorps opportunities available in the Housing & Benefits unit or the Family Law unit at our office in downtown Boston beginning  September 2025.

STUDENT INTERNSHIPS

MLRI is a statewide support center for low-income persons and their legal services lawyers and advocates. Its staff specialize in areas of law and skills that are of critical assistance to low-income people. It does not handle individual client cases, but represents statewide client groups and clients on matters which affect the interests of poor people generally.

MLRI has two major functions: providing technical legal support to legal services programs clients and other advocates, and working toward enforcement and improvement of the legal rights of poor people. MLRI is divided into several units including benefits and employment, housing, health, civil rights, family and training. Good staff, interesting work and strong supervision.

A number of MLRI co-ops are available. Please note that due to budgetary constraints, the positions described here are unfunded unless otherwise specified. We are seeking interns who can secure full external funding or are able to work on a for-credit basis. Many former interns have successfully obtained funding by combining work-study opportunities with public interest grants. Students are encouraged to inquire about public interest funding options at their law school. Additional funding sources include:

•    The Massachusetts Bar Foundation Legal Intern Fellowship Program
•    Equal Justice America Law Student Fellowships
•    The Peggy Browning Fellowship Program

Interested applicants should email Nikaya Asbury at humanresources@mlri.org. Please specify in your materials which internship you wish to apply for:

MLRI Family Law/Domestic Violence Internship Position
Health Unit Internship Position
Race Equity and Language Access Internship Position
Immigration Practice Group Internship Position

AmeriCorps Opportunities

MLRI provides statewide advocacy and leadership in advancing laws, policies, and practices that secure economic, racial, and social justice for low-income people and communities. Our staff work in the following specialized units to best address the problems faced by the people in our service area living in poverty: Economic & Food Security, Child Welfare, Civil Legal Aid for Victims of Crime, Family Law & Domestic Violence, Health Care, Housing, Immigration, Language Access, and Racial Equity & Justice. We specialize in large-scale legal initiatives and policy reforms that address the root causes of poverty, remove barriers to opportunity, promote economic scarcity, and create a path to self-sufficiency for low-income individuals and families. More info: www.mlri.org

Under the direct supervision of an experienced MLRI legal professional, the AmeriCorps fellow will provide valuable assistance to our advocacy staff by conducting substantive research and assisting clients with legal issues, attending coalition meetings with other poverty advocates from around the state, and working with community-based organizations. Their responsibilities may involve provision of advice, referrals, brief service, and direct representation of clients at administrative hearings; participation in community education and outreach activities, as well as other related work.

The AmeriCorps fellow will work closely with experienced attorneys and advocates, and will receive firsthand experience in a wide range of areas. Our goal is to make the AmeriCorps experience at MLRI one where young people have the opportunity to learn, ask questions, and discover the many facets of public interest law and advocacy, and hopefully they will leave MLRI inspired to pursue careers in public service.

Terms/Benefits:

Members making a one year service commitment, and who complete their 1,700 hour service commitment will receive: $26,000 taxable yearly living allowance (paid bi-weekly); a $6,195 education award (payable on completion of the service term); health insurance; day care assistance, if eligible; hands-on supervised exposure to the practice of law and the ability to place eligible student loans in forbearance with interest paid upon completion of service.

Eligibility/Qualifications:

Members must be at least 17 years of age, be a U.S. citizen, a U.S. national, or a lawful permanent resident alien of the U.S. In addition, candidates must be college graduates with an interest in attending law school, attending law school at night, or a law school graduate with an interest in public service law. Proficiency in a non-English language is desirable. Education Requirement: Bachelor’s Degree, JD’s encouraged to apply. Training will be provided.

Sponsorship:

The AmeriCorps placements at MLRI are part of the Legal Assistance for Self-Sufficiency Program, run under the auspices of the South Coastal Counties Legal Services, Inc. The program is funded through the Corporation for National Community and Service, and administered through the Massachusetts Service Alliance.

Interested individuals must complete and submit an application online at https://www.ala-mass.org/how-to-apply

MLRI is an AA/EO/accessible employer committed to diversity in the workforce and regards differences as assets.

Student Internship Positions 

MLRI Family Law/Domestic Violence Internship Position

About the Position:

MLRI’s advocacy goals in family law and domestic violence are to protect domestic violence survivors and their children when they must interact with the court system and state agencies, and to provide expertise and support to legal aid attorneys, allied family law practitioners, and advocates who work with domestic violence survivors. As the lead advocate of the Domestic Violence Legal Assistance Program (DVLAP, a special project of the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation), MLRI coordinates statewide family law advocacy and provides support for legal aid programs and community collaborators throughout the state. This position will report directly to MLRI’s two Health Unit attorneys. This internship is unpaid.

Through the statewide Family Law Task Force (FLTF), MLRI:

  • Leads and supports legislative advocacy that protects domestic violence survivors and their children
  • Organizes and participates in amicus briefs addressing family law issues and domestic violence concerns
  • Works with the courts and state agencies with whom our clients and attorneys interact
  • Increases the knowledge and skills of legal aid and allied family law attorneys through trainings, provision of materials, and updating the family law section of www.masslegalservices.org
  • Provides forums, both in-person and on-line, that allow legal aid and allied family law attorneys to share and seek information (including practice tips, questions on procedure, requests for referrals and services, and other information)
Responsibilities/Law Student Assignments and Projects:
  • Plan trainings for FLTF
  • Review and summarize important child custody cases
  • Review pertinent family law and domestic violence legislation and creating comparison charts
  • Help to set up legislative briefings on issues such as the experience of litigants in the Probate and Family Court
Required Qualifications:
  • A law student currently enrolled in an ABA accredited Juris Doctor or LLM program, who is proficient with legal research.
  • An interest in family law and domestic violence advocacy for people living with low incomes and under-served populations
  • Strong legal research skills
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills
  • Cultural competence and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
  • Team player with strong interpersonal skills
  • Ability to work independently
  • Ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously while also managing critical deadlines

Health Unit Internship Position

About the Position:

MLRI’s Health Unit is seeking a qualified law student for an internship that will provide experience with legal research, legislative and administrative advocacy, coalition building, and community lawyering. The Health Unit works to ensure and expand access to health care for people living with low incomes, with a primary focus on the Massachusetts Medicaid program (MassHealth). Some of the Health Unit’s current projects include (1) addressing various barriers to access to MassHealth coverage and services; (2) improving maternal health by supporting a grassroots coalition of doulas working to ensure MassHealth’s coverage of doula services, (3) leading a coalition effort to expand MassHealth coverage for children regardless of immigration status, (4) improving access to MassHealth services for justice-involved individuals, and more.This position will report directly to MLRI’s Health Unit attorneys. This internship is unpaid. We encourage interns to seek external funding if available.

About MLRI:

MLRI is a nationally recognized nonprofit poverty law and policy center that provides statewide advocacy and leadership in advancing laws, policies, and practices that secure economic, racial, and social justice for low-income people and communities. We pursue systems change through litigation, legislative and administrative advocacy, coalition building, community lawyering, and other strategies that address systemic harm to low-income people. MLRI is also the statewide multi-issue poverty law support center for the Massachusetts civil legal aid delivery system; our advocates provide substantive expertise and technical assistance to frontline legal aid field program advocates and to many other advocates and providers who serve low-income people and communities in Massachusetts. MLRI leads and coordinates a number of statewide advocacy coalitions in substantive issues areas.

Responsibilities:
  • Conducting legal research and drafting internal legal memos, including research for pending and potential litigation
  • Legislative advocacy such as helping to draft legislation, meeting with legislators, and engaging stakeholders in advocacy
  • Administrative advocacy such as attending meetings with MassHealth, collaborating on persuasive policy memos or comments to proposed regulatory changes
  • Community lawyering such as preparing materials and presentations for grassroots organizations, attending meetings with community organizers and members of the community, assisting with interviews and focus groups of MassHealth members.
Required Qualifications:
  • A law student currently enrolled in an ABA accredited Juris Doctor or LLM program, who is proficient with legal research
  • An interest in ensuring access to health care for people living with low incomes and underserved populations
  • Strong legal research skills
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills
  • Cultural competence and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
  • Team player with strong interpersonal skills
  • Ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously while also managing critical deadlines

Equity Practice Group — Race Equity and Language Access Internship Position

About the Position:
Race Equity: 

The connection between race and poverty in America is undeniable. It is rooted in years of systemic discrimination and biases that create conditions of inequality and produce disparities. Understanding and addressing issues of race, implicit bias, and developing an agenda to affirmatively advance racial equity is critical to ensure economic and social justice. MLRI’s Racial Equity & Justice Project was created over 20 years ago to identify issues that negatively impact the state’s communities of color and to devise strategies, in collaboration with communities, to diminish systemic barriers, promote equal rights, and equitable opportunities. The project focuses on:

  • Challenging structural racism and implicit bias embedded within public systems, policies and practices
  • Working collaboratively with legal services and community based organizations to advance a social justice agenda and to create a racial equity lens to legal aid advocacy
  • Actively engaging in statewide and national coalitions to advance racial equity
Work Plan – Law Student Assignments and Projects:
  • Participate in events or discussions related to race equity and racial justice
  • Review and summarize important cases with race-based causes of action
  • Plan trainings for the Race Equity Coalition and civil legal aid community
  • Review pending legislation and assist with drafting testimony and lobbying efforts
  • Search and update online resources
  • Circulate racial justice newsletter
  • Assist with multifaceted advocacy campaigns to shape policy and systems through a racial justice lens.
  • Conduct legal research and draft legal memos
  • Utilize racial equity tools
Language Access: 

Massachusetts is ranked tenth in the country for the number of languages spoken other than English. The state will likely rank higher in the coming years due to the number of new arrivals from all over the world whose preferred language is one other than English.  For newer communities to thrive in our state, it’s imperative that they have access to clear, accurate and intelligible information. Language access is tantamount to access to justice.

The Language Access Project strives for all those who are better served in a language other than English to have access to state agency benefits, schools, courts, medical care and other services. The Language Access Project attorney utilizes legislation, administrative advocacy, litigation and community education.

Work Plan – Law Student Assignments and Projects:
  • Assist attorney in legislative work to amplify bills benefiting those who are better served in a language other than English.
    • Draft oral and written testimony
    • Participate in strategy meetings
    • Coalition-build by meeting with legislators, community orgs and community members in person, virtually and through social media
  • Assist in planning and presenting language access trainings to legal services offices, bar foundations and others
  • Update and augment Mass Legal Services and Mass Legal Help Language Access Sections
  • Review federal and state agency language access plans and implementation
  • Participate and support work on language access projects specific to MA Trial Courts, schools, health care providers and any other nascent projects
  • Conduct legal research and draft legal memos

Immigration Practice Group Internship Position

About the Position:

The primary role is supporting MLRI Immigration Practice Group members working on various issues and projects, including research, writing, revisions, and other tasks, towards the goals of securing and defending the rights of low-income immigrants in Massachusetts and nationwide. MLRI organizationally has three areas of focus, which relate to reducing poverty, combating racial injustice/inequity, and increasing access to justice for our client population. In the immigration/immigrant rights space, our goals include the elimination or reduction of barriers to legal status for immigrants, especially immigrants of color, and securing fair/equal treatment of immigrants by federal and state agencies and entities.

Goals and Objectives/Knowledge, Skills or Techniques:
  • Immigrant Rights field knowledge – to engage in collaborative activities with the nonprofit immigrant rights advocacy network and to develop enhanced understanding of the needs and assets of the diverse low-income immigrant community in Massachusetts.
  • Legal research and knowledge – to improve knowledge of immigration case law and legal terminology and legal research skills.
  • Legislation /policy – to become familiar with legislative framework and interaction with federal administrative agency policy.
  • Technological skills – to work remotely (hybrid) and gain knowledge of the use of live tracking documents, google documents, list-serves, document maintenance and legal research, scheduling and arranging zoom meetings and other computer-based tasks.
  • Develop professional skills in the workplace – to interact with colleagues in a professional manner, develop/enhance team-working abilities, develop workflow efficiencies and prioritizing projects, attending staff meetings and hearings virtually.
  • Improve communication/interpersonal/organizational skills – to use writing and work presentation skills vis-a-vis the team and others; to improve self-initiative and critical thinking abilities.
Supervision/Measurements of Goals:
  • One-on-one virtual or phone meetings with the supervising attorney and other team members on projects; weekly team meetings; end of internship self-reflection/evaluation. 
  • Team member projects/tasks (to be modified as needed):
  • Our team works collectively on some substantive immigration law/immigrant rights projects. We also carry individual responsibility to lead certain projects. Our law and undergraduate or policy grad interns (there is usually also a legal intern) provide much-valued support to us on all these projects, which is important to helping us all maintain strong administrative organization so that we can more efficiently and effectively help our marginalized client populations.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

MLRI is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. We believe that having a staff, board, and volunteers with diverse personal and professional backgrounds and lived experience enhances our ability to meet our mission and creates an environment where all members of our community can thrive. We strongly encourage applications from people of color, immigrants, women, persons with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ+ community, people with lived experience of poverty and/or racism, and people from underrepresented and historically marginalized groups.