Internship and Volunteer Opportunities
CLA actively seeks to represent the diversity of the arts community in its staff and board of directors. CLA is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of merit. CLA prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, creed, sex, marital status, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state, or local laws. All such discrimination is prohibited by CLA.
State Wide
Time Commitment: Applicants volunteer for a minimum of 3-5 months, for at least 10 hours per week to full-time.
Compensation: Externship credit available, stipends available upon successful completion of three month internships with a minimum of 21 hours per week.
Preferred Applicants: Currently enrolled student at, or graduate from, an accredited law school. Will also consider pre-law students.
Program Description: LRIS is a service that refers clients to members of our attorney panel for consultation on a wide variety of arts and non-arts related matters such as copyright and trademark protection, contract review and negotiation, business partnerships and nonprofit incorporation, etc.
Responsibilities: Interns interview clients (mostly over the phone) and perform case intakes. Interns draft a fact statement for attorneys that presents the legal issues and relevant facts of each case. Interns locate and select appropriate attorneys for each case.
Supervision: Interns, Externs, or Law Fellows will be supervised by the Program Coordinator as well as the attorney leading the Lawyer Referral & Information Service (LRIS). As interns become more comfortable with the service, they will be able to work independently.
Benefits to Interns: Interns spend most of their time on the phone talking with real clients and attorneys. Interns will learn to spot issues, interview clients and communicate legal issues clearly and succinctly to attorneys.
The LRIS program will help law school graduates, law students, and pre-law prospective students learn about the practical day-to-day legal issues facing a wide range of creative artists, the “jargon” of the arts and entertainment law practice, and also learn about who are the professionals performing services for creative artists throughout California. Interns gain practical knowledge about how legal disputes and issues are handled in a “real world” setting. The internship is also an invaluable networking opportunity in a profession that is extremely relationship-driven.
California Lawyers for the Arts is a relaxed, fun, and collaborative place to work and it gives law students a chance to use their talents to help an under-served, under-funded and often legally unsophisticated population. Recent years have been tough on the creative arts and entertainment communities. More than ever, artists and arts organizations need the help of bright, motivated advocates.
To Apply: Please fill out the Online Application Form. It is important that you clearly specify details of the time commitment and desired starting date and end date on the Application Form.
For additional information regarding the Lawyer Referral Service, contact CLA’s Berkeley office at 888-775-8995, or by email.
Berkeley
Time Commitment: At least 10-15 hours, over 2-3 days a week. Minimum 3 month commitment.
Compensation: Unpaid, extern credit available.
Prerequisite: Completion of mediation course, preferred 40-hour conflict resolution training.
Program Description: Established as a national model program in 1980, AAMS provides efficient, economical, and confidential alternatives to litigation, including mediation, arbitration, meeting facilitation, negotiation counseling, and conciliation.
Responsibilities: Acting as a neutral third party, intern will discuss AAMS services, answer questions, and conduct intakes with diverse artists and arts organizations. Intern will be involved in pairing mediators and arbitrators from our panel with cases, scheduling mediation and arbitration sessions, and observing those sessions as appropriate and with consent of the parties. Depending on experience, interns may act as conciliators, acting as a third party neutral “go-between” for the parties to the dispute. If the intern has mediation experience, they may be assigned as co-mediator for an appropriate disputes. Interns will also participate in special projects which may include research, organizing trainings, and writing articles about dispute resolution.
Supervision: Intern will be supervised by the AAMS Program Director.
Benefits to Intern: Working directly with clients, attorneys, and other alternative dispute resolution professionals, intern will gain active listening and negotiation skills, and will learn how legal disputes are settled outside of court. Intern will learn about the issues facing artists and arts organizations and about the professionals in the Bay Area who help resolve those issues. Intern will gain practical knowledge regarding the relative benefits of different types of alternative dispute resolution and litigation in artistic disputes. This internship is also an opportunity to gain real awareness and skills in the rapidly expanding and increasingly relevant field of alternative dispute resolution. Additionally, the intern is able to attend any of the educational programs provided by California Lawyers for the Arts, examples are: Copyright Basics, Collaboration Agreements, and other Intellectual Property issues.
California Lawyers for the Arts is a relaxed, fun place to work and it gives law students a chance to use their talents to help an underserved, underfunded and often legally unsophisticated population. Recent years have been tough on the arts and entertainment community. More than ever, artists and arts organizations need the help of bright, motivated advocates.
To Apply: Please email a cover letter and resume to the AAMS SF Program office in Berkeley, or complete our Online Application Form.
Los Angeles
Program Description: California Lawyers for the Arts is a relaxed, fun place to work and it gives law students a chance to use their talents to help an underserved, underfunded and often legally unsophisticated population. The past year has been difficult on the arts and entertainment community. More than ever, artists and arts organizations need the help of dedicated and compassionate advocates.
Time Commitment: 10-20 hours per week; 5-month minimum; remote work
Prerequisites: Must be a currently enrolled student at an accredited law school.
Responsibilities:
- Research recent legal decisions and changes in intellectual property, entertainment, and art law for the purposes of CLA’s workshops, seminars, MCLE events and online materials.
- Research and contact California attorneys and other arts and entertainment professionals to propose future speaking engagements.
- Research legislative issues on a local, regional, state and national level to help inform CLA staff’s advocacy and social justice efforts.
- Assist staff in developing training materials for legal education programs and mediation/arbitration programs.
The ideal candidate must also have a strong interest in outreach – helping our team to maintain strong relationships with the Southern California creative community. The internship is a fantastic part-time opportunity for first-year law students interested in IP, art and entertainment law.
Supervision: Intern will be supervised by CLA’s Southern California Director, Gloria Ruiz Oster, Esq. and other staff.
Benefits to Intern: Working directly with staff attorneys and alternative dispute resolution professionals, intern will gain a basic understanding of the legal and business issues affecting artists. Interns will have the opportunity to interact with arts and entertainment professionals from law firms and entertainment corporations. Interns will gain practical knowledge of different forms of alternative dispute resolution and the benefits of their application in artistic disputes. Additionally, all interns are encouraged to attend the educational and networking programs provided by California Lawyers for the Arts.
To Apply: Please email a letter of interest and resume, or complete our Online Application Form. No phone calls please.
Sacramento
CLA Sacramento manages three dispute resolution programs: Arts Arbitration and Mediation Services; the Sacramento Mediation Center; and Civil Harassment Court Mediation. The AAMS program was established as a national model program in 1980, AAMS provides efficient, economical, and confidential alternatives to litigation, including mediation, arbitration, meeting facilitation, negotiation counseling, and conciliation. This internship is an opportunity for a person who is interested in the business or legal aspects of the arts, and-or general community based and personal conflicts, and-or someone with interest in alternative dispute resolution.
Responsibilities may include:
Discuss California Lawyers for the Arts programs, services and staff
Discuss CLA Sacramento and its programs and staff
Engage with clients and other members of the public in Sacramento and throughout Northern CA
Telephone communication with CLA members, artists, attorneys, clients etc.
Discuss and describe ADR processes of the AAMS-SCM-CHCM programs
Assist with case development for mediation including intake and document preparation.
Assist with CLA Sacramento office projects and meetings
Research projects
Assist in planning and outreach for CLA Sacramento programs
Assist with event coordination as needed
Time commitment:
This position is part-time (10-20 hrs/week) over 2-3 days a week, for approximately 16-18 weeks
Supervision: The Intern/Volunteer will be supervised by the Associate Director or AAMS-SMC Program Coordinator in the Sacramento Office.
Compensation: This is an unpaid Internship, however Externship class credit is available on a per student basis and in coordination with law schools.
Desired Skills: This position requires a person who is intelligent, outgoing, empathetic, and self reliant, with excellent communication skills both verbal and written. The individual must be capable of performing multiple tasks and comfortable working in a small virtual office. Competencies desired include a familiarity with dispute resolution concepts, and intellectual property issues, and community resources.
To Apply: Complete our Online Application Form, or email your resume and letter of interest to: Sacramento@calawyersforthearts.org or call 916-441-7979.
CLA Sacramento manages three dispute resolution programs: Arts Arbitration and Mediation Services; the Sacramento Mediation Center; and Civil Harassment Court Mediation (CHCM). The CHCM program has been with CLA Sacramento since it took over the Sacramento Mediation Center, providing mediation services to Petitioners and Respondents in the Civil Harassment Restraining Order session at Sacramento Superior Court. This is an opportunity for a person who is interested in alternative dispute resolution services and is serious about volunteering in a busy and often difficult setting. The program is an excellent training ground for serious mediation practitioners and has a long history of volunteers who are dedicated to this work and enjoy the camaraderie of other professionals within a court setting
Requirement: You must be a trained and certified mediator.
Responsibilities may include:
Attend the CLA DRPA training for the CHCM program
Understand California Lawyers for the Arts programs, services and staff
Understand CLA Sacramento and its programs and staff
Be professional in engaging-interacting with all members of the Court system.
Be professional when engaging with clients and other members of the public and professionals in Sacramento Superior Court
Discuss and describe ADR processes of the CHCM program
Observe, co-mediate, and handle court referrals in the CHRO session
Follow all CLA and court rules for confidentiality, and professional ethics
Assist with mediation document preparation, debriefing and meetings as may be necessary
Telephone communication with CLA members as necessary
Time commitment:
This volunteer position is part-time on Fridays only. It requires a volunteer term of once a month for a year, or twice monthly for 6 months.
Supervision: The CHCM Volunteer will be supervised by the Associate Director or the CHCM Program Coordinator.
Compensation: This is an unpaid Internship, however Externship class credit is available on a per student basis and in coordination with law schools.
Desired Skills: This position requires a person who is intelligent, empathetic, understanding, and self reliant, with excellent communication skills both verbal and written. The individual must be capable of performing multiple tasks and comfortable working in a small private space in court.
To Apply: Complete our Online Application Form, or email your resume and letter of interest to: Sacramento@calawyersforthearts.org or call 916-441-7979
San Diego
Program Description:
INTERSECTIONS: Art and Law at the Border is a bi-national Symposium presented by California Lawyers for the Arts San Diego. The event especially focuses on issues affecting the geo-political context of Tijuana-San Diego, and the intention of this gathering is to highlight the work of those responding to border issues at the intersection of art, praxis and legal issues. The special projects intern will work directly with the San Diego Program Manager to support the organization, scheduling, and execution of the symposium.
Time Commitment:
At least 5-10 hours, over 2-3 days a week. Minimum 3 month commitment.
Compensation:
Unpaid, extern credit available.
Responsibilities:
• Research potential speakers/panelists, topics and content for symposium programs. Focusing on the local bi-national region and across various border regions in the US and beyond.
• Bi-lingual marketing & outreach in collaboration with CLA staff to support development of content for website, press releases, social media and other marketing materials;
• Liaise with speakers and artists and work with CLA staff to select and secure speakers, artwork, and performers;
• Provide event support: recruit and manage volunteers; develop run-of-show with CLA staff;
• Work with members of the San Diego Steering Committee as appropriate;
• Follow up with attendees, speakers, and sponsors, and complete post-event wrap up;
• Support with bi-national component of annual symposium including but not limited to coordinating transportation and translation;
• Meet weekly with San Diego Program Manager to track special project goals and deliverables.
Qualifications:
Experience with event planning
Experience coordinating programs and services in collaboration with staff, volunteers, and interns;
Excellent written and verbal communication skills and professionalism;
Strong interpersonal and networking skills;
Availability to work some evenings and occasional weekends
Familiarity with the San Diego/Tijuana arts and legal communities;
Border Studies or Major in Arts Discipline or related field
Spanish Language (helpful not required)
For more information and to apply send resume and cover letter to: Diana.Cervera@calawyersforthearts.org
Application Information: https://www.calawyersforthearts.org/jobs-internships-law-fellowships.html#SanDiego