State Appellate Defender Office seeks summer interns

The Michigan State Appellate Defender Office (SADO) is seeking first and second-year law students committed to public service, racial equity, and social justice to join our Summer Internship Program. SADO provides representation to poor people who appeal their state criminal convictions and those sentenced to juvenile life without parole in resentencing proceedings pursuant to the United States Supreme Court’s decisions in Miller v Alabama (2012) and Montgomery v Louisiana (2016).

SADO summer interns will gain experience with client counseling, fact investigation, mitigation, legal research, brief writing, and oral advocacy (if possible). Because Michigan has a unique criminal appellate process which allows for factual development on direct appeal, interns can expect to work in both trial and appellate courts, and to attend trial court hearings and Court of Appeals arguments. Interns are paired with a staff attorney and will work with other SADO team members including investigators, social workers, and support staff.

Currently, we anticipate that some work will be conducted in-person including client visits and court attendance. In-person work will be evaluated according to public health information and SADO policy.

The program will run from late May through August 2022; precise dates are flexible.

Due to limited resources, the internship opportunities are currently unpaid. Applicants are encourged to seek funding from their academic institutions or third-party funders, and SADO will share opportunities for financial assistance as it learns of them.

Those interested in applying should e-mail a resume and cover letter together in a single PDF file to internships@sado.org.

Applications should be submitted by February 1, 2022 at 5 p.m. Decisions will be made on a rolling basis.

Anyone with questions can email internships@sado.org.