The New Jersey School Boards Association is seeking a spring legal intern to work in its Legal and Labor Relations Department. The pay will be $25 per hour.
About the Role
The intern will aid NJSBA attorneys in carrying out daily tasks in providing legal information to NJSBA members. The intern will learn about the workings of various state government entities related to school law.
The intern will work a maximum of 11 hours per week, 12-14 weeks in duration and be able to work at least 3.5 hours on any scheduled workday. At least one scheduled workday must be on a Tuesday or Wednesday in person. The position offers a hybrid work schedule/partially remote.
The Association is open to discussing an arrangement in which the intern would be seeking academic credit from a law school, which may be in lieu of compensation.
Responsibilities
The legal intern may be responsible for the following under the direct supervision of NJSBA Legal and Labor Relations Department attorneys:
- Read and summarize court and agency decisions as well as legislation related to school, election and labor and employment law for use in NJSBA publications and presentations.
- Attend and report on public agency meetings related to school law.
- Reach out to districts to obtain updates to labor relations settlement data, in collaboration with the business data analyst.
- Write one or more articles on school law topics for NJSBA’s weekly newsletter, School Board Notes.
- Research and write legal memoranda on school law topics as assigned.
- Plan, prepare and deliver an oral presentation and/or webinar on a school law topic, in collaboration with legal staff, as assigned.
- Update Association guidance documents as needed.
- Attend meetings of the Associate Membership Program for School Attorneys and the Personnel Administrators Association and assist with meeting and program planning.
- Assist with research and planning for Association task forces and committees as assigned.
- Review proposed NJSBA policies and related documents to ensure legal compliance.
- Available to work evenings and weekends as required.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Education and Experience
- Must be a law student as of the spring 2023 semester.
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent required.
- Interest in school, election and labor and employment law required.
- Familiarity with virtual meeting platforms (such as Zoom, Google Meet, etc.) and Microsoft Teams.
- Experience with online research resources, e.g., Westlaw or Lexis-Nexis.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office 365 Apps, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
Preferred
- Law students in their third year of law school in the 2022-2023 academic year preferred (or the equivalent for part-time students).
Knowledge, Skills and Competencies
Self-initiated, motivated, well organized, proven ability to prioritize and complete tasks efficiently. Demonstrated ability to work well with people and communicate effectively. Comfortable with public speaking. Excellent communication and writing skills essential, including legal and analytical writing and ability to make complicated legal information understandable. Possession of a valid current New Jersey driver’s license. Ability to serve in a confidential capacity. Computer/technical skills like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Microsoft suite, and must be able to adapt to use of new programs. Ability to apply mathematical and numeracy skills to understand costs of labor contracts and discuss salary guides. Verbal communication. Familiarity with legal research. Ability to maintain confidentiality.
Physical Requirements
Prolonged period of sitting at a desk and working on a computer. Ability to walk, stand and drive and carry items up to 20 pounds.
Interested candidates should submit a resume, writing sample, and a list of at least three references to jobs@njsba.org by Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023.