Trust in American institutions—government, courts, and even civil society—has steadily eroded and now stands at historic lows. In October 2025, Vanita Gupta launched the Center for Law and Public Trust at NYU School of Law to confront this crisis in confidence and reimagine US institutions so they are more effective and accountable to the American people, more resilient to corruption and abuse, and therefore more deserving of public trust.
The Center works to rebuild trust and advance effectiveness in government and other institutions by: developing issue briefs, roadmaps, and concrete blueprints for institutional reform and reconstruction; designing structures, processes, and policies that are more responsive to community needs, efficient, resilient, and accountable to the public; and training the next generation of lawyers to lead in public service, armed with the skills to deploy the levers of government and leadership, advance justice, and deliver results for the American people.
Position Summary
The Summer Intern will be responsible for legal research, policy analysis, and project support to address ways to make democratic institutions more effective, responsive, accountable, and resilient. Activities may include:
- Researching various topics or caselaw pertaining to administrative law or government reform
- Synthesizing research findings into memos and other materials
- Examining the history of various government functions and policies as they relate to public trust
- Providing general support for projects pertaining to the legal infrastructure of the federal government and mechanisms for strengthening checks and balances.
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree
- Be a currently enrolled law student or have graduated within the past 24 months from any law degree program
- Be eligible to intern in the U.S.
Required Skills:
- A commitment to the Center’s mission
- Excellent analytical, research, and writing skills
- A familiarity with or some exposure to government operations at the federal, state, or local levels is preferred but not required
- A demonstrated interest in developing rigorous scholarship pertaining to democracy, the public trust, the rule of law, or related topics
Salary and Benefits
In compliance with NYC’s Pay Transparency Law, the hourly rate for this position is $24.69. This temporary position is expected to last approximately 12 weeks at 27 hours per week for a total compensation of $8,000
The Center has physical office space at NYU School of Law in New York, but also offers hybrid or remote work arrangements from within the US. Some travel to New York or DC may be required.
Application:
Please submit a cover letter, resume, transcript, writing sample, and three references to halley.dunn@nyu.edu with the subject line “CLPT Application – Summer Internship – NAME”
Applications are rolling with a final submission deadline of March 18, 2026.
NYU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to a policy of equal treatment and opportunity in every aspect of its recruitment and hiring process without regard to age, alienage, caregiver status, childbirth, citizenship status, color, creed, disability, domestic violence victim status, ethnicity, familial status, gender and/or gender identity or expression, marital status, military status, national origin, parental status, partnership status, predisposing genetic characteristics, pregnancy, race, religion, reproductive health decision making, sex, sexual orientation, unemployment status, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis. All interested persons are encouraged to apply at all levels.