BCLA/LLS Summer Undergraduate Law Clinic Internship Program
Loyola Law School is partnering with the Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts (BCLA) to provide at least ten undergraduate paid summer internships with the legal clinics at Loyola Law School. This exciting partnership will provide students interested in law, criminal justice, and social work hands on experience working in teams of law faculty, clinic staff and law students on active legal cases. Below are the clinics participating in the partnership - the clinic websites describe the goals and mission of each clinic.
All Internships are 10 weeks, 25-40 hours per week, and run from May 25 – July 31
Successful Applicants will receive a $ 4500 award
Eligibility:
- The program is open to all BCLA majors in good standing who have completed their sophomore or junior year.
Application Process:
- All applicants submit a cover letter and resume to Professor Gerstmann (evan.gerstmann@lmu.edu) in the Department of Political Science and International Relations on or before the clinic and BCLA application due date noted in each clinic section.
- Cover letters should clearly express why applicant is applying to that particular clinic.
- Professor Gerstmann will conduct brief interviews prior to Loyola Law School submission date and will notify LLS clinic directors which applicants are eligible for the BCLA funding award.
- Applicants will then send their cover letter and resume to the appropriate legal clinic. In addition to the resume and cover letter, several of the legal clinics also have their own application that will need to be completed as well. Once your application is approved, Professor Gerstmann will provide the specific on-line applications for each of the clinics.
- Once an application has been received, clinic staff will reach out and interview applicants to make the final determination over who is accepted to work in a clinic.
Key Contacts:
Questions about the program and application process should be directed to Evan Gerstmann (evan.gerstmann@lmu.edu), who is overseeing the BCLA/LLS Summer Undergraduate Law Clinic Internship Program.
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Loyola’s Project for the Innocent (LPI) is the only wrongful conviction clinic dedicated to serving Los Angeles County, the leader in felony convictions in a state where almost 700 individuals have been proven wrongfully convicted since 1989. LPI works to get those who are languishing in prison for crimes they did not commit out of jail.
Number of Internships: 3
Applications due to BCLA (submit to Professor Evan Gerstmann): December 19, 2025
Applications due to Loyola Law School: January 6, 2026
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The Youth Justice Education Clinic (YJEC) at Loyola Law School’s Center for Juvenile Law and Policy provides client-centered and holistic education advocacy for young people who are criminalized and pushed out of schools based on race, disability, and/or gender identity. YJEC works to dismantle the school-prison nexus by advocating for school stability, community-led accountability, and limiting law enforcement on all school campuses.
YJEC strives to eliminate barriers to an equitable education and to foster community
empowerment. YJEC works to transform our education system so that every young person can learn in a safe, welcoming, and affirming environment.Number of Internships: 3
Applications due to BCLA (submit to Professor Evan Gerstmann): February 1
Applications due to Loyola Law School: February 15
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The Juvenile Justice Clinic (JJC) at Loyola Law School provides holistic, client-centered advocacy for youth involved in the juvenile justice system. The JJC is one of a small handful of live client clinics nationwide where students have the opportunity to regularly represent children in delinquency court.
The JJC is part of the Center for Juvenile Law and Policy, which was created in 2004, to foster systemic reform of the juvenile justice system by participating in and encouraging research, discussion and advocacy in the field and developing policy initiatives for systemic change.
Number of Internships: 1
Applications due to BCLA (submit to Professor Evan Gerstmann): February 1
Applications due to Loyola Law School: February 15
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The mission of LMU Loyola Law School’s Collateral Consequences of Conviction Justice Project (CCCJP) is to provide free legal representation to individuals with past criminal justice involvement to assist them in navigating and overcoming many of the collateral consequences of conviction, with the goal of facilitating successful reintegration into society. The dire consequences of a felony conviction last far longer than the years spent in prison and time spent under post-release supervision, and they are frequently unrelated to either public safety or the offense committed.
Returning community members are often denied licenses for many jobs, lose their right to vote, are separated from their families, denied driver’s licenses and government benefits, and denied housing. Such collateral consequences also perpetuate the stark racial disparities of the criminal justice system. The CCCJP’s core competencies include legal services to help the formerly incarcerated secure employment, self-sufficiency and stability.
Number of Internships: 1
Applications due to BCLA (submit to Professor Evan Gerstmann): February 1
Applications due to Loyola Law School: February 15
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The Juvenile Innocence and Fair Sentencing Clinic (JIFS) advances social justice by honoring the dignity of even the most troubled young offender through holistic representation. JIFS students redress the injustices of wrongful imprisonment and over-incarceration of children through high-quality, client-centered representation.
JIFS was founded in 2012 to advocate on behalf of wrongly convicted youth and youth sentenced to unjustly lengthy adult prison sentences, and to serve as a research and education center dedicated to reform in the areas of juvenile sentencing and rehabilitation. Its system reform work includes policy advocacy on issues such as resentencing for youth sentenced to Life Without Parole (LWOP) and early parole opportunities for youth sentenced as adults.
Number of Internships: 1
Applications due to BCLA (submit to Professor Evan Gerstmann): February 1
Applications due to Loyola Law School: February 15
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The Justice for Atrocities Clinic (JAC) allows students hands-on legal experience in real-world, active cases and claims involving genocide and mass atrocities. Our substantive work primarily focuses on accountability for alleged perpetrators, and reparations to victims and survivors. Through the LGJC, students work on cutting edge legal issues while gaining distinctive and practical learning tools they can carry into a wide variety of professional settings.
Number of Internships: 1
Applications due to BCLA (submit to Professor Evan Gerstmann): March 15, 2026
Applications due to Loyola Law School: April 1, 2026
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The Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic (LIJC) is a community-based collaboration of Loyola Law School, Loyola Marymount University, Homeboy Industries Inc., and Dolores Mission Church. LIJC’s mission is to advance the rights of the immigrant population in East Los Angeles through direct legal services, education, and community empowerment while teaching law students effective immigrants’ rights lawyering skills in a real-world setting.
LIJC focuses on providing representation to individuals who are unable to obtain immigration legal services elsewhere with an emphasis on immigrants with certain immigration and criminal complications who reside in the East Los Angeles area.
Number of Internships: TBD
Applications due to BCLA (submit to Professor Evan Gerstmann): TBD
Applications due to Loyola Law School: TBD