As an RLAP legal intern, what exactly will I be doing? What skills do successful interns have?
Legal interns must do two things well: write clearly and work independently. As a legal intern, you will interview clients, apply resettlement law and policy to specific facts, and produce written testimony for submission to UNHCR or other organizations. Although RLAP’s Legal Director supervises each step of this process, she oversees many interns. Successful legal interns will pay attention to details, take initiative, and conduct independent research first before approaching staff members. What am I expected to know? What training do I receive? Incoming interns do not need to have specialized knowledge of refugee issues. However, to work in the RLAP office, you do need to be an excellent student, have an inquisitive mind, care for others, and be ready to learn. RLAP’s Legal Director requires that each intern attend a full week of training at the beginning of the internship, and these trainings occur 4 times per year (roughly in June, September, January, and March). This training last
