Complaint Line Intern (Fall)
Job Title: Complaint Line Intern
Department: Legal
Job Reports to: Legal Advocacy Manager
FLSA Status: Non-Exempt Part-Time 10 Hours
Collective Bargaining Unit: Ineligible
Pay Range: $17-20 p/hr
Location: Baltimore, MD
Who Are We:
The ACLU of Maryland is a non-partisan, non-profit public interest organization that works in the courts, legislature, and in support of communities to affect structural change. We exist to empower Marylanders to exercise their rights so that the law values and uplifts their humanity. Our vision is a Maryland where people are united in affirming and exercising their rights in order to address inequities and fulfill the country’s unrealized promise of justice and freedom for all. We are committed to centering race equity in our work, internally and externally, in order to better support and be accountable to Black, Indigenous, and Communities of Color, whose civil rights and civil liberties are systematically threatened by white supremacy. ACLU-MD is an affiliate of the national ACLU.
About the Position
The ACLU-MD seeks Complaint Line Interns with excellent verbal, communication, and writing skills and a commitment to public interest work, motivated by service and working with communities toward legal protections and remedies for violations. The Complaint Line Interns must expect to regularly and comfortably communicate with people from all racial, gender identities, ethnic, religious, and political identities enjoying varying abilities, ages, orientations and physical presentations.
The ideal candidate will be primarily responsible for staffing the Complaint Line, collecting and processing intake records, investigating facts, researching legal issues, and providing general office support.
Essential Functions, Duties, and Responsibilities:
- Interviewing prospective clients by telephone;
- Maintaining database records and digital client files;
- Processing legal intake mail in the office by collecting, sorting, scanning, and filing all incoming correspondence;
- Assisting with mailing, shipping, emailing, and/or transferring legal mail to complainants and others;
- Performing factual research;
- Participating in strategy meetings;
- Presenting findings to different groups and management upon request; and
- Drafting and revising letters, notes, information requests, and advocacy materials.
Position Qualifications:
Values Agreement
Demonstrated personal commitment to advancing the ACLU’s values, mission, goals and programs, with an understanding of the range of civil rights and civil liberties issues and their implications through previous experiences.
Race Equity Commitment
Demonstrated commitment to racial equity, dismantling white supremacy, and incorporating a structural power analysis into work. Must have knowledge and understanding of how power is manifested in matters of race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, religion, ability and socio-economic circumstances.
Typical Education and Work Experience
- Undergraduate, graduate, or law school student who will be enrolled during the Fall 2022 semester (recent graduates and other applicants who are ineligible for this opportunity may review our website for other employment opportunities.)
- Availability to work 10 hours per week for a minimum of 10 weeks during the Fall semester.
- Must be available from 12:30-3:30 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays to receive incoming calls from the Civil Rights Complaint Line and complete corresponding database records.
- Personal commitment to advancing the ACLU’s values, mission, goals and programs, with an understanding of the range of civil rights and civil liberties issues and their implications.
- A demonstrated commitment to race equity, dismantling white supremacy, and incorporating a structural power analysis. Experience centering race equity. Knowledge and understanding of how power is manifested in matters of race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, gender expression, religion, ability, and socio-economic circumstances.
- An interest in pursuing a career in public interest.
- Adept at functioning and collaborating in a remote environment including the use of video-conferencing applications like Zoom.
- Excellent verbal communication and writing skills; research skills a plus.
- Ability to identify the impact of oppression on individual outcomes and empathize with people’s experiences.
- Attention to detail and have good project organization skills (filing systems, record-keeping conventions, etc.).
- Effective at managing projects and tasks simultaneously.
- Comfortable working with clients and communities from a wide range of identities and experiences.
Supervisory Responsibilities: This position is a non-management position and does not encompass supervisory responsibility.
Compensation and Benefits: The ACLU of Maryland offers paid internships in exchange for a commitment to work the minimum hours for the Fall term. If the student chooses to get school credit and the school prohibits the student from accepting pay, the student must choose either school credit or monetary payment. Salary ranges between $17.00 per hour and $20.00 per hour and is contingent upon related education/experience. This position is non-exempt and eligible for overtime compensation under the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The position also includes excellent benefits, direct exposure to cutting-edge civil liberties, and civil rights work. This position is not in the bargaining unit represented by OPEIU Local 2.
Deadline/Start Date: Candidates must be available to work 10 hours per week for a minimum of 10 weeks during the Fall term.
To Apply: Please submit a cover letter and resume at this website: https://aclumaryland.applytojob.com/apply/FzzmoULwuL/Complaint-Line-Intern?source=Complaint+Line+Intern
Three professional references, and a short (no longer than 5 pages) writing sample and/or work sample will also be required after interview.
We discourage applicants from applying through third-party websites. Early applications are strongly encouraged. It will not be possible for us to respond to telephone or email inquiries.
Resumes or applications sent via other avenues will not be considered.
Physical Demands
The ACLU of Maryland makes every effort to assure that its recruitment and employment provides all qualified persons, including persons with disabilities, with full opportunities for employment in all positions. The ACLU of Maryland is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities, as determined from a collaborative reasonable job accommodation evaluation process, if deemed necessary to perform the essential functions of the job, provided they do not constitute an undue hardship for the employer. If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please email human resources at HR@aclu.org. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process. The following capabilities are general requirements necessary to perform the essential functions of this position related to work schedule, physical demands, working environment, travel, etc.
o Effectively communicate with others verbally and in writing, including by phone, e-mail, or in person.
o Understand, remember, communicate, and apply complex oral and/or written instructions and factual information.
o Maintain sustained concentration on computer screens and use keyboards and a variety of peripherals.
o Ability to push, pull, lift up to 25 pounds in the course of the workday in the normal performance of their duties.
The Organization:
About the ACLU of Maryland
The ACLU of Maryland is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to diversity and inclusion in our work and on our teams. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, gender, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity and expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran, or formerly incarcerated person status. Persons with disabilities may request accommodations.
The ACLU of Maryland makes every effort to assure that its recruitment, selection, hiring and employment practices provide all qualified persons, including persons with disabilities, with full opportunities for employment in all positions. The ACLU of Maryland is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please email human resources at HR@aclu-md.org. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process. We encourage individuals of all abilities to request reasonable job accommodations through our office of human resources. Requesting a reasonable accommodation will not automatically be perceived as a disqualifying factor that would prevent an employee from performing the essential duties of the job.
The ACLU of Maryland is a non-partisan, non-profit public interest organization devoted to protecting civil rights and civil liberties. The ACLU of MD is an affiliate of the national ACLU, a key defender of civil liberties guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. The ACLU works in the courts, legislature and in communities to defend and expand individual rights and personal freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and civil rights laws. The ACLU of Maryland is committed to centering race equity in our work, internally and externally, in order to better support and be accountable to communities of color, whose civil rights and civil liberties are systematically threatened by white supremacy.
Organization Commitment to Race Equity
All individuals in our organization are expected to support and maintain our organizational commitment to centering race equity in their work, internally and externally, in order to better support and be accountable to Black, Indigenous, POC individuals and communities, whose civil rights and civil liberties are systematically threatened by white supremacy. Application of this principle requires the conscious use of a race equity lens at all levels of work to both identify and understand implications of structural racism, challenge or confront systemic conditions or resulting issues, and dismantle overall institutional systems related to white privilege and white supremacy when engaging, advocating, and defending the civil liberties and civil rights of all Marylanders.
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