Summer 2025 Ocean Conservation Cavers Internship

Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) seeks law school and graduate students who are passionate about marine conservation and interested in dedicating a summer to work with CLF’s Ocean Conservation team to advancing cutting edge legal strategies and policy solutions. The intern will be based in the Boston, MA office.

CLF’s Ocean Conservation Program works to: advance sustainable fisheries with a focus on rebuilding Atlantic cod and forage fish populations and protecting important fish habitat; protect and rebuild the North Atlantic right whale population through a multi-pronged campaign to address the primary threats of ship strikes, entanglements in fishing gear, and increasing ocean noise; protect New England’s special ocean places by establishing new protected areas in the ocean and effectively managing existing marine protected areas; and advance responsibly developed offshore wind.

Responsibilities: Over the course of the summer, you will support CLF’s Ocean Conservation Program by working on a range of policy and legal issues related to restoring and protecting the rich diversity of ocean wildlife and the health of New England’s ocean through preparation of legal and other research memos, reports, and presentations; assisting on litigation pleadings and briefs, and regulatory and policy comments as possible; and attending coalition meetings with our regional and national partners, public hearings, and court proceedings.

As a CLF Cavers Intern you will be paired with either an experienced attorney (if a law student) or a senior scientist or policy expert (if a graduate student) in our Ocean Conservation Program, and among a cohort of other interns who will be in our other program areas: clean energy and climate change; clean air and water; strategic litigation; community resilience; and environmental justice. This program was created to honor the memory of David Cavers, a strong supporter of CLF. David worked with CLF from 1981 until his death in November of 2000. As a Director, he was integral in steering the organization through many of the tough battles that led to the prominence it enjoys today. During his time at CLF, David took great satisfaction in mentoring law students and preparing them for careers as effective environmental advocates.

The Cavers Internship requires a commitment of 10 weeks of full-time work and is paid a stipend of $9,400 for those based in our Boston office. If the Ocean Conservation Cavers position is filled, CLF will automatically consider applicants to the Cavers program for another summer internship if funding is available at the same stipend amount.

To apply: 

A complete application consists of the following:

• Cover letter
• Resume
• Law school or graduate school transcripts (unofficial transcripts are acceptable)
• Writing sample demonstrating legal or policy analysis
• Your cover letter should indicate (i) whether you prefer an in person, remote, or hybrid internship experience (ii) whether you would be receiving academic credit or fulfilling an academic requirement with your internship, and (iii) the CLF office(s) that you are applying to.

CLF has a long history of protecting New England’s environment and the health of its people and communities. We craft innovative solutions to the region’s most pressing environmental problems. The environmental issues that CLF seeks to address affect everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, income, or gender. Unfortunately, some communities continue to disproportionately bear the brunt of impacts of air and water pollution, poor transportation options, etc. Promoting environmental justice to reverse these inequities and build a healthier future for all people of New England, therefore, is an integral component of our work. CLF recognizes that to fully understand and successfully overcome barriers to equal access to a clean and healthy environment as well as livable communities, we need to bring together the best and brightest talent that reflects the diversity of the communities most affected by environmental impacts – communities that often are under-represented in the field of environmental advocacy. CLF is therefore committed to actively and specifically recruiting law students of color as part of our recruitment policy. We highly encourage students of color to apply.

To Apply

To apply for this exciting position, click on the link below to be directed to an online application where you may upload your application materials.

https://secure6.saashr.com/ta/6181430.careers?ShowJob=587635335

CLF considers the health and safety of its staff members and their families, our guests, our visitors, and the community at large to be a top priority. All offers to work, intern, or volunteer with CLF are conditioned on the candidate complying with CLF’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy.