Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF)
2 credits
Prerequisite: Minimum 2.6 cumulative GPA

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), founded in 1974, protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans through litigation, legal advocacy, and community education. Legal internships are available in the following program areas:

Anti-Trafficking Project, legal research on the Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (TVPA), as well as outreach, community education, and advocacy on the rights of women and youth trafficking survivors.

Community Health Care Initiative, legal research, as well as community education and outreach in the areas of immigration, government benefits, language rights, and health care access;

Economic Justice for Workers, litigation on behalf of garment, restaurant, and other low wage workers;

Educational Equity and Youth Rights, legal services, policy work, community education, research and litigation concerning educational equity, juvenile justice, affirmative action and post 9-11 hate violence and racial targeting;

Immigrant Access to Justice, litigation, legal services, and organizing/outreach focusing on communities impacted by 9-11; litigation, legal services, and advocacy regarding local and state enforcement of immigration laws; legal and policy advocacy and support for community mobilizing and education regarding comprehensive immigration reform;

South Asian Workers Project, direct legal services on employment-related claims to South Asian immigrant workers, as well as community education and advocacy; and

Voting Rights, legal research and fact development under the Voting Rights Act and Equal Protection challenging anti-Asian voter discrimination, advocacy on bilingual ballots, and state and local election reform; produce reports and organize public forums.

For more information on externship application procedures and deadlines, please visit the Career Services section on myLAW (the Blackboard portal).