The ASPCA’s Legal Department helps the ASPCA to achieve its organizational goals of preventing animal cruelty and ending animal homelessness while assessing and managing risk. The Legal Department’s role is primarily a supportive one, enabling departments to more efficiently and effectively conduct their core functions by, among other things: (i) providing strategic analysis and advice on emergent legal issues; (ii) planning for recurring areas of legal risk and potential liability; (iii) providing strategic planningassistanceto avoid unnecessary risk; and (iv)advisingstaff at all levels on steps that should be taken to ensure compliance with existing laws,regulationsand guidelines. The Legal Department of the ASPCA serves as in-house counsel for the organization, dealing with a variety of areas of law (including intellectual property, contracts, negligence, trusts and estates, employment law, tax, and the enforcement of animal cruelty laws). Weprovidelegal advice to every department within the ASPCA.
Application Deadline:The application for this position will close at 9:00 AM on Monday July 6th, 2026.Candidates that do notsubmitapplications before this deadline will not be considered.
Who We Are
The ASPCA’s Legal team provides full-service legal consultation to each departmentto ensure that risk is appropriately evaluated and managed or mitigated. They provide oversight and guidance on various internal and external policies, contracts, grant agreements, compliance, and protocols, as well as oversee the ASPCA’s safety, security, and risk-management efforts.
Where and WhenYou’llWork
This remote-based position is open to all eligible (see eligibility below) candidates based within the United States.
Externship Structure:
This is a paid externship and is structured as a learning orwork studyprogram at the graduate school level. Students will be mentored by professional attorneys.
The duration of each externship position is flexible and will bedeterminedonacase-by-case basis.Generally, theposition is aligned with school semesters and is part-time during the school year (up to approximately 20 hours per week) and full-time in the summer.
Eligibility
Students currently enrolled in law school
Candidates will be supervised by an attorney who is licensed to practice law in NY andNJand candidates must be able to be supervised by an attorney licensed in those states. Candidates attending schools that require supervision in a state other than those listed are not eligible.
WhatYou’llGet
Compensation
Pay rate is based on where the intern works, which for remote roles is the intern’s primary location of residence. You can view which zone applies to you based on your location (aspca.app.box.com/v/aspcazonetable). For questionsregardinglocations not on the list, please send an email to Careers@aspca.org for more information.
The pay rate for this seasonal intern roleis:
Zone 1: $18.00/hour
Zone 2: $19.00/hour
Zone 3: $20.00/hour
Pay will not be below any applicable local minimum wage.
Responsibilities:
What You’ll Do
Legal Interns report directly to the Director, Legal Counsel and have no direct reports.
Externship responsibilities may include, but shall not be limited to:
Qualifications
Exemplifies the ASPCA’s Core Values:
Language
Education and Work Experience
Language:
English
Education and Work Experience:
Bachelors (Required)
The ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) is the first animal welfare organization established in North America and serves as the nation’s leading voice for animals. The organization’s mission is to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States. The ASPCA provides local and national leadership in three key areas: protecting and rescuing animals from crisis, assisting animals in communities and advancing legal protection for animals.
The ASPCA was founded by Henry Bergh in 1866 on the belief that animals are entitled to kind and respectful treatment at the hands of humans, and must be protected under the law. Headquartered in New York City, the ASPCA maintains a full-service animal hospital, spay/neuter clinic, rehabilitation center for canine victims of cruelty, kitten nursery and adoption facility. In addition, the ASPCA announced a groundbreaking anti-cruelty partnership with the New York Police Department in 2013, which has resulted in a record-breaking number of arrests and animals’ lives saved.
The ASPCA also operates programs and services that extend nationwide, including a Field Investigation and Response team that rescues animal victims of natural and man-made disasters, a fully-subsidized spay/neuter clinic in Los Angeles, a Behavioral Rehabilitation Center for fearful, under-socialized dogs, and a 24-hour, 365-day Animal Poison Control Center that provides pet owners and veterinarians with live, on-call assistance related to toxic products and substances. In 2015, the ASPCA acquired Humane Alliance, the nation’s leading training and education organization focusing on high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter.
The ASPCA is a privately funded 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization supported by more than 2 million animal advocates across the country.
