Summer Internships

The Citizen Media Law Project, hosted at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, provides legal assistance, education and resources for individuals and organizations involved in online and citizen media.  The CMLP has five primary objectives: legal education and training; collection and analysis of legal threats; operation of an attorney referral network; community building; and advocacy on behalf of citizen media. 



Activities:

The CMLP is currently working on the following projects: 


Litigation referrals, consultation, and representation: The CMLP runs a pro bono and clinical legal assistance network to help online journalists and other citizen media creators with their legal needs.  For details, see the Online Media Legal Network website.  Additionally, in conjunction with the Berkman Center Cyberlaw Clinic, lawyers and clinical law students at the CMLP provide legal advice to individuals and organizations that operate citizen media sites.

Legal guide for citizen media: The CMLP has created a state-specific legal guide that covers a range of topics relevant to citizen media creators, including the risks associated with online publication such as defamation and privacy torts; legal issues related to newsgathering; access to government information and meetings; and intellectual property issues.  

We regularly create new legal guide materials on a variety of topics of importance to online journalists, including (1) legal liability associated with the online publication of user-generated content; and (2) citizen media coverage of court proceedings, elections, and other public events. In addition, we regularly update the previously created sections of the legal guide. 



Legal threats database: The CMLP is compiling a comprehensive, interactive database of "legal threats" faced by citizen media. The database contains lawsuits, cease-and-desist letters, subpoenas, and other threats directed at those who engage in online speech. 


Advocacy and coalition building: The CMLP provides research and advocacy on free speech, newsgathering, intellectual property, and other legal issues related to citizen media. We are also building a community of lawyers, academics, and others who are interested in facilitating citizen participation in online media and protecting the legal rights of those engaged in speech on the Internet. 



Intern Responsibilities:

Interns will collect cases for the legal threats database, perform legal research, and draft new sections of our legal guide.  To do so, interns will need to develop a firm understand of the relevant areas of the law, as well as the ability to translate complex legal issues into practical information for the ordinary reader.

Interns will also assist CMLP staff members in running our pro bono and clinical legal assistance network and handling client needs.

The summer program generally runs for 10 weeks from June to August, and is located at the Berkman Center's offices at 23 Everett Street in Cambridge, MA.  Summer internship positions are full-time.  Interns generally are required to work on site.

Required Education, Experience and Skills:


Law students with media and/or cyberlaw experience, or a background in journalism, are encouraged to apply.

Applicants should have a demonstrated interest in and enthusiasm for journalism, citizen media or technology-related legal issues, along with excellent research and writing skills and the initiative and energy to see projects to completion in a fast-moving environment.

Public Interest Funding:

Applicants must receive summer public interest funding for the position through their law school or other means.

Applications and Questions:

To apply, please visit the Berkman Center's Summer Internship Program page.