J-1 Visa Legal Intern Jobs
Legal Intern positions in the U.S. are available to current law students and recent graduates through the J-1 visa Intern or Trainee program category, administered by a State Department-designated sponsor organization that issues your DS-2019 and provides sponsorship. Host law firms, courts, and legal nonprofits serve as your placement site, not your visa sponsor.
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Get Access To All JobsINTRODUCTION
This position is a Part-Time and 100% on-site role, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at the Sunrider Manufacturing Plant in Midlothian, TX.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
- A successful legal intern candidate satisfactorily performs these general categories of duties. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Review scientific articles and research with guidance from Research & Development.
- Create templates for claim substantiation matrices.
- Perform reviews of claim substantiation matrices.
- Support the project manager and or attorney on the substantiation matter received by Research and Development and Marketing.
- Coordinate and track claims and their substantiation through a systematic procedure.
- Assist with document retention, scanning, and shredding.
- Work efficiently with multiple departments to meet deadlines and goals.
- Assist the in-house attorney with other related projects.
This list is a summary and not inclusive of all essential duties. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
QUALIFICATIONS
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:
- Bachelor’s Degree (or in college/university for a bachelor’s degree)
- 1+ years of experience
SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
- Approachable with excellent interpersonal communication skills and the ability to work as a team player while maintaining a high degree of customer service and confidentiality.
- Ability to prioritize job tasks in order of changing priority and in a deadline-driven, fast-paced work environment.
- High degree of integrity; able to handle confidential information with absolute discretion.
- Strong initiative (drive, sense of urgency) and flexibility.
- Detail-oriented with a high degree of accuracy, including data entry and mathematical aptitude. Highly organized, adapting quickly to changing priorities, and simultaneously handling multiple projects with total accuracy and attention to detail.
- Strong organizational and administrative skills and the ability to multitask.
- Ability to meet deadlines and follow directions.
- Excellent time management skills and a demonstrated ability to remain calm under pressure.
- Adaptable and comfortable with change, focused on continuous improvement.
- Thrive in a deadline-driven environment and can respond well to changing priorities, workflows, and information.
- Must be able to multitask and work well under pressure.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that an employee must meet to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand or walk. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, and depth perception.
WORK ENVIRONMENT:
The work environment characteristics described here represent those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.
INTRODUCTION
This position is a Part-Time and 100% on-site role, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at the Sunrider Manufacturing Plant in Midlothian, TX.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
- A successful legal intern candidate satisfactorily performs these general categories of duties. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Review scientific articles and research with guidance from Research & Development.
- Create templates for claim substantiation matrices.
- Perform reviews of claim substantiation matrices.
- Support the project manager and or attorney on the substantiation matter received by Research and Development and Marketing.
- Coordinate and track claims and their substantiation through a systematic procedure.
- Assist with document retention, scanning, and shredding.
- Work efficiently with multiple departments to meet deadlines and goals.
- Assist the in-house attorney with other related projects.
This list is a summary and not inclusive of all essential duties. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
QUALIFICATIONS
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:
- Bachelor’s Degree (or in college/university for a bachelor’s degree)
- 1+ years of experience
SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
- Approachable with excellent interpersonal communication skills and the ability to work as a team player while maintaining a high degree of customer service and confidentiality.
- Ability to prioritize job tasks in order of changing priority and in a deadline-driven, fast-paced work environment.
- High degree of integrity; able to handle confidential information with absolute discretion.
- Strong initiative (drive, sense of urgency) and flexibility.
- Detail-oriented with a high degree of accuracy, including data entry and mathematical aptitude. Highly organized, adapting quickly to changing priorities, and simultaneously handling multiple projects with total accuracy and attention to detail.
- Strong organizational and administrative skills and the ability to multitask.
- Ability to meet deadlines and follow directions.
- Excellent time management skills and a demonstrated ability to remain calm under pressure.
- Adaptable and comfortable with change, focused on continuous improvement.
- Thrive in a deadline-driven environment and can respond well to changing priorities, workflows, and information.
- Must be able to multitask and work well under pressure.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that an employee must meet to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand or walk. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, and depth perception.
WORK ENVIRONMENT:
The work environment characteristics described here represent those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.
See all 49+ J-1 Visa Legal Intern Jobs
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding J-1 Visa Sponsorship as a Legal Intern
Verify your J-1 category before applying
Current law students qualify under the J-1 Intern category, while law graduates with at least one year of post-degree experience qualify under Trainee. Applying to host employers before confirming your category wastes time, since your DS-2019 will reflect one or the other.
Build a training plan before outreach
Your designated sponsor requires a structured training plan before issuing your DS-2019. Draft a week-by-week breakdown of legal practice areas you'll rotate through, since host employers in litigation or transactional work expect this document ready at the offer stage.
Target host employers with prior J-1 experience
Use Migrate Mate to filter Legal Intern roles at host employers that have placed J-1 exchange visitors before. Firms and legal aid organizations already familiar with the DS-2019 process move faster and rarely require internal legal review before signing your training plan.
Clarify the two-year home residency rule early
Some J-1 legal interns from countries with exchange agreements, or funded by their home government, are subject to a two-year home residency requirement before changing to H-1B visa or green card status. Confirm your residency requirement with your designated sponsor before accepting a host placement.
Confirm bar admission restrictions with your host
J-1 legal interns cannot practice law in the U.S. without state bar admission, which you likely don't have. Clarify with your host employer upfront that your role involves legal research, drafting, and observation rather than client representation, to keep your training plan compliant.
Align your program dates with academic calendars
Designated sponsors issue DS-2019 forms tied to specific program start and end dates. If you're a law student, your host employer must schedule your internship within a semester or summer window, since gaps between academic enrollment and program dates can jeopardize your J-1 status.
Legal Intern J-1 Visa: Frequently Asked Questions
Which J-1 program category covers Legal Intern positions?
Current law students enrolled at a degree-granting institution qualify under the J-1 Intern category. Recent law graduates who have been out of school for more than 12 months and have at least one year of relevant post-degree experience qualify under the J-1 Trainee category instead. Your designated sponsor confirms which category applies based on your academic and professional status at the time of application.
Who is the actual visa sponsor for a J-1 legal internship?
The visa sponsor is a U.S. Department of State-designated sponsor organization, not the law firm, court, or legal nonprofit where you work. The designated sponsor issues your DS-2019 form, monitors your training plan compliance, and is legally responsible for your exchange program. Your host employer provides the placement site and signs the training plan, but cannot sponsor the J-1 visa directly.
How can I find host employers that accept J-1 legal interns?
Search on Migrate Mate to find Legal Intern roles at U.S. employers that have hosted J-1 exchange visitors. Host employers range from large law firms and federal agencies to legal aid organizations and corporate legal departments. Targeting employers with prior J-1 experience shortens the onboarding process because they already understand the DS-2019 and training plan requirements.
Does the J-1 Intern or Trainee category have a two-year home residency requirement?
Some J-1 legal interns are subject to the two-year home residency requirement under INA Section 212(e), which applies if your home country appears on the State Department's Exchange Visitor Skills List, your program was government-funded, or you received graduate medical education. If the requirement applies, you must return home for two years before changing to H-1B or applying for a green card, unless you obtain a waiver.
What documents does a legal intern need before the DS-2019 is issued?
Your designated sponsor typically requires proof of current enrollment or degree completion, a signed training plan describing your legal practice area rotations, a host employer letter confirming your placement, and proof of adequate health insurance meeting State Department minimums. Some sponsors also require a letter from your home institution if you are receiving academic credit for the internship.