Legal Intern Visa Sponsorship Jobs in New York
Legal intern visa sponsorship jobs in New York are concentrated in Manhattan's dense corridor of BigLaw firms, financial institutions, and corporate legal departments, with additional opportunities at government agencies and public interest organizations. Major employers including Skadden, Cravath, and Sullivan and Cromwell have histories of hiring international law students and graduates for structured internship programs.
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Get Access To All JobsINTRODUCTION
The Center for Family Representation Inc. (CFR) is an award-winning, innovative law and policy organization that serves primarily Black and Brown families and youth in Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island with an interdisciplinary legal defense model that serves more than 2400 clients every year. CFR was originally founded in 2002 to dramatically change the trajectory of indigent parents being prosecuted by the City’s Administration for Children’s Services (ACS). Our goal is to defend and protect our clients’ rights, reduce the harm of family separation and prevent or minimize the time any child spends in the foster system.
CFR provides interdisciplinary family defense with a model that was unique at our founding and that is now being replicated nationally: we assign every client an attorney and a social work staff member, and teams have the support of parent advocates, who are parents with direct personal experience of being investigated and prosecuted by ACS. CFR was the first agency in the country to integrate parents with lived experience into legal teams and now has 10 parent advocates working in all four of our family defense locations.
PRACTICE AREAS
CFR’s Community Advocacy Project represents parents during a child protective investigation (to avoid court involvement where possible) and assists parents in clearing their names from state maltreatment records.
As an agency committed to securing justice for families, we built the Youth Defense practice (YDP) to defend youth at risk of family separation through incarceration. YDP uses the same interdisciplinary model to represent youth being prosecuted in Queens, Bronx and Manhattan in Supreme Court Youth Parts, during Probation Adjustment and in Delinquency proceedings in Family Court.
CFR’s Home for Good program provides legal and social work services to CFR clients in immigration, civil legal services and criminal defense matters, to afford clients an efficient and well-coordinated one-stop solution to a range of issues that threaten family stability.
Recognized as experts in our fields, we annually train over 500 practitioners in the city, state and around the country on strategies to promote family preservation and interdisciplinary representation, and we provide community based “Know Your Rights” presentations to parents, youth and service providers. We advocate at the city, state and national level for policies that reduce the harm of family separation, and promote parent engagement and justice for youth and families.
CFR is seeking Law Graduates to begin immediately.
Responsibilities
- Work as part of CFR’s interdisciplinary legal teams (comprised of attorneys, social work staff, paralegals and parent advocates) to provide our clients with high quality legal defense and meet objectives such as
- keeping children out of the foster system,
- shortening lengths of stay for children in the foster system,
- promoting quality visiting arrangements and
- ensuring that families receive services that are well-tailored to expediting safe and lasting reunification
- Represent parents in Family Court who are respondents in Article 10 and all related supplemental proceedings, including Termination of Parental Rights proceedings
- Pursue interim appeals on behalf of CFR’s clients
- Keep case data, client legal notes and files up to date
- Participate in CFR’s policy initiatives
- Work collaboratively with CFR's Home for Good teams
Law Graduates joining CFR can expect intensive training on CFR’s Cornerstone Advocacy model, family court, the child welfare/family regulation system, client interviewing, and other critical skills. CFR is dedicated to providing ongoing professional development in best practices in all these areas in a variety of training forums for all staff.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- Law school graduates who taken and passed the New York State bar exam and are pending admission.
- Demonstrate strong interpersonal and communication skills, an ability to work as part of a team and a desire to share in both the exhilaration and challenges of a growing endeavor.
- Prior experience with public benefits, housing, criminal defense or immigration is preferred.
- Individuals who apply should be able to demonstrate strong interpersonal and communication skills and a commitment to interdisciplinary representation of parents.
- Prior to their start date candidates are required to have completed all exams required for admission to the Bar.
SALARY & BENEFITS
Starting salary: $95,000
CFR offers a generous compensation package, including a competitive base salary as well as health, 403(b) and vacation benefits. The salary, benefits, and employment policies relevant to this position are governed by the Collective Bargaining Agreement between CFR and the CFR Union, part of ALAA (Association of Legal Aid Attorneys) UAW 2325.
CFR strives to create an inclusive and antiracist environment for all of its staff, and candidates from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply; CFR is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
CFR is a primarily in-person workforce. This role is based in our Queens office. CFR has a generous telecommuting policy that allows staff the flexibility to work from home when there are no in-person client or organizational obligations.
APPLY
Candidates should submit their cover letter and resume through CFR’s Career Portal.
INTRODUCTION
The Center for Family Representation Inc. (CFR) is an award-winning, innovative law and policy organization that serves primarily Black and Brown families and youth in Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island with an interdisciplinary legal defense model that serves more than 2400 clients every year. CFR was originally founded in 2002 to dramatically change the trajectory of indigent parents being prosecuted by the City’s Administration for Children’s Services (ACS). Our goal is to defend and protect our clients’ rights, reduce the harm of family separation and prevent or minimize the time any child spends in the foster system.
CFR provides interdisciplinary family defense with a model that was unique at our founding and that is now being replicated nationally: we assign every client an attorney and a social work staff member, and teams have the support of parent advocates, who are parents with direct personal experience of being investigated and prosecuted by ACS. CFR was the first agency in the country to integrate parents with lived experience into legal teams and now has 10 parent advocates working in all four of our family defense locations.
PRACTICE AREAS
CFR’s Community Advocacy Project represents parents during a child protective investigation (to avoid court involvement where possible) and assists parents in clearing their names from state maltreatment records.
As an agency committed to securing justice for families, we built the Youth Defense practice (YDP) to defend youth at risk of family separation through incarceration. YDP uses the same interdisciplinary model to represent youth being prosecuted in Queens, Bronx and Manhattan in Supreme Court Youth Parts, during Probation Adjustment and in Delinquency proceedings in Family Court.
CFR’s Home for Good program provides legal and social work services to CFR clients in immigration, civil legal services and criminal defense matters, to afford clients an efficient and well-coordinated one-stop solution to a range of issues that threaten family stability.
Recognized as experts in our fields, we annually train over 500 practitioners in the city, state and around the country on strategies to promote family preservation and interdisciplinary representation, and we provide community based “Know Your Rights” presentations to parents, youth and service providers. We advocate at the city, state and national level for policies that reduce the harm of family separation, and promote parent engagement and justice for youth and families.
CFR is seeking Law Graduates to begin immediately.
Responsibilities
- Work as part of CFR’s interdisciplinary legal teams (comprised of attorneys, social work staff, paralegals and parent advocates) to provide our clients with high quality legal defense and meet objectives such as
- keeping children out of the foster system,
- shortening lengths of stay for children in the foster system,
- promoting quality visiting arrangements and
- ensuring that families receive services that are well-tailored to expediting safe and lasting reunification
- Represent parents in Family Court who are respondents in Article 10 and all related supplemental proceedings, including Termination of Parental Rights proceedings
- Pursue interim appeals on behalf of CFR’s clients
- Keep case data, client legal notes and files up to date
- Participate in CFR’s policy initiatives
- Work collaboratively with CFR's Home for Good teams
Law Graduates joining CFR can expect intensive training on CFR’s Cornerstone Advocacy model, family court, the child welfare/family regulation system, client interviewing, and other critical skills. CFR is dedicated to providing ongoing professional development in best practices in all these areas in a variety of training forums for all staff.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- Law school graduates who taken and passed the New York State bar exam and are pending admission.
- Demonstrate strong interpersonal and communication skills, an ability to work as part of a team and a desire to share in both the exhilaration and challenges of a growing endeavor.
- Prior experience with public benefits, housing, criminal defense or immigration is preferred.
- Individuals who apply should be able to demonstrate strong interpersonal and communication skills and a commitment to interdisciplinary representation of parents.
- Prior to their start date candidates are required to have completed all exams required for admission to the Bar.
SALARY & BENEFITS
Starting salary: $95,000
CFR offers a generous compensation package, including a competitive base salary as well as health, 403(b) and vacation benefits. The salary, benefits, and employment policies relevant to this position are governed by the Collective Bargaining Agreement between CFR and the CFR Union, part of ALAA (Association of Legal Aid Attorneys) UAW 2325.
CFR strives to create an inclusive and antiracist environment for all of its staff, and candidates from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply; CFR is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
CFR is a primarily in-person workforce. This role is based in our Queens office. CFR has a generous telecommuting policy that allows staff the flexibility to work from home when there are no in-person client or organizational obligations.
APPLY
Candidates should submit their cover letter and resume through CFR’s Career Portal.
Legal Intern Job Roles in New York
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Search Legal Intern Jobs in New YorkLegal Intern Jobs in New York: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies sponsor visas for legal interns in New York?
Large law firms with established international hiring programs are the most consistent sponsors for legal interns in New York. Firms such as Sullivan and Cromwell, Cleary Gottlieb, and Davis Polk regularly hire international candidates into structured internship roles. In-house legal departments at major financial institutions and multinational corporations headquartered in New York also sponsor legal intern positions, though at lower volume than BigLaw.
Which visa types are most common for legal intern roles in New York?
F-1 students completing law degrees at U.S. universities most commonly work legal internships under Curricular Practical Training or Optional Practical Training, which do not require employer sponsorship in the traditional sense. For roles requiring formal employer-sponsored visas, the H-1B visa is the most relevant category, though it applies post-graduation rather than during internship. J-1 visa intern or trainee status is also used for international law graduates placed through authorized exchange programs.
Which cities in New York have the most legal intern sponsorship jobs?
Manhattan accounts for the vast majority of legal intern sponsorship opportunities in New York, driven by its concentration of Am Law 100 firms, major bank legal departments, and corporate headquarters. Albany has a smaller but distinct market centered on government legal roles and regulatory agencies. Buffalo and Rochester occasionally offer opportunities through regional law firms and healthcare system legal departments, but volume is significantly lower than New York City.
How to find legal intern visa sponsorship jobs in New York?
Migrate Mate filters job listings specifically by visa sponsorship availability, making it straightforward to identify legal intern roles in New York where employers are actively open to sponsoring international candidates. Rather than sorting through general job boards, you can search directly for legal intern positions in New York on Migrate Mate and focus your applications on employers who have confirmed sponsorship programs, which is especially useful during OPT or CPT periods when timing matters.
Are there state-specific considerations for legal intern visa sponsorship in New York?
New York's high concentration of internationally focused law firms means many employers are experienced with visa sponsorship processes, which generally results in more structured support for international interns than you might find in smaller markets. Law students at New York-area schools such as Columbia, NYU, and Fordham benefit from established pipelines into firms with active international hiring. Note that unauthorized practice of law restrictions in New York mean intern roles are typically structured around supervised research and support rather than independent legal work.
What is the prevailing wage for sponsored legal intern jobs in New York?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.