1L Students

1L Internships

First year law students get a fulsome and diverse experience that will include researching and writing memos, briefs, and legal pleadings as well as observing court, providing support to trial teams, conducting investigations, interacting with clients through jail and office visits, and participating in targeted skills training. Our offices host law students as interns starting the summer after two semesters of legal studies.

Applying for a Summer Internship

Your approach to apply will depend on the offices for which you would like to be considered. We have 21 trial offices that cover 22 judicial districts and 64 counties across the state. While internships in the Denver area tend to be the most popular because of the Denver offices’ proximity to the local law schools, consider spending a semester in the mountains or serving our rural clients.

Young man and woman stand in their new workplace

Frontier, Rural, and Mountain Area Internships

To apply for a 1L internship in any of the 15 trial offices outside of the Denver Metro area, please email your resume and cover letter to the point of contact for the office(s) of your interest. Please indicate if you have applied to more than one office.

Attorney Internship Contacts
Portrait of business team in the office

Denver Metro Area Internships

We have six offices in the Denver area:

  • Arapahoe
  • Boulder
  • Brighton
  • Denver
  • Castle Rock
  • Golden

To apply for a summer 1L internship in the Denver Metro area, please email your resume and cover letter to intern@coloradodefenders.us. Please indicate in your email which of these six offices you would like to be considered and whether you have applied to offices outside of the Denver metro area.