Legal Extern

Description

OPB is seeking interesting people to fill externship positions for the Summer 2025, Fall 2025, and Winter / Spring 2026 terms. There will be at least two positions per term.

OPB’s small but mightyTM legal team consists of four full-time attorneys, a paralegal, and a legal assistant. Externs will work closely with OPB's General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel, Staff Attorney, and Roger Cooke Legal Fellow, all of whom are experienced lawyers.

The department handles all OPB's legal matters (except employment law), including all business and vendor contracts, real property leases, tower leases, IP licenses, and public records request petitions. An extern can expect broad experience designed to improve legal judgment and communication. The opportunity to draft a public records petition is virtually guaranteed.

Work environment is business casual and generally a mix of in the office and remote, with most work being remote. All necessary equipment is provided. Hours and working locations are somewhat flexible, but we’ve learned over the last decade that students who can serve closer to full time get a superior experience.

OPB's extern program is well established, and prospective applicants are encouraged to talk with past externs about their experiences.

Qualifications :

Students that get the most out of the experience have a curiosity about different areas of the law and a passion for public broadcasting and its mission. Strong writing skills make things better. A demonstrated interest in media law, copyright licensing, and / or nonprofit business issues is nice but not critical, we do plenty of straight up business law too.

Our day-to-day is different every day, so we value candidates with flexibility and the ability to prioritize time-sensitive matters. Applicants should have advanced research and writing skills, the ability to function independently with limited supervision and demonstrate attention to detail in all work product.

OPB, and specifically the legal team, believe that diverse backgrounds and experiences are the keys to excellent collaborative work. We especially encourage students from a diverse cultural background and nontraditional education backgrounds to apply.

To apply, email cover letter, resume and writing sample (three pages is plenty) to with your preferred term in the subject line.

Student Perspective :

As I want to work in the areas of entertainment or media law, this externship provided me with my first opportunity to experience what it means to work in these industries. My supervisors demonstrated a level of trust in me and my work product to the point where it often felt like I was a legitimate lawyer on the legal team and not just an extern. My supervisors and I developed a great relationship and I intend to maintain my connections with them moving forward.”

Terms :

Generally, terms are as follows.

Summer – June through August

Fall – August through December

Winter / Spring – January through May

Deadline Details :

February 28, 2025 at 12 : 00pm

Emphasis of Practice / Position :

Contract Review / Management, Entertainment & Sports, Intellectual Property, Real Property, and Public Records Advocacy.

Desired Class Level(s) :

Prefer 2L at time of application. 3L at time of externship, but we have had great experiences with 1L applicants too.

Compensation Type :

Paid on a monthly basis; possible Academic Credit

Compensation Details :

Hourly Rate : $20

Academic Credit :

Between you and your law school, but we’re happy to fill out any required forms.

Address applications to (name and title) :

Lupita Velazquez, Legal Assistant and Jon Bial, Deputy General Counsel

Salary : $20