The Michigan State Appellate Defender Office (SADO) seeks first- and second-year law students committed to public defense, racial equity, and social justice to join its Summer 2026 Juvenile Lifer Unit (JLU) Internship Program. SADO’s Juvenile Lifer Unit provides representation to those sentenced to life without parole for crimes committed as youth.
Interns will work paired with members of the Juvenile Lifer Unit, including attorneys, investigators, mitigation specialists, reentry specialists and support staff. JLU interns will gain experience with file and transcript review, client visitation, mitigation, legal research, and brief writing—all in preparation for resentencing proceedings pursuant to the United States Supreme Court’s decisions in Miller v Alabama (2012), Montgomery v Louisiana (2016), the Michigan Supreme Court cases of People v Parks (2022), People v Poole (2025), and the decision of the court in the combined cases of People v Czarnecki and People v Taylor (2025).
SADO is a hybrid work environment, and interns will have the opportunity to work remotely and in-person in either SADO’s Detroit or Lansing offices. The internship program will run from late May through August 2026; precise dates are flexible. Due to limited resources, internship opportunities are currently unpaid. Applicants are encouraged to seek funding from their academic institutions or third-party funders, and SADO will share opportunities for financial assistance as it learns of them. Anyone interested in applying should e-mail a resume and cover letter together in a single PDF file to hr@sado.org. Applicants’ cover letters should indicate why they want to be part of the JLU team and work for SADO clients. Indicate in the subject line of the email that it is an application for a position with the JLU summer internship program. Applications should be submitted by January 12, 2026, at 5 p.m. Decisions will be made on a rolling basis. Questions can be emailed to hr@sado.org.
SADO is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. A felony conviction does not prohibit employment at SADO.
Interns will work paired with members of the Juvenile Lifer Unit, including attorneys, investigators, mitigation specialists, reentry specialists and support staff. JLU interns will gain experience with file and transcript review, client visitation, mitigation, legal research, and brief writing—all in preparation for resentencing proceedings pursuant to the United States Supreme Court’s decisions in Miller v Alabama (2012), Montgomery v Louisiana (2016), the Michigan Supreme Court cases of People v Parks (2022), People v Poole (2025), and the decision of the court in the combined cases of People v Czarnecki and People v Taylor (2025).
SADO is a hybrid work environment, and interns will have the opportunity to work remotely and in-person in either SADO’s Detroit or Lansing offices. The internship program will run from late May through August 2026; precise dates are flexible. Due to limited resources, internship opportunities are currently unpaid. Applicants are encouraged to seek funding from their academic institutions or third-party funders, and SADO will share opportunities for financial assistance as it learns of them. Anyone interested in applying should e-mail a resume and cover letter together in a single PDF file to hr@sado.org. Applicants’ cover letters should indicate why they want to be part of the JLU team and work for SADO clients. Indicate in the subject line of the email that it is an application for a position with the JLU summer internship program. Applications should be submitted by January 12, 2026, at 5 p.m. Decisions will be made on a rolling basis. Questions can be emailed to hr@sado.org.
SADO is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. A felony conviction does not prohibit employment at SADO.
