Getting started in an industry is hard when you don't know where to begin.
The Lawson-Body Undergraduate Internship Program is an advisory and placement service for college students.
It identifies internships, opens new placements with employers, and links students to funding, so that a student's location and personal connections matter less.
Core services
Four functions make up the program's work.
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Legal internship access
Law firms typically recruit law students, which leaves undergraduates with few routes into private practice. The program works to open those routes and to place students in legal settings early.
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Regional resource navigation
Each search begins with the internship networks and state programs operating in the student's region. The program matches them to the student's field, location, and eligibility.
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Employer outreach
The program contacts law firms and other employers directly and proposes undergraduate placements, including unpaid positions, where no opening is currently posted.
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Funding connections
When a placement is unpaid, the program identifies intern payment programs that can support the student, so the opportunity is financially workable.
Beyond the core services
The program takes on requests outside this list. Students and employers are welcome to email with any internship-related question or need, and the program will help wherever it can.
lawsonbodyintern@gmail.com
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Submit a request
Share your school, your state, and your field of interest through the form. A few details are enough to begin.
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The program runs the search
Regional resources come first. Where needed, the program follows with employer outreach and a search for payment programs.
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Receive a response
Options and recommended next steps arrive by email.
The program responds to every request within 1 to 2 weeks.
- North Dakota
- Minnesota
- Pennsylvania
- New York
- New Jersey
Currently serving five states
Regional resources are the first step
Every search begins with the programs already operating in the student's region.
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North Dakota
InternGF
In the Grand Forks and Fargo areas, InternGF helps design legal internships for students during its application periods.
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Pennsylvania
Career Connected Learning PHL
A Philadelphia program for students looking for work-based learning.
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New Jersey
New Jersey Career Accelerator Internship Grant Program
A state grant program that supports internships.
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New York
Employee Training Incentive Program (E-TIP)
A state program that supports employers who train workers.
These programs are run by other organizations. The Lawson-Body program points students to them and is not partnered with them. Each program sets its own eligibility rules and dates, so check its website before you apply.
Why the program exists
Most large law firms recruit from law schools. Undergraduates seeking legal experience are usually directed to public court systems.
Those placements have real value and should not be the only route. Options narrow further in rural and underserved communities, where there are fewer firms, fewer programs, and fewer contacts to draw on.
The program was founded to widen access. It identifies existing opportunities, contacts employers to create new placements, and connects students with programs that can fund them. The program works in law and in many other fields.
The program was founded by Annick Lawson-Body, a student at the University of Pennsylvania from Grand Forks, North Dakota.
The program is run independently. It is not part of the University of Pennsylvania.
For law firms and employers
An undergraduate placement gives an organization an early look at motivated students. The program makes the introduction, and a placement does not need to be a full summer internship.
- An unpaid placement
- A paid internship
- A shadowing day
- A short project
For unpaid roles, the program works to connect the student with an intern payment program, which helps the student accept the opportunity.
A standard internship outline is available to employers for onboarding, so a placement can start without building a program from scratch.
Questions
Who can send a request?
Undergraduate students in any field. The program currently serves North Dakota, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey.
How long until I hear back?
The program responds within 1 to 2 weeks. The response comes by email, at the address you give in the request.
What happens if no regional program fits?
The search moves to direct outreach. The program emails firms and other employers about placements, and it looks for payment programs that could support the student.
Can I ask for help with something outside these services?
Yes. The program takes on any internship-related request. Use the form or email lawsonbodyintern@gmail.com.
Do employers need to build an internship program first?
No. The program has a standard internship outline available for onboarding interns. Employers can request it through the form or by email.
Does the program guarantee a placement?
No. Placements depend on what employers and funding programs offer. The program looks at every option that is available and shares what it finds.
Is the program part of a university or a regional program?
No. It is run independently. It is not part of the University of Pennsylvania, and it is not partnered with the regional programs it lists.
Send a request
Complete the form. The program reviews every request and responds within 1 to 2 weeks.
Prefer email? Write to lawsonbodyintern@gmail.com