Goldmark Equal Justice Internship Program

At the Legal Foundation of Washington, a supporter of the Alliance for Equal Justice, providing civil legal aid to those with nowhere else to turn is our priority.

Through the Goldmark Equal Justice Internship, we help to fulfill the equal justice mission by funding a legal intern to a Foundation grantee who will provide meaningful access to justice through research and writing, casework and client services. While students are paid to gain valuable experience working in a public interest law office, there is little or no cost to the host program.

After the selection of the host program, the availability of a specific internship is advertised to law students between mid-August and mid-October. The Goldmark Internship announcement is sent to career development centers at more than 50 law schools nationwide, including the three Washington state law schools. Second year law students through recent graduates may apply for these internships by submitting completed applications to the Foundation in mid-October each year.

Goldmark Internship Committee members review all complete applications received, then narrow the number down to three to five finalists for personal interviews. Interviews are conducted in mid-November and may be in-person or conducted by telephone. Law students are notified of the committee's decision in late November. The intern will then work the following summer for a 10-week period.

Applications for the 2009 internship were accepted through Friday October 10, 2008. Jessica Hertz of Seattle University School of Law was awarded the 2009 Goldmark Equal Justice Internship with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project in Tacoma where she will assist in Legal Orientation Program and direct representation activities at the Northwest Detention Center.

What is a Goldmark Internship?

The program is named for Charles A. Goldmark, the Foundation’s second president. Chuck was a firm believer in, and a forceful advocate for, equal access to the justice system. The internship was created both as a tribute to Chuck and to encourage young lawyers to emulate his ardent commitment to civil legal aid to the poor.

Chuck played a pivotal role in the creation of Washington State's IOLTA program and the Legal Foundation of Washington and is remembered through two Foundation programs: the Charles A. Goldmark Distinguished Service Award and Luncheon and the Goldmark Equal Justice Internship Program.

The Goldmark Equal Justice Internship Program was created in 1992 with the help of a $50,000 gift from the Charles and Annie Goldmark Family Foundation. The Legal Foundation of Washington’s Board of Trustees have awarded twenty-five internships valued at nearly $200,000 since.


"Chuck believed that it is the responsibility of each of us, in our own way to try to improve some aspect of our society beyond ourselves. To leave our society just a little bit better than when we found it when we arrived here. He believed that, as a lawyer, he could accomplish this. Chuck practiced what he believed."

Kevin F. Kelly
Foundation President, 1997

How to Apply

2005 Intern Ernest Radillo Receives WSBA 2009 Courageous Award