Externship Opportunities

SELC believes that learning from actual experience is an important component of legal education. In addition to our summer internship program, we strongly urge second- and third-year law students to take advantage of our semester-long externship programs. Once a student has been accepted into this program, we will work with the faculty of the sponsoring law school to plan the program and ensure that all requirements for credit are met. While extern schedules can be flexible, typically we ask that students spend at least 15 hours (or 2 days) per week with us.

About SELC: With nine offices across the region (Charlottesville, VA; Chapel Hill, NC; Atlanta, GA; Charleston, SC; Washington, DC; Birmingham, AL; Nashville, TN; Asheville, NC; and Richmond, VA), SELC is widely recognized as the Southeast’s foremost environmental organization and regional leader. SELC works on a full range of environmental issues to protect the South’s natural resources and the health and well-being of its people. Although its regional focus is the Southeast, much of its work is national in scope and impact. 

SELC works in Congress and state legislatures to inform environmental laws; in regulatory agencies to implement environmental laws and policies; and in the courts to enforce the law, stop the worst abuses, and set important precedents. The organization works collaboratively with more than 100 national, state, and local groups to enhance their efficacy and achieve common conservation goals. It currently has a staff of over 150 individuals, with over 80 attorneys, including some of the nation’s leading experts in their respective fields.

SELC believes that a broad range of ideas, life experiences, and backgrounds enriches our workplace, drives innovative thinking, and attracts highly talented people who seek a work environment that values the unique contributions of individual team members. We are eager to welcome new team members who share this belief. We still have much progress to make, but our goal is to create and maintain a staff that, at every level, reflect the rich racial and cultural diversity of the communities where we work and the clients that we serve. SELC is an Equal Opportunity Employer and committed to fostering a transparently inclusive workplace environment. We are looking for people to join us in this effort. Persons of all backgrounds—including people of color, women, people with disabilities, veterans, and LGBTQ candidates—are strongly encouraged to apply.

“I shadowed two staff lobbyists at the North Carolina State Legislative Building and attended town hall meetings with an attorney who specializes in sustainability and transportation. These experiences gave me a deeper understanding of the role environmental attorneys play at the local government level.” —Anthony Alexander, SELC Extern 2017-2018

Applications: SELC typically offers externships through programs with local law schools. To apply for an externship, please contact your law school to determine the appropriate application process and timeline. However, if your law school does not already have an externship relationship with SELC, you may send your cover letter, resume, writing sample, transcript or grade report (with date of birth and social security number redacted) and a reference list only to the office(s) with which you are interested at the addresses indicated below.

Externship applications are evaluated on a rolling basis.

SELC is an Equal Opportunity Employer and strongly encourages applications from persons of all backgrounds.

Send applications for the Charlottesville office to:

Katie Storer
Southern Environmental Law Center
201 West Main Street, Suite 14
Charlottesville, VA 22902

or email:
[email protected]

Send applications for the Chapel Hill office to:

Lauren Fry
Southern Environmental Law Center
601 West Rosemary Street, Suite 220
Chapel Hill, NC 27516-2356

or email:
[email protected]

Send applications for the Asheville office to:

Bob Halstead
Southern Environmental Law Center
48 Patton Avenue, Suite 304
Asheville, NC 28801

or email:
[email protected]

Send applications for the Charleston office to:

Mellie Kelley
525 East Bay Street
Suite 200
Charleston, SC 29403

or email:
[email protected]

Send applications for the Atlanta office to:

Kristin Foltz
Southern Environmental Law Center
Ten 10th Street NW
Suite 1050
Atlanta, GA 30303

or email:
[email protected]

Send applications for the Birmingham office to:

Alyssa Prater
Southern Environmental Law Center
2829 2nd Avenue S
Suite 282
Birmingham, AL 35233

or email:
[email protected]

Send applications for the Nashville office to:

Michaela Gregory
Southern Environmental Law Center
1033 Demonbreun Street
Suite 205
Nashville, TN 37203

or email:
[email protected]