Internship and externship opportunities

"My time interning with the Oregon Innocence Project has confirmed that innocence advocacy is not just legal practice, it is life-restoring work. OIP stands as a powerful reminder that meticulous legal analysis and unwavering advocacy protect not only individuals, but also the credibility of our justice system."

——Feedback from an OIP intern.

The Oregon Innocence Project (OIP) launched in 2014 with a mission to exonerate the wrongfully convicted, train law students, and promote legal reforms aimed at preventing wrongful convictions. It is the only project of its kind in Oregon whose sole mission is to actively track claims of innocence, investigate those claims, test DNA and other scientific evidence, and litigate where appropriate. Our goal is to collaborate with all stakeholders (district attorneys, the defense bar, policymakers, police, victims' rights groups, forensic scientists, and other practitioners working in the criminal justice system) to build support for comprehensive criminal justice reform. As well as securing the release of people who have been wrongfully convicted, OIP provides an outstanding educational experience for students. 

We have worked with dozens of law students over the years. Law students get the unique opportunity of assisting in the investigations and litigation of cases at every level of criminal "appeals", including post-conviction relief and federal habeas corpus. Cases usually involve serious felonies that carry lengthy prison terms or life sentences.

Student positions generally are a year long: full-time during Summer, with 15-hour minimum during Fall and Spring semesters. 

We work with law student interns/externs every year. Interns/externs start in early June and continue though the entire school year. We accept applications starting in December of the previous year through to March 10th of the year in which the internship/externship begins.

Student positions are unfunded from the project but we are willing to work with students with outside grant/stipend funding, work-study programs, and obtaining academic credit through internship/externships.  

Contact our Intake Staff Attorney Brodia Minter about internship opportunities using the form below.

“My time at OIP has been greatly formative as I shape my career goals in the criminal defense field. My role includes screening and investigating inquirers’ cases for factual innocence claims; legal research and writing; attending meetings with clients, experts, and witnesses; observing oral arguments in federal and state supreme court; drafting post-conviction relief petitions; and other litigation tasks for PCR and criminal trials. The mentorship from the attorneys at OIP has been instrumental in navigating the job hunt and connecting to mission-aligned practitioners in the Portland legal community. My internship has deepened my understanding of post-conviction criminal law, and energized me to continue my career in criminal defense.”

——Feedback from an OIP intern.