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Innovation & Strategic Initiatives Intern

New York, New York, United States

OVERVIEW

Practising Law Institute (PLI) educates and informs lawyers and other professionals with innovative programs, publications, podcasts, and additional resources. With a sterling reputation developed over 90 years, PLI is a trusted source of professional development and knowledge for the legal community. A nonprofit organization, PLI is also known for its dedication to providing pro bono training and resources to ensure access to justice. PLI’s client base includes a large array of prestigious law firms, corporations, and government agencies. We are also proud to have recently been named one of the “Brands That Matter” by Fast Company. More information about PLI may be found on our website www.pli.edu.

Practising Law Institute (“PLI”) is seeking a law school student to join its Manhattan‑based team as an Innovation & Strategic Initiatives Intern for the summer. PLI’s array of world-class legal education programs and services continues to grow, as does PLI’s client base of prestigious law firms and Fortune 500 companies. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of an organization at the forefront of legal education and innovation.

 

Internship Program Summary

The internship program will run from Monday, June 8th through Monday, August 24th, based in PLI’s Midtown Manhattan office. This is a paid internship, offering $20 per hour.

 

As an Innovation & Strategic Initiatives Intern on PLI’s Innovation team, you will work closely with senior leaders and cross‑functional partners to design, test, and scale AI‑enabled tools, workflows, and learning experiences that support attorneys, faculty, and internal teams. From contributing to PLI’s first‑ever Innovation Hackathon to building hands‑on demos and prototypes, this internship is ideal for students seeking practical, real‑world experience at the intersection of law, technology, and innovation.

 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Innovation Lab Upskilling & Hackathon Enablement

  • Support the design and delivery of Innovation Lab upskilling programs, with a primary focus on preparing colleagues for PLI’s first Innovation Hackathon.
  • Develop hands‑on learning modules, example projects, and AI‑enabled scenarios that help colleagues move quickly from ideas to prototypes.
  • Help build and maintain shared infrastructure, including an AI Creation Library, that captures agents, workflows, prototypes, and experiments emerging from the Lab.
  • Document learning content and workflows so they can scale beyond live sessions and be reused across teams.

AI‑Enabled Content & Faculty Workflow Development

  • Work directly with the Director of Innovation on AI‑enabled workflows for CLE content creation and faculty assets, focused on one‑hour live or streaming programs.
  • Collaborate with the Business Operations / Salesforce team to ensure workflows align with existing systems and processes.
  • Test, refine, and document workflows using enterprise AI tools (e.g., Gemini notebooks, Microsoft Copilot notebooks, ChatGPT).
  • Support internal demos, walkthroughs, and feedback sessions to drive understanding, adoption, and buy‑in.
  • Partnership & Collaboration Support (Paladin as the Model)
  • Support the Paladin–PLI collaboration in coordination with data, project management, and pro bono teams.
  • Assist with planning, documentation, and execution related to scaling the collaboration during the summer and into the next academic year.
  • Help capture workflows, metrics, and lessons learned to inform a repeatable collaboration template for future Innovation Lab partnerships.
  • Creative Use Cases, Demos & Adoption
  • Design and build practical use cases that demonstrate how Innovation Lab tools and workflows can be applied in real work.
  • Create short‑form demos, interactive walkthroughs, or videos that make AI‑enabled workflows easier to understand and adopt.
  • Contribute to the Innovation Lab’s demo and showcase infrastructure, helping scale adoption through clear examples rather than documentation alone.

Innovation Data, Tracking & Storytelling

  • Support data collection and tracking related to Innovation Lab activities, outputs, and engagement.
  • Assist with dashboards or reporting (e.g., Power BI) that help tell the story of innovation across the organization.
  • Contribute to internal storytelling that connects experimentation, workflows, and partnerships to PLI’s broader mission and strategy.

Other duties, as assigned.

 

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Qualified interns fall under the following category:
    • Law School Student
  • Must be available to participate in the program, beginning June 8th through August 24th
  • Must have the ability to work Monday – Thursday from 9am – 5pm (with a one-hour unpaid lunch break) and Fridays from 9 am – 12:30 pm (31.50 hours per week).
  • Must be proficient in Microsoft Office Suite. Some intern assignments will require familiarity with department specific software.
  • Strong interest in AI and emerging technologies, especially how they are applied in real organizational workflows (not just theory or research).
  • Comfort learning new tools quickly, including AI‑powered software and productivity platforms.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex ideas clearly to non‑technical audience.
  • Collaborative mindset, comfortable working across teams (innovation, data, pro bono, business operations).
  • Organized and detail‑oriented, with the ability to manage multiple workstreams and document work clearly.
  • Must have the ability to provide recommendation letters from school and/or previous employer.
  • No prior professional experience required; this program is designed for entry-level candidates.

Qualified internship applicants please submit your resume and cover letter online. Only candidates who provide a cover letter will be considered.  Due to the volume of applications, we will not be able to respond to all candidates who apply.

 

Practising Law Institute is an equal opportunity employer.  More information about PLI may be found on our website www.pli.edu.  Thank you for your interest in working at PLI.

 

EEO STATEMENT

PLI is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any candidate based on race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, military and veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other factor protected by federal, state or local law.
 

Only those applicants who meet our requirements for this position will be contacted.

Practising Law Institute is an equal opportunity employer. Click here to learn more.

 

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