Legal Internship Spring 2026

Internship Opportunities

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) is a nonpartisan policy institute dedicated exclusively to promoting pluralism, defending democratic values, and fighting the ideologies that threaten democracy. The organization was founded shortly after 9 / 11 by a group of visionary philanthropists and policymakers to engage in the worldwide war of ideas and to support the defense of democratic societies under assault by terrorism and militant Islamism. FDD combines policy research, investigative journalism, strategic communications, and democracy and counterterrorism education.

About FDD's Internship Program

Based in downtown Washington, D.C., the Foundation for Defense of Democracies has a number of internship opportunities available. All FDD interns will have the opportunity to participate in a twice-monthly speaker series, which brings high-level DC officials and senior staff members to engage with interns in an intimate setting. FDD interns will be encouraged to build on their academic skills by working closely with senior staff. FDD is also happy to assist students who wish to earn academic credit for this internship. All internships are unpaid.

• FDD will move forward with both hybrid and remote internship options for the Spring 2026 semester.

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. It is recommended that interested candidates submit applications early. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Legal Internship

The Lawfare Program is seeking full-time and part-time interns. Interns will work closely with  FDD Senior Fellow Orde Kittrie , and other members of  the FDD team , on projects at the intersection of law and U.S. foreign policy / national security. Recent projects have focused on holding Russia accountable for its invasion of Ukraine, the Middle East peace process, the International Criminal Court investigations of the U.S. and Israel, the use of human shields by terrorist groups, China's use of lawfare, the law of international organizations, the law of armed conflict, the laws governing the acquisition and use of weapons of mass destruction, and the use of law as a weapon against Iran and other U.S. adversaries.

Applicants must be law students or law school graduates with a demonstrated record of excellence, including research experience, strong writing capabilities, and a keen attention to accuracy. Applicants must be eligible to work in the United States. Applicants will preferably have taken at least one course in international law, international business transactions, or national security law.

Preference will be given to applicants who are able to work at least 16 hours per week for a period of one month or longer (fewer hours per week might also be acceptable). We have considerable flexibility as to whether work is done in person or remotely (and are open to internships which are fully remote).

Application Materials Required :

Please indicate in your cover letter where you found this internship and your availability for the semester. If you are interested in multiple positions, you may use the same cover letter for each but submit separate applications.

Eligibility

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

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