Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law: Summer Internship

CERL’s nine-week summer internship program prepares law, graduate, and undergraduate students interested in the national security field by providing an ethics and rule of law foundation so that their future perspectives, leadership, and decision-making are always rooted in the rule of law. Our interns help further CERL’s mission through research, writing, and conference planning, and gain valuable insights through conversations with national security experts on the critical issues facing our nation today. Former CERL interns have gone on to positions in the government including in the Department of Justice, Navy Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps, and Space Force. The 2026 internship begins June 1, 2026, and ends July 31, 2026.

CERL is a non-partisan institute that preserves and promotes ethics and the rule of law in national security, democratic governance, conflict, and war. CERL draws from the study of law, philosophy, and ethics and unites scholars, policymakers, and practitioners to probe critical issues through the lens of ethics and the rule of law. Using the tools of interdisciplinary engagement and open dialogue, CERL experts answer the hard questions that arise when the rule of law is threatened or violated, and provides guidance that helps safeguard U.S. democracy. Read more about CERL’s mission.

CERL interns work in teams under the supervision of CERL’s leadership and have the opportunity to:

• Research critical ethical and rule of law issues affecting the United States today
• Help plan CERL’s conferences, workshops, and public programs
• Publish original works for CERL’s blog, The Rule of Law Post
• Help prepare CERL policy briefings and contribute to CERL academic publications
• Interact with leading academics and practitioners in the national security field and CERL Executive Board members

Law students (JD or LLM) and graduate students in philosophy, political science, international relations, communications, and other related fields who are interested in examining the intersection of rule of law values, applied ethics, and national security are encouraged to apply.

How to Apply: External Link: https://www.penncerl.org/summer-internships-program/

The contact for this position is: Alexandra Herrera aeherr@upenn.edu

This posting is a Bruno Opportunity, an internship shared in BrownConnect+ by alumni, family, and friends of Brown University. Employers posting Bruno Opportunities have agreed to take Brown student status into consideration in the hiring process.