Legal Intern

Who we are:

The Ad Council convenes creative storytellers to educate, unite and uplift audiences by opening hearts, inspiring action and accelerating change. For more than 80 years, the nonprofit organization and its partners in advertising, media, marketing and tech have been behind some of the country's most iconic social impact campaigns - Smokey Bear, Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk, Tear the Paper Ceiling and many more.

The Raquel Zarin Internship Program:

Our internship program is in honor of Raquel Zarin, a beloved employee, mentor and friend at the Ad Council. Raquel passed away in 2021 but left behind a legacy of grace, courage, hard work and great fun that we strive to emulate. She nurtured young talent, championed belonging, fought for fair immigration practices, and was passionate about the importance of expanded health access.

These are all principles that we hold in high esteem and values that we want our future interns to establish during their time with us and beyond.

The Raquel Zarin Internship Program is a remote-first engagement and will run from June 1, 2026 - August 14, 2026. All interns will be paid $19/hour and are eligible to earn overtime. Ability to work East Coast hours is required.

Job Summary:

The Legal Intern will play an active role in supporting the Ad Council's inhouse Legal team, contributing to contract review, rights management, legal research, and process improvement initiatives that enable the organization's mission and longterm effectiveness. The intern will engage directly with Legal's core work, reviewing standard agreements, identifying patterns across executed contracts, and helping improve templates, training materials, and internal resources that guide how legal services are delivered across the organization.

Designed for a first- or second-year law student, this role emphasizes learning through handson participation and increasing responsibility over the course of the internship. Through supervised legal analysis, research, and collaboration, the intern will help advance the Legal team's initiatives from planning through execution, contribute to continuous improvement efforts, and develop a practical understanding of how legal judgment informs business, creative, and governance decisions.

The intern will also collaborate with fellow Ad Council interns on a summer project, contributing a legal and business affairs perspective to the development and presentation of a campaign proposal.

What you'll do:

• Support key Legal team projects and initiatives from planning through execution by completing relevant training, building foundational knowledge of governance and risk, and identifying opportunities for continuous improvement
• Contribute to strategy development and operational efficiency by organizing the Legal team's templates and internal resources and proposing updates to standard agreements and reference materials
• Support initial review of lowrisk agreements, as appropriate based on workload and progression, confirming consistency with previously executed agreement and flagging issues for Legal review
• Research and analyze legal and regulatory developments, including executive orders, government requirements, and emerging tools such as AI to inform Legal team guidance and decision making
• Collaborate with internal and cross functional stakeholders by attending designated meetings, documenting discussions, and tracking followup items to support effective legal governance and outcomes
• Collaborate with Ad Council interns on the summer intern project, contributing a legal and business affairs perspective to help identify relevant rights, risk, and contracting considerations and support development and presentation of a campaign proposal to Ad Council staff

What you bring:

• Current enrollment as a first or second year law student (1L or 2L) in good academic standing at an accredited law school at the time of the internship, with a demonstrated interest in inhouse legal practice, contracts, and legal topics related to marketing, media, talent, or intellectual property
• Foundational understanding of contracts and legal concepts gained through law school coursework
• Ability…