Careers

The Center for American and International Law is an exciting and inspiring place to work. We offer competitive employment benefits for full-time employees which include medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, a 401(k), and more.

Staff Assistant – Criminal Justice and Actual Innocence (CJAI)

Position Summary
The Center for American and International Law (CAIL) is seeking a highly organized and self-motivated Staff Assistant to join our small, collaborative team. The Staff Assistant will serve as an important member of a diverse and talented team, providing essential administrative, customer service, and operational support primarily to the Grant-Funded Criminal Justice and Actual Innocence programs (CJAI).

The Staff Assistant will work closely with the CJAI director, CJAI staff, and other CAIL team members to help coordinate and execute high-quality educational programs. Responsibilities also include assisting with social media content preparation, marketing efforts, faculty support, and various administrative tasks.

About CAIL
CAIL was founded in 1947 as the Southwestern Legal Foundation by Robert Storey, Dean of SMU Dedman School of Law. Following his service as Executive Trial Counsel at the Nuremberg Tribunal after World War II, Dean Storey established the organization to provide continuing legal education for attorneys and to promote the importance of the rule of law.

Key Responsibilities

Provide administrative and customer service support for CJAI educational conferences and programs
Explain and disseminate information concerning CAIL programs and procedure
Compile materials for meetings, conferences, seminars, presentations, and trainings
Conduct administrative reviews of reports, documents, applications, or summaries to ensure administrative completeness
Assist with faculty coordination and marketing activities
Draft and/or review electronic communications to speakers and participants
Help prepare social media posts and other promotional content
Support general administrative functions, including calendar management, task tracking, submitted presentation materials, and/or post-program reports
Test, reformat and/or revise submitted program materials, as required
Collaborate with team members on conference-related tasks and other projects as needed
Travel occasionally to help host conferences

Seminar/Conference Management

On-site support for legal educational conferences
Manage setup and assist with check-in and registration desks, where required
Manage distribution of program packets by attendee type, where required
On-site support for caterers/deliveries/restocking
On-site technology support
Direct and assist speakers on-site to facilitate smooth presentations
Direct and assist participants throughout the duration of a conference

Ideal Candidate Qualifications

The successful candidate will be:

Highly organized with strong attention to detail
Knowledgeable of office practices and administrative procedures
Self-motivated and able to work independently from a calendar and task list
Skillful in the use of standard office equipment and software
Resourceful with excellent problem-solving skills
Able to implement administrative systems and procedures and to interpret rules, regulations, polices, and procedures
Flexible and willing to assist with a variety of tasks beyond a narrow job description
Professional, responsive, customer-service oriented, and able to provide guidance to others.

Work Style & Team Environment
CJAI works as an effective, supportive team. Members of this team do not operate with a rigid “this is not my job” mindset. Instead, focus is centered on what is necessary to accomplish the mission and help one another succeed. The ideal candidate will embrace this collaborative, mission-driven approach.

Education

A bachelor’s degree is preferred, but relevant work experience will be considered.

Work Hours and Conditions

This is a full-time, non-exempt position.
The standard work week is 37.5 hours Monday through Friday between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm. Daily hours determined with approval of supervisor. Hours may differ during program days.
Compensation is commensurate with experience and qualifications ranging from $23.00 to $25.00 per hour.
This position is located at CAIL’s education center at 5201 Democracy Drive, Plano, TX 75024.
Reliable commute or a plan to relocate before starting employment.
Some of the job may be performed remotely, with supervisor approval.
Start date: As soon as possible once CAIL systems and equipment are ready.

Benefits

CAIL offers medical, dental, and vision coverage for employee, spouse, and dependents with CAIL providing a partial benefits supplement.
Short-term and long-term disability is offered at no cost to the employee.
CAIL offers participation in a 403(b) retirement plan, with CAIL making a 100% matching contribution of up to 6% of eligible compensation.
Paid vacation and sick leave are available.

To Apply

Send cover letter and resume to: Jennifer Martinez, Director of CJAI, at jmartinez@cailaw.org.

CAIL is an equal-opportunity employer.

CAIL Communications Internship - Fall 2026

Join The Center for American and International Law (CAIL), a nonprofit legal education organization, for a hands-on communications internship spanning public relations, marketing, and content development. This is an unpaid, credit-bearing educational internship open to students from any university with an approved academic internship or experiential-learning program.

The internship is an educational placement, and projects are selected for their educational value and completed under the supervision of CAIL’s Communications Officer. You’ll take on real, portfolio-building projects, receive direct mentorship, and have opportunities to develop practical communications skills through hands-on experience. The goal is for you to leave the internship with stronger skills, a better understanding of professional communications, and tangible work you can show future employers.
You’ll have regular opportunities for instruction, feedback, and reflection through daily check-ins, weekly and monthly debriefs, and a monthly written learning summary. These touchpoints are built into the program so your development is intentional, and your progress can be tracked throughout the semester.

We’re looking for someone motivated and someone who asks questions, applies feedback, takes initiative, and wants to build their skills through meaningful, hands-on experience.

Communications Internship Snapshot

Job Type: Internship — Unpaid, for college credit only

Reports to: Karla Larraga, Communications Officer

Compensation: Unpaid. This position must be completed in exchange for college credit. CAIL does not provide monetary compensation, a stipend, or wages for this role. This posting is open to students from any university's approved academic internship or experiential-learning program — candidates should be prepared to share their program's specific credit requirements (hours, documentation, learning agreements, etc.) during the application process so we can confirm fit before the internship begins.

Location: Plano, TX — Hybrid (at least 1 day/week in-office; remote otherwise, flexible for commute distance)

Responsibilities:

Draft and edit press releases and other media materials
Support annual report research, writing, and content development
Contribute to the development of internal and external newsletters
Research media outlets and help develop targeted media contact lists
Help produce recurring interview series, including subject outreach, interviews, transcription, editing, and graphics
Track media coverage and assist with social media content planning and reporting
Help photograph CAIL programs and events during scheduled in-office days
Participate in daily check-ins, weekly debriefs, and monthly reflections, including a written summary of key learning and accomplishments

Duration: This internship runs for the duration of the Fall 2026 term and concludes with the academic term.

Hours: 10–15 hours/week, flexible based on the candidate's academic commitments and university requirements.

Application Deadline: Rolling — applications for the Fall 2026 term are open now and reviewed on a rolling basis. (Spring 2027 applications open November 1, 2026 — a separate posting will be listed at that time.)

Qualifications

Currently enrolled in a college or university program with an approved internship or experiential-learning course that requires or accepts an outside placement; Communications, public relations, marketing, journalism, or a related major preferred
Able to provide your program’s specific internship requirements, including required hours, documentation, learning agreements, faculty approval, or evaluation requirements
Must have access to a personal laptop suitable for completing internship assignments and bring it to scheduled in-office workdays; CAIL does not provide a computer for this internship.
Strong writing, editing, and attention-to-detail skills
Comfortable communicating professionally with interview subjects, media contacts, and other external audiences
Interest in communications, nonprofit organizations, legal education, or mission-driven work
Able to commit to approximately 10–15 hours per week, scheduled around academic commitments and university requirements, including at least one in-office day per week in Plano (flexible based on student’s schedule)
Curious, dependable, and willing to ask questions, apply feedback, and take initiative as your skills develop

What You'll Gain

Hands-on, portfolio-building experience across public relations, media outreach, writing, digital content, and communications strategy
The opportunity to help develop a recurring interview series from initial concept and outreach through publication
Experience working on communications projects for a nonprofit organization
Direct mentorship, regular feedback, and opportunities to reflect on your progress throughout the semester
Tangible work samples that can strengthen your professional portfolio
A written letter of recommendation upon successful completion of the internship
A supervised internship experience designed to support academic credit requirements, subject to approval by your college or university

Academic Requirements

This internship is not tied to a specific university or pre-approved academic program. Before the internship begins, selected candidates will need to provide their university’s requirements for receiving academic credit, including required hours, learning agreements, evaluation forms, faculty check-ins, enrollment deadlines, or other documentation.

Students are responsible for confirming their eligibility for academic credit and completing any required enrollment process directly with their college or university. CAIL will work with the selected student and their academic program to complete reasonable employer-side documentation and evaluation requirements.

Participation in this internship does not create an expectation, promise, or entitlement to paid employment with CAIL during or after the internship.

How to Apply

Submit a resume and cover letter to Karla Larraga. We’re comfortable with the use of AI tools during the application process, but your application should still sound like you. We want to understand your interests, your perspective, and what you hope to learn from the experience—not just what a template can produce.

Selected candidates will be contacted to schedule a video interview.