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Schedule: Full Time, 35 hours/week, Monday, June 15 - Friday, August 14, at least three days working onsite

Department Description

The General Counsel serves as legal counsel to the Museum. This team negotiates, prepares, and reviews complex contracts and legal memoranda; identifies and analyzes legal and strategic issues affecting the Museum's operations and programs; drafts policies for the Museum; advises on litigation matters; advises on the development and revision of institutional policies; advises the Board of Trustees on matters related to governance; and analyzes a broad range of federal, state, and local laws/regulations and policies that affect the Museum's operations, collections, exhibitions, programs, staffing, fundraising, and capital projects. The General Counsel supervises the internal legal work for the Museum and also oversees the work of the Museum’s outside counsel. The General Counsel reports to the Museum Director and is a member of the Museum's Executive Team.

Position Description

SFMOMA is seeking one first-year or second-year law student for a full-time legal internship working with the Museum's General Counsel on a broad range of legal research, writing, and contractual, and drafting assignments for the Museum. The General Counsel Intern will gain an understanding of legal issues in museum administration including: copyright, trademark, labor, employment, governance, tax, contracts, and fine arts insurance issues. The General Counsel Intern can expect to gain hands-on, real-world experience drafting legal memoranda, contracts, conducting legal research, attending client meetings, and other applicable hearings/court matters.  

Project Plan

During the 9-week internship program the General Counsel Intern will:

· Work closely with the General Counsel and Assistant General Counsel in drafting legal memoranda and museum contracts, conduct legal research, attend client meetings and other applicable hearings/court matters based on current museum needs.

· Complete an in-depth, legal research and writing project.

· Draft a full vendor agreement, or other standard museum contract, from beginning to end.

· Draft and amend museum contracts for a broad variety of museum departments.

· Gain experience communicating legal advice to in-house clients.

· Attend regular intern programs and presentations at the Museum to further understanding of museum careers and the context of the Museum’s legal work.

Educational Objectives

· To gain understanding of legal issues in museum administration, including, for example, copyright, trademark, labor, employment, governance, tax, contracts, and fine arts insurance issues.

· To sharpen legal research, writing/drafting, and communication skills.

· To gain practical experience in transactional and litigation matters.

Additional Internship Programming

The Summer 2026 Internship will offer 9-weeks of hands-on experience and mentorship along with weekly presentations and discussions with various departments in the museum, off-site educational visits within the Bay Area community, and access to various tours and events within the museum.

Requirements

·  Must have a Bachelor’s Degree; first or second year student at accredited U.S. law school, or a recent graduate.

SFMOMA recognizes a graduation date within 6 months of the internship start date as a recent graduate.

·  If you are a current employee of the SFMOMA, applying for an internship, you must be a current student or a

recent graduate, within 6 months of the internship start date. 

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$7,000 pre-tax stipend paid out in a one-lump sum after start date

*TAX WITHHOLDING: For certain non-US residents and non-CA residents, any payments that constitute taxable income under U.S. tax law may be subject to up to 30% federal and 7% state tax withholding (or the current applicable rates), and so any payments you receive may be reduced accordingly. Please consult with your tax advisor regarding the tax treatment of your stipend from this internship.

Application Requirements

· Intern application on SFMOMA job site

· Resume, in PDF format

· Cover letter stating the specific internship of interest, in PDF format

  · Describe the experience you bring, why you are interested in museum or nonprofit work, reasons for applying to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and your goals for the internship.

· Two letters of recommendation from either a college professor or current/former employer, in PDF format

· College/university transcript, in PDF format

· Transcripts can be unofficial but must be legible

  · If you are currently enrolled in a master's or PhD program, please provide the transcript for your current program, not your undergraduate transcript

Application Deadline: February 28, 2026

Please note: You only need two letters of recommendation total, not separate letters for each internship. If you apply to multiple internships (up to three), simply inform your recommenders which positions you’re applying for. We’ll review the same two letters across all your applications.