Small Business Legal Services Intern

Small Business Legal Services Program Assistant Intern

Black Connect | Remote | July–December 2026 | Unpaid / Academic Credit Eligible

Black Connect is seeking a Small Business Legal Services Program Assistant Intern to support the expansion of its Small Business Legal Services Program, which connects entrepreneurs and small business owners with legal information, referrals, early dispute resolution support, and pro bono legal resources through Black Connect’s network of law firm and legal partners.

This role is designed for a student who wants hands-on experience with legal services program operations, project management, workflow coordination, follow-up systems, professional communication, entrepreneurship, nonprofit leadership, and access-to-justice work.

The Program Assistant Intern will work with Black Connect’s legal services team to help organize intake materials, track case status, maintain program records, support follow-up communications, and improve the systems that make legal referrals more efficient for entrepreneurs and participating law firms.

Unlike a traditional classroom or observational internship, this role provides exposure to real small business legal matters and the practical impact those matters can have on businesses, families, livelihoods, and the people behind the businesses.

Responsibilities

The intern may assist with:

• Reviewing legal services intake submissions for completeness.
• Organizing documents, correspondence, and supporting materials submitted by entrepreneurs.
• Preparing preliminary intake summaries for internal review by the Legal Services Coordinator.
• Maintaining case tracking spreadsheets or program management tools.
• Tracking case status, referral status, follow-up needs, missing information, and next steps.
• Supporting workflow coordination between intake, triage, document review, attorney referral, early dispute resolution, and follow-up.
• Helping monitor deadlines, pending tasks, and open items across legal services matters.
• Drafting non-legal communication templates, document request checklists, and follow-up reminders for review and approval.
• Assisting with professional communications to members, entrepreneurs, volunteers, attorneys, and law firm partners.
• Helping identify matters that may be appropriate for attorney referral, early dispute resolution, contract review, mediation support, or additional internal review.
• Supporting the organization of current and recent cases to help test and improve Black Connect’s referral workflow.
• Assisting with case study documentation after matters are resolved.
• Helping improve the efficiency of Black Connect’s case referral system for entrepreneurs and law firm partners.

Skills the Intern Will Build

Through this role, the intern will build practical skills in:

• project management;
• workflow coordination;
• professional follow-up;
• legal services program support;
• case tracking and status reporting;
• document organization;
• nonprofit operations;
• professional written communication;
• issue identification and triage support;
• entrepreneurship and small business support;
• access-to-justice program development.

Important Role Limitations

This is a program support role. The intern will not provide legal advice, evaluate legal claims independently, communicate legal conclusions to entrepreneurs, or act as an attorney or legal representative.

All work involving legal services matters will be performed under the supervision and direction of Black Connect leadership and the legal services team.

Internship Deliverables

By the end of the internship, the intern will help complete one or more of the following:

• Updated case intake tracker.
• Document organization checklist.
• Case status and referral tracking system.
• Internal intake summary template.
• Missing information checklist.
• Follow-up communication templates.
• Sample case workflow notes.
• Recommendations for improving the legal services referral process.
• Case study or impact documentation for resolved matters.

Ideal Candidate

This role is ideal for students interested in law, pre-law, legal studies, paralegal studies, public policy, business, entrepreneurship, nonprofit leadership, project management, dispute resolution, mediation, economic development, or access to justice.

Strong candidates are organized, detail-oriented, professional, discreet, responsive, and comfortable working with confidential business and legal materials. Students do not need prior legal experience, but should be willing to learn, follow instructions carefully, communicate clearly, and manage tasks through completion.

This role may be especially valuable for students who want exposure to real cases and a deeper understanding of how legal problems affect small businesses and the lives of the people behind them.

Time Commitment

Approximately 5–10 hours per week from July through December 2026. Strong candidates may be considered for continued involvement in Spring 2027 based on program needs and performance.

About Black Connect and the Small Business Legal Services Program

Black Connect is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working to eliminate the racial wealth gap in America by building an entrepreneurial ecosystem rooted in legal access, financial support, business visibility, strategic partnerships, and community infrastructure.

Black Connect’s Small Business Legal Services Program received the American Bar Association Brown Select Award, and Black Connect has been featured by Forbes for its work supporting Black entrepreneurs.