Water Policy Legal Internship — Spring–Summer 2026
Harpeth Conservancy is now accepting applications for law school students interested in a Spring 2026 or Summer 2026 internship in clean water protection public policy. Internship opportunities require a commitment of roughly 10 hours per week (days and times flexible; see below). A Spring internship will entail an emphasis on water conservation issues throughout the January–April legislative session.
About Harpeth Conservancy
Founded in 1999, Harpeth Conservancy’s mission is to restore and protect clean water and healthy ecosystems for rivers in Tennessee by employing scientific expertise and collaborative relationships to develop, promote, and support broad community stewardship and action.
Program Overview
Harpeth Conservancy is dedicated to protecting clean water and healthy ecosystems for rivers in Tennessee. Legal interns support this mission through advocacy, working with community leaders, issue campaign work, and coalition building on a cross-disciplinary team.
Responsibilities
- Research and draft internal memos on various current Tennessee water policy issues (e.g., proposed legislation, rulemaking, permits, or land use issues) as well as miscellaneous legal questions relevant to 501(c)(3) operations.
- Strategize on water protection policy with other legal and science-based conservation leaders across Tennessee.
- Attend and memorialize public hearings on targeted issues.
- Research emerging topics around water policy issues, including but not limited to land use, drinking water, stormwater, and drought management.
- Draft and/or review comment letters in response to proposed government actions.
- Attend and help coordinate policy-related events occurring during the internship (e.g., Conservation Day on the Hill).
Desired Skills, Experience, and Qualifications
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Demonstrated experience and/or interest in conservation or environmental policy, administrative law, and/or lobbying
- Ability to work within a multi-disciplinary team as well as act independently as needed
- Knowledge in applicable scientific fields and/or engineering is a plus
- Must be reliable, responsible, and flexible
- Available to work in our Brentwood office at least Tuesday and/or Thursday morning or afternoon (other hours may be remote)
- Access to a car to travel to various sites in the greater Nashville area
Internship Benefits
- Interns will gain experience in clean water advocacy, state and local administrative processes, state legislation, and work with leaders in public policy throughout Tennessee.
- Harpeth Conservancy is pleased to work with law school administrations to support class credit for our legal interns.
Please send a cover letter and resume to elisekarpinski@harpethriver.org with the subject line “Water Policy Legal Internship Application.”