Job Description

Job Description

LOS ANGELES COUNTY EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT ASSOCIATION (LACERA), LEGAL DIVISION: PAID, FULL-TIME SUMMER INTERNSHIP (TWO POSITIONS) (HYBRID)

The LACERA Legal Division is seeking two full-time interns this summer.

Interns will rotate throughout the Legal Division and have the opportunity to work with attorneys in each of the sub-specialties: Litigation/Employment, Investments and Commercial Contracts, Disability, Benefits. (For more information, please see below.)

This is an excellent opportunity for a law student to gain hands-on experience in a variety of areas of the law including: employee benefits, employment law, litigation, commercial contracts, investment transactions, public entity governance and ethics and compliance. LACERA strives to make its program rewarding and relevant to interns’ professional development by exposing them to the types of challenging work and expectations they will experience as attorneys in the practice of law.

Some examples of representative work include:

• Performing legal research;

• Drafting board memos;

• Attending meetings of the Board of Retirement and the Board of Investments;

• Attending depositions and hearings;

• Reviewing non-disclosure agreements;

• Reviewing side letters and gaining exposure to limited partnership agreements;

• Analyzing the legal merits of claims for disability benefits;

• Assisting in responding to Public Records Act requests and subpoenas;

• Reviewing draft domestic relations orders;

• Assisting in the development and revision of policies and procedures;

• Preparing and presenting a capstone presentation to the Board of Retirement at the end of the internship.

Interns will meet with an assigned attorney mentor on a weekly basis throughout the duration of the internship.

LACERA is operating on a hybrid work model, which means that interns may work both remotely and in our Pasadena office on an agreed upon schedule.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES:

• Currently attending an ABA accredited law school – applications from both 1st and 2nd year law students welcome.

• Strong legal research and writing skills

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills

• Demonstrated strong work ethic and integrity (ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines)

• Intellectually curious and self-motivated

• Ability to work independently and collaboratively

• Detail-oriented

• Interest in public sector

INTERNSHIP DURATION AND COMPENSATION:

This summer internship is planned to start on Monday, May 18, 2026 and end on July 24, 2026, but dates may be adjusted to accommodate the individual intern’s schedule.

Compensation for the position is $45/hour, with an expectation of 40 hours per week.

ABOUT LACERA:

The Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association (“LACERA”) is a California public pension fund separate and distinct from the County of Los Angeles (“County”). LACERA administers and manages disability, death and retirement benefits for over 194,000 active, deferred, and retired member employees of the County and outside districts. We also administer the Retiree Healthcare Benefits Program, which is subsidized by the County. At over $86.2 billion as of June 30, 2025, LACERA is one of the largest county retirement systems in the United States. LACERA’s Board of Investments also manages a trust with a June 30, 2025 balance of over $5 billion intended to prefund the participating employers’ future liability for the retiree healthcare program.

For more information about LACERA, please visit

ABOUT LACERA’s LEGAL DIVISION:

LACERA’s Legal Division is responsible for providing legal advice and representation to LACERA and its Boards of Retirement and Investments. The Legal Office is currently comprised of the following sections: Litigation/Employment, Investments and Commercial Contracts, Disability, and Benefits (with an Ethics and Compliance Office in development):

Litigation/Employment

The Litigation/Employment section represents LACERA in state, federal and appellate courts in connection with member and other claims by or against the fund, including petition for writs of mandate, breach of fiduciary duty, and other pension law claims; oversight of outside counsel concerning LACERA litigation; reporting of litigation-related matters to the Board of Investments and Board of Retirement; handling of administrative appeals before the Board of Retirement; preparation of written documents; first and second chair oral hearings, arguments, and presentations, provides legal support to Human Resources Division on a wide range of employment matters including labor laws, discrimination laws under Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and California Family Rights Act (CFRA), civil service rules and workplace investigations; participation at the bargaining table during union negotiations.

Investments and Commercial Contracts

The Investments section provides LACERA’s investment staff with legal advice relating to investment transactions; reviewing, drafting, and negotiating documentation for various investment transactions, including private equity, hedge funds, real assets, real estate, and public markets, and other asset classes; supervising outside counsel on investment transactions; legal support on a wide range of transactional matters; drafting memos, policies and procedures to the Board of Investments; drafting, reviewing and negotiating contracts relating to investments; and drafting, reviewing, and negotiating commercial contracts for all of LACERA’s operations.

Disability

The Disability section assists the Disability Retirement Services Division in connection with disability retirement applications, providing written and oral advice to LACERA staff and the Board of Retirement regarding disability retirement law issues.

Benefits

The Benefits section advises LACERA staff and the Board of Retirement regarding pension benefits issues under the County Employees Retirement Law of 1937, California Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act, and other applicable laws; legal review of domestic relations orders and other court orders; and handling of administrative appeals before the Board of Retirement.

Ethics and Compliance

In addition, the Legal Division assists with organizational governance and is closely involved in the development of a new Ethics and Compliance division.

The Ethics and Compliance section will support LACERA Board and management’s oversight of LACERA’s compliance with laws, regulations, policies, procedures, and LACERA’s Code of Ethical Conduct. Activities of this division will include: performing operational ethics and compliance risk assessments with continuous improvement of operational controls; ethics and compliance training and education; advising on policy and procedure review; measuring and promoting an organizational culture of ethics and compliance; and regularly reporting on these activities to the CEO, Audit, Compliance, Risk, and Ethics (ACRE) Committee and the Boards.

Fiduciary Governance

LACERA’s fiduciary duty to members and their beneficiaries is relevant to all that we do. The Legal Division advises the Boards, executive management, division managers, and other staff in the performance of their fiduciary duty and ensuring that the governance of the organization is consistent with that duty.

IF INTERESTED, PLEASE CONTACT:

Irene Saucedo at isaucedo@lacera.gov and reference “LACERA–PAID, FULL-TIME SUMMER INTERNSHIP, legal division” in the subject line. Please include a cover letter, transcript, writing sample and resume.

Position Type

• Internship / Externship

Required Application Materials

• Cover Letter, Transcript, Resume and Writing Sample

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