Careers

Legal Intern, Psychedelic and Plant Medicine Law

Location: Remote

Type: Internship / Unpaid

Duration: Summer 2026 with opportunity to extend

Hiring Status: Open

About Terrapin Legal

Terrapin Legal PLLC is a pioneering law firm focused on the evolving legal landscape of psychedelics and plant medicine. Founded in 2022, Terrapin was built on a deep belief in the transformative potential of psychedelics and a commitment to supporting their safe, responsible, and legally sound access.

Psychedelics sit at a unique crossroads of law, policy, and practice, raising questions about constitutional protections, regulatory frameworks, and risk management. Navigating these complexities requires a deep respect for traditional wisdom, an understanding of emergent research, and a commitment to practical, sustainable legal solutions.

The practice focuses on legal risk management, regulatory alignment, and organizational structure. Clients include entheogenic religious communities, ceremonial practitioners, and individuals seeking to exercise sincere religious belief under a legal framework that was not designed with their practices in mind. The work spans client counseling, advocacy, and organizational structure: advising clients on how their practices map against federal law, building the compliance infrastructure and documentation that supports a credible RFRA defense before it is ever needed, and representing their interests before agencies and in exemption proceedings.

Our approach extends beyond traditional legal strategies, drawing from diverse perspectives to provide comprehensive support. We address legal hurdles and consider the broader societal and cultural impacts of psychedelic use. We believe that law can and should serve as a tool for safeguarding access to psychedelic and plant medicines, as well as the communities that rely on them for healing and transformation.

Terrapin is guided by simple yet meaningful values: gratitude, intentional strategy, and integrity. We believe that thoughtful legal frameworks, progressive policy reform, and expanded access are essential to creating a future where psychedelic practices are not only protected but fully recognized as legitimate and transformative.

The Role

We are seeking a highly motivated Legal Intern to join our team. The practice centers on legal risk management, regulatory alignment, and helping clients structure their practices under applicable federal and state law. The intern will work directly under the principal attorney and will primarily support low-income and pro bono clients within the entheogenic spiritual community.

The mentorship is direct and substantive. The principal attorney provides real-time feedback on work product, thinks through complex problems collaboratively with the intern, and teaches within a body of law that most law school curricula do not reach. The intern will leave with meaningful experience in an area of federal doctrine that is still actively developing and direct exposure to the relationship between legal frameworks and the communities they are designed to protect.

Who We’re Looking For

The clients this practice serves are working inside federal law that was not designed with them in mind, and the lawyers who serve them well carry both the technical architecture of that law and a real understanding of what is at stake for the person across the table. That combination is harder to find than any single qualification, and it sits closer to the center of what this practice is looking for than anything on a resume.

Curiosity about this field matters: the intersection of constitutional protection, sincere religious exercise, and federal enforcement raises questions worth spending real time with, and the intern who thrives here arrives with a genuine stake in those questions alongside the ability to do excellent work inside them. The field is still forming its own professional norms, which means the intern has to bring their own values clearly and be willing to build expertise in real time inside a body of doctrine most curricula do not reach.

Diverse backgrounds carry real weight here, as this practice synthesizes frameworks that do not naturally sit together. Someone arriving from theology, social work, organizing, or any field that required holding more than one framework at once will find that background operating alongside their legal training. Academic records and prior experience are part of what we look at, alongside that which a transcript cannot capture.

Key Responsibilities

• Legal Research & Briefing: Conduct deep-dive research on First Amendment rights, Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) applications, and emerging state/federal regulations regarding plant medicine. Draft comprehensive legal briefs and memos.

• Document Drafting & Review: Assist in drafting client agreements, compliance protocols, and organizational bylaws to ensure alignment with current laws.

• Client Support: Support attorneys in communicating with clients, preparing for meetings, and organizing case files.

• Risk Management: Help develop quality work products that guide clients in navigating legal risks without resorting to litigation.

• Strategic Analysis: Contribute "outside-the-box" thinking to complex legal problems involving constitutional protections for spiritual communities.

Qualifications

• Education: Currently enrolled in an accredited law school (2L or 3L preferred).

• Coursework: Completed Legal Research and Writing, Professional Responsibility, Contracts, Constitutional Law I, and Torts.

• Time Commitment: Ability to commit to 15-20 hours per week 

Preferred Experience and Qualifications 

• Completed or currently enrolled in Constitutional Law II, Administrative Law, Corporations, and/or Appellate Advocacy

• Familiarity with RFRA jurisprudence or First Amendment case law.

• Experience working with non-profits, religious organizations, or social justice initiatives.

• Desire to learn about psychedelic lawyering. 

• Spanish language proficiency.

Skills

• Exceptional technical writing ability with a keen eye for detail.

• Demonstrated critical thinking skills and the ability to analyze complex, novel legal issues.

• High standards of confidentiality and professional ethics.

• Open-mindedness and a genuine respect for diverse cultural and spiritual practices.

• A strong interest in the intersection of law, policy, and plant medicine.

What We Offer

• Mentorship: Direct, hands-on guidance from attorneys specializing in an emergent field.

• Impact: The opportunity to work directly with pro bono and low-income clients, making a tangible difference in the lives of individuals and communities.

• Culture: A collaborative, values-driven environment that prioritizes integrity and intentional strategy.

How to Apply

Please submit the following to Taylor at Info@TerrapinLegal.com: 

Resume

Cover Letter: In your Cover Letter, tell us who you are and what brought you here. We are less interested in your resume than in your thinking and your values: what draws you to the intersection of law and spiritual practice, what you believe law can and cannot do for the communities it touches, and what that tells you about the kind of lawyer you want to become.

Writing Sample: A legal memo, brief, or substantial research paper demonstrating your technical writing and analytical skills.

Terrapin Legal is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and clients.