Legal 2027 Summer Internship (Full Time/Paid/12 weeks)

Location: IL - Oak Brook

Compensation Details

$22.00 per hour

Why should you join our team?

We live our values - W.E.L.I.G.H.T (Winning, Excellence, Love, Integrity, Gratitude, Humility, and Teamwork). Gratitude. Humility. Love. You don’t often see values like these in most corporate statements, but Ace is different. These things are important to us. They represent our commitment to the company, our employees, to Ace retailers and to the Ace brand.

Job Description

We are seeking a motivated law student (in between the first and second years of law school), to join our Legal team for a hands-on internship experience that offers exposure to the diverse work of an in-house legal department. This position will be located out of our Oak Brook, IL corporate office.  The intern will shadow experienced attorneys and paralegals and gain exposure to matters spanning commercial contracts, litigation, regulatory compliance, privacy, artificial intelligence, marketing, human resources, and corporate governance. This opportunity is ideal for a law student looking to apply classroom learning in a real-world business environment, strengthen legal research and writing skills, and learn how legal counsel helps a company navigate risk and make strategic business decisions.  This internship is scheduled to start on May 17 and end on August 6.

Job Responsibilities

o   Conduct legal research on federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

o   Prepare legal memoranda, summaries, and presentations on research findings.

o   Assist attorneys with contract review and analysis, including vendor, technology, marketing, and commercial agreements.

o   Support litigation management efforts by reviewing documents, organizing case files, and assisting with discovery projects.

o   Assist with responses to subpoenas, regulatory inquiries, and other legal requests.

o   Review marketing, advertising, and promotional materials for legal compliance.

o   Support privacy, data governance, artificial intelligence, and compliance initiatives.

o   Monitor legislative and regulatory developments affecting the retail industry.

o   Draft and edit policies, training materials, and corporate governance documents.

o   Participate in meetings with business partners and observe legal counseling in a business environment.

o   Perform other legal and compliance projects as assigned.

Qualifications

o   Currently enrolled in an accredited law school program 1L (in between the first and second years of law school)

o   Strong academic credentials and demonstrated analytical skills.

o   Excellent legal research and writing abilities.

o   Strong attention to detail and organizational skills.

o   Ability to handle confidential information with professionalism and discretion.

o   Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and legal research tools.

o   Interest in corporate, commercial, compliance, privacy, litigation, or retail law.

Preferred Qualifications

o   Prior legal, compliance, business, or retail experience.

o   Experience using legal research platforms and AI-powered legal tools.

o   Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.

Learning Opportunities

During the internship, the law student will have the opportunity to:

o   Work directly with experienced in-house counsel.

o   Gain exposure to a broad range of legal disciplines.

o   Develop practical business-oriented legal judgment.

o   Learn how legal advice supports strategic business decisions.

o   Participate in professional development and networking opportunities.

Why Ace?

Ace Hardware (headquartered in Oak Brook, IL) is the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the world with over 5,800 locally owned and operated stores in approximately 60 countries.  Since 1924, Ace has become a part of local communities around the world and known as the place with the Helpful Hardware Folks.

Location Description

Ace Hardware corporate headquarters is about 20 miles west of Chicago and you’ll get the very best of city and suburban life – prestigious shopping, dining, recreation, performing arts and historical neighborhoods. Our brand-new corporate facility opened in September 2023 and has state of the amenities such as a work-out facility, underground parking and upscale cafeteria.  We work in the office the majority of the week and enjoy everything our new facility has to offer together as a team.

2027 Summer Internship Program Overview

The Ace Internship program allows you to apply the skills and knowledge that you're learning in school today, while contributing in a hands-on environment to fit your career objectives, complement your academic work and enhance your learning. Here’s what you will take away from your experience:

o   Real hands-on experience in your assigned department/function with day-to-day projects, responsibilities, accountabilities and deadlines.

o   Opportunity to display your skills during your “Final Pitch” presentation

o   Q & A with Ace’s CEO and Senior Leadership team

o   Resume Workshop to help you prepare for future opportunities

o   Opportunity to volunteer through the Ace Hardware Foundation

o   Teambuilding activities

o   Hourly competitive compensation

o   12-week full time program

Your internship experience at Ace will give you the knowledge and skills future employers will look for! Want to hear more? Please review our Glassdoor comments from former interns!

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We want to hear from you!

When most people think of career opportunities with Ace Hardware, they often think of the helpful cashiers and sales associates at their local store. However, have you also considered the people behind the scenes who select, promote, ship and process the invoices for more than 75,000 products? Maybe you haven't, but we'd like you to. Because together we help our