Legal Intern

Description

Central Garden & Pet Company is a leading innovator, marketer, and producer of quality branded products for the pet, lawn, and garden markets. Our Legal Department is seeking a Legal Intern to work in our Walnut Creek, CA location.

This position is ideal for a highly organized, detail-oriented student who is interested in pursuing a legal career. The internship is designed to provide exposure to the day-to-day operations of a corporate in-house legal department and how legal professionals partner with business teams across a large organization. No prior legal experience is required.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Legal Operations & Administrative Support (You will learn how to)

• Assist with the organization, maintenance, and electronic filing of legal documents and records.
• Support contract administration processes, including document intake, tracking, routing, and status updates.
• Help maintain legal department databases, matter trackers, and document repositories.
• Assist with records retention and document management projects.
• Monitor shared legal department inboxes and route requests to the appropriate team members.
• Prepare reports, spreadsheets, and dashboards to support legal department operations.

Legal Technology & AI Enablement

• Support the implementation and ongoing optimization of legal technology tools, including AI-powered legal platforms.
• Assist in organizing, categorizing, and maintaining legal department knowledge resources, templates, policies, and guidance documents used to support AI systems.
• Help identify duplicate, outdated, or inconsistent legal content and recommend organizational improvements.
• Participate in testing and evaluation of AI-generated responses using established review criteria and approved legal guidance.
• Document user feedback, system issues, and enhancement opportunities to improve tool performance and adoption.
• Assist in developing prompt libraries, user guides, FAQs, and training materials for legal technology solutions.
• Support legal department efforts related to AI governance, documentation, and responsible use of AI tools.

Process Improvement & Workflow Support

• Review legal department workflows and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, consistency, and scalability.
• Assist in documenting legal processes, procedures, and standard operating practices.
• Create process maps, checklists, and workflow documentation for common legal department activities.
• Support projects focused on contract management, knowledge management, compliance tracking, and legal operations modernization.
• Help gather and analyze operational metrics to identify opportunities for continuous improvement.

Research & Business Support

• Conduct basic research using publicly available resources on topics such as corporate governance, regulatory developments, industry trends, and legal operations best practices.
• Assist with gathering information and supporting materials for legal department initiatives and special projects.
• Prepare summaries, presentations, and reports for internal stakeholders.
• Support compliance-related administrative activities, including maintaining records, tracking deadlines, and organizing documentation.
• Collaborate with business partners across departments to gather information and support legal department initiatives.

Capstone Project Opportunity

• Depending on business needs, the intern may be assigned a summer-long project related to legal operations, AI implementation, knowledge management, contract process improvement, or legal department workflow optimization. The intern will present findings and recommendations to members of the Legal Department leadership team.

Professional Development

• Observe how in-house counsel advise and support business teams.
• Gain exposure to contract management, compliance, corporate governance, intellectual property, and other legal functions.
• Participate in department meetings, training sessions, and special projects as appropriate.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with professionalism and discretion.
• Interest in law, business, public policy, compliance, or corporate operations.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team environment.
• Curiosity and willingness to learn about the role of an in-house legal department.
• Demonstrated interest in law, legal operations, business, compliance, technology, or artificial intelligence.
• Strong curiosity about how legal teams support business operations.
• Experience organizing information, conducting research, or managing projects through academic, extracurricular, or work experiences.
• Ability to learn new software platforms and technology tools quickly.
• Interest in process improvement, workflow design, and operational efficiency

MINIMUM EXPERIENCE & EDUCATION

• Current undergraduate student, preferably pursuing studies in Pre-Law, Political Science, Business, Public Policy, Communications, English, or a related field.
• Rising sophomore, junior, or senior preferred.
• Previous internship, administrative, research, or customer service experience is a plus but not required.

POSITION INFORMATION

• This position pays $21.00 - $22.00 per hour depending on experience

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ: CENT) (NASDAQ: CENTA) is a leading consumer goods company in the pet and garden industries. Guided by the belief that home is central to life, the Company''s purpose is to proudly nurture happy and healthy homes. For over 45 years, its innovative and trusted solutions have helped lawns grow greener, gardens bloom bigger, pets live healthier, and communities grow stronger. Central is home to a diversified portfolio of market-leading brands including Amdro, Aqueon, Best Bully Sticks, Cadet, C&S, Farnam, Ferry-Morse, Kaytee, Nylabone, Pennington, Sevin and Zocon. With fiscal 2025 net sales of $3.1 billion, Central has strong manufacturing and logistics capabilities supported by a passionate, entrepreneurial growth culture. The Company is headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, and employs over 6,000 people, primarily across North America. Visit www.central.com to learn more.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by law.