Civil Division
Employment Opportunities for
Students and Recent Graduates

General Overview of the Division

In 1868 Congress gave the Attorney General responsibility for all government litigation before the Court of Claims. Few anticipated the development of this function into the present-day Civil Division, or the significance and enormity of the Division's work. Today, the Civil Division is the largest litigating division within the Department of Justice, numbering approximately 1,100 employees, of whom more than 700 are attorneys.

The Civil Division represents the United States, its more than 100 federal agencies and their employees, the President, the Members of Congress, the federal judiciary, and the people of the United States in general civil litigation before both trial and appellate courts. Many of its cases have significant domestic and foreign policy implications.

The Civil Division is headed by an Assistant Attorney General and five Deputy Assistant Attorneys General. It is composed of six (6) Litigating Components (Commercial Litigation, Federal Programs, Torts, Consumer Litigation, Immigration Litigation and Appellate), and the Office of Management Programs.

Employment Opportunities for Current Students

The Civil Division has a number of paid and unpaid employment opportunities for individuals who are currently enrolled in an undergraduate, post-graduate or law school program.

• Paid Student Employment - Each year the Division hires a number of students to assist with clerical and other administrative duties. Most students work approximately 10 to 16 hours per week during the school year, at a pay rate from $10.62 to $14.56 per hour.
   
• Volunteer Employment - The Division offers many opportunities for volunteer employment during the summer months and throughout the school year.

 
•  Law Students - Law students seeking paid summer internships with the Civil Division must apply through the Department's Summer Law Intern Program.

• Entry-level Attorney Positions - Third-year law students and judicial law clerks seeking entry-level, full-time employment with the Civil Division must apply through the Attorney General's Honor Program.