Legal Intern Positions
The U.S. Department of Justice is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer. It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace, and the person selected will be required to pass a drug test to screen for illegal drug use. Career Opportunities is also contingent upon the satisfactory completion of a background investigation adjudicated by the Department of Justice.
Opportunities are available in the Criminal Division's Fraud Section for qualified candidates interested in summer legal internships or academic semester legal internships (sometimes called "externships"). Legal interns will work directly with attorneys on cutting edge legal issues relating to a wide range of economic crime issues. Typical intern projects have involved researching novel legal issues, drafting litigation documents for active cases, analyzing policy proposals, and helping to draft Section publications.
The Fraud Section is responsible for conducting grand jury investigations and prosecutions in certain cases that require centralized treatment because of the complexity of the scheme, the multi-district nature of the criminal activity, the sensitivity of the issues, or the necessity for developing model prosecutions to establish the viability of a particular statute, theory, or technique. Fraud Section investigations often involve business crimes such as financial institution fraud; Internet fraud; fraud in the insurance industry; international criminal activities in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; and multi-district schemes that victimize consumers, such as telemarketing and bankruptcy mills. The Section's prosecutions also focus on fraud involving government programs and procurement, including health care, HUD, and government regulatory activity in the securities and commodities markets.
Summer legal internships are full time and usually last between ten to twelve weeks. In past years, the Section has hired four to five summer legal interns who have completed either one or two years of law school. Semester-based legal internships are usually part-time. The legal intern positions are unpaid. Because of the sensitive nature of the work, applicants must pass a background check before a formal offer for an internship can be extended.
Application process for legal interns:
Applicants for law internship positions must be enrolled in law school and have: (1) a strong academic background; (2) excellent research and writing skills; and (3) experience or interest in criminal issues. Applicants must submit via e-mail, a cover letter, a resume, a short or partial writing sample (not to exceed 10 pages), a list of three references and an unofficial law school transcript to: Tonya.McCally@usdoj.gov – Attn: Tonya M. McCally, Intern Hiring Coordinator.
Summer legal internships: Applicants for summer legal internships will be accepted from December 1 until January 31 prior to the internship summer. Because interviews are scheduled on a rolling basis beginning as early as January 1, early applications are helpful. Semester-based legal internships: Applications for a semester-based legal internship will be accepted until one month in advance of the intended start date. Because interviews are scheduled on a rolling basis, early applications are helpful. |