U.S. Attorney's Office
Eastern District of California
Make Your Case for Public Service
The United States Attorney's Office, Eastern District of California,
serves as the Eastern District's principal federal litigator under the
direction of the Attorney General. The United States Attorney's Office
is located in Sacramento, California, with a branch office in Fresno,
California. The United States Attorney's Office has three major
responsibilities:
- The prosecution of criminal cases brought by the Federal
government
- The prosecution and defense of civil cases in which the United
States is a party
- The collection of debts owed the Federal government which are
administratively uncollectible.
To this end, there are various opportunities for students to provide
clerical, administrative, and legal assistance to the District. As
positions become vacant, the following opportunities may be available
in either the Sacramento or Fresno office:
Paid Positions:
Student Temporary Employment Program
: Offers temporary
clerical and administrative opportunities to students who are enrolled
at least half-time in an accredited 2-year or 4-year college or
university, graduate or professional school, vocational, or technical
school. Opportunities need not be related to the student's academic
field of study. Students may be employed year round and work schedules
are flexible to accommodate school schedules. During the school year,
students must work between 16-20 hours per week; however, during school
breaks, students may work up to 40 hours per week. Students in this
program are placed in excepted appointments and are eligible to earn
annual and sick leave.
College Work Study Program: Students
interested in this program must contact their college and/or university
to determine if they qualify for a college work study position. Work
study positions are available in the following areas:
Criminal Misdemeanor Unit
: These Law Clerk
positions are available for third-year law students. Duties include
prosecuting misdemeanor offenses for the Federal government in the
United States Magistrate Court. The student is responsible for his
or her own caseload, from initial appearances through trial and
probation violations. Law students will gain valuable experience
appearing in court, making and responding to motions, preparing for
trial, and acting as trial counsel for bench and jury trials. Students
must commmit to participate in this program for one year beginning in
May of the year the student completes his or her second year (day) or
third year (evening) of law school. Students work 20 hours per week
during the school year and 40 hours per week during the summer months. The law student must be able to be certified as a student attorney and these positions require students to either be enrolled in or have completed the Evidence Course.
Victim/Witness Assistance Program
: This program allows students to
assist innocent clients who are involved in the federal criminal
justice system either as a victim or a witness. The program has two
components and students may select which program they are interested
in pursuing. The Victim Case Manager component allows students to
assist the Victim Witness Program Coordinator in identifying victims
in Federal criminal cases and provide services to these victims.
Students will learn about the jurisdiction, uniqueness, and
complications of the Federal criminal justice system. The Community
Outreach component allows the student to assist with the development
and administration of public meetings, forums, and conferences.
Duties include agenda development, speaker selection, marketing, and
document production. Outreach efforts focus on vulnerable victimized
communities, including victims of hate crimes, child abuse, government
program fraud.
Unpaid Positions:
Student Volunteer Service: Offers unpaid
training opportunities to students in high school and college. These
opportunities provide work experience related to the student's
academic program. Students must be enrolled at least half-time in an
accredited high school, technical or vocational school, a 2-year or
4-year college or university, or a graduate or professional school to
participate in this program. Positions available include Student Law
Clerk, victim/witness assistance, and other administrative positions.
The Law Clerk positions allow students to gain experience in
researching issues; writing memoranda of findings, briefs, and motions;
and observing Federal court proceedings. Students may choose to be
placed in either the Civil or Criminal Divisions. The student must
have completed his or her first year of law school to be eligible.
The students in the victim/witness assistance positions will perform
the duties described in the paid positions section above. Students
in the Administrative area will provide various duties including
assisting the personnel, budget and other administrative staff. The
volunteer positions usually last one semester but may be extended.
Intern Clinic Program: This program offers
school credits. Students must check with their school's clinical
advisor regarding the number of units earned. During the school year,
a minimum of 15 hours per week is required. Positions available
include Student Law Clerk, victim/witness assistance, and other
administrative positions. Duties and requirements for these positions
are described in the Student Volunteer Service section above.
Resumes for Law Clerk positions should be submitted by the following deadlines: February 15th for summer positions, June 30th for fall semester positions, and October 30th for spring semester positions. Students interested in positions in the Sacramento office should submit resumes to the U.S. Attorney's Office, 501 I Street, Suite 10-100, Sacramento, CA 95814. Students interested in positions in the Fresno Branch Office should submit resumes to the U.S. Attorney's Office, 1130 O Street, Room 3654, Fresno, CA 93721. Resumes should be addressed to the attention of one of following individuals, depending on the location (Sacramento or Fresno) and Division (Criminal, Civil, or Misdemeanor) the student is interested in:
Kim Stafford - Civil Division (Sacramento) - (916) 554-2777
Karen Ernst - Criminal Division (Sacramento) - (916) 554-2715
Pat Mikel - Misdemeanor Unit (Sacramento) - (916) 554-2791
Stan Boone - Misdemeanor Unit (Fresno) - (559) 498-7272
Bob Wright - Civil Division (Fresno) - (559) 498-7272
Resumes for all other student positions should be submitted to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Attn: Personnel Officer, 501 I Street, Suite 10-100, Sacramento, CA 95814. For additional information please contact Martha Bennett, Personnel Officer, (916) 554-2749.
Students should include a cover letter indicating the program, position, and location he or she is interested in and include a recent transcript if available.
Students must be United States citizens and must pass a security clearance that takes between 4-6 weeks. No student will be allowed to begin work until they have been cleared.
AS OF:02-01-01
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