The Attorney General's Honors Program accepts
applications from students graduating from law school in academic year
2009– 2010 (i.e., between October 1, 2009 and September 30, 2010)
and from law school graduates who meet specific eligibility criteria.
There are many factors affecting eligibility. Select the appropriate
link below to determine whether you are eligible to apply for the 2009-2010
Honors Program. Please note that these tables do not address citizenship
issues.
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Law
School Graduates |
Current law students who have not
yet met the graduation requirements for any law degree and joint-degree
students who are simultaneously pursuing a law degree and a graduate
degree. (This block is appropriate for joint-degree students
who have met the academic requirements for the law degree but
who have not completed the graduate degree.)
Select the link that best describes your current status.
Full-time law student (J.D. or equivalent only)
Part-time law student (J.D. or equivalent only)
Joint Degree law student (law degree and graduate
law degree programs, e.g., L.LM)
Joint Degree law student (law degree and non-legal
graduate degree programs, e.g., Masters, Ph.D, etc.) |
Individuals who have graduated from
law school and been awarded a law degree. (Joint-degree students
who have completed the academic requirements for a law degree
but who have not been awarded the law degree pending completion
of another graduate degree should select the appropriate category
under "Current Students.") Law school graduates may not simultaneously
apply to the Department through the Honors Program and for an
experienced attorney position.
Select the link that best describes your current status.
Judicial law clerk
Graduate law program student (e.g., L.LM)
Presidential Management Fellows
Other Legal Fellows
Other graduate degree student (e.g., Masters
Degree, Ph.D or other non-law degree program)
Combination of judicial clerkship and graduate law
program (e.g., L.LM)
Combination of judicial clerkship and non-legal
graduate program (e.g., Masters, Ph.D.)
Combination of Presidential Management Fellowship or other legal fellowship
and judicial clerkship or graduate law program
None of the above |
Current Students
A. Current law students (full-time or part-time): You
are eligible if you are attending law school, have not yet been awarded
an initial law degree (J.D. or equivalent), and will complete all degree
requirements and graduate from law school (be
awarded a law degree) in academic year 2009-2010 (i.e., between October
1, 2009 and September 30, 2010).
B. Joint-degree law students
(J.D./L.LM): You are eligible if you are a joint-degree student simultaneously pursuing
a law degree and a graduate law degree (e.g., J.D./L.LM)
who will complete all academic requirements for both degrees,
including a thesis, if required, and graduate from both programs
in academic year 2009-2010 (i.e., between October 1, 2009 and September
30, 2010). (This category is appropriate for students who have completed
the course requirements for a law degree but whose educational institution
will not confer the law degree until completion of the graduate law
degree requirements.) The following conditions apply:
- There cannot be a significant break in time between completion of
law school academic requirements and continuation of graduate law
studies.
- You cannot practice as an attorney (engage in significant legal
employment) between completion of law school academic requirements
and completion of graduate law studies)
C. Joint-degree law students
(J.D./Masters, Ph.D., etc): You are eligible if you are a
joint degree student simultaneously pursuing a law degree
and a non-legal graduate degree (e.g., J.D./MBA or
J.D./Ph.D.) who will complete all academic requirements
for both degrees, including a thesis, if required,
and graduate from both programs in academic year
2009-2010 (i.e., between October 1, 2009 and September 30, 2010).
(This category is appropriate for students who have completed the course
requirements for a law degree but whose educational institution will
not confer the law degree until completion of the non-legal graduate
degree or vice versa.) The following conditions apply:
- There cannot be a significant break in time between completion of
law school academic requirements and continuation of graduate studies.
- You cannot practice as an attorney (engage in significant legal
employment) between completion of law school academic requirements
and completion of graduate studies)
Law School Graduates
(Individuals who have completed law school and been awarded a law
degree.) Law school graduates may not simultaneously
apply to the Department through the Honors Program and for an experienced
attorney position.
A. Judicial Law Clerk: You
are eligible if you graduated from law school, and then entered into
a judicial clerkship (any U.S. jurisdiction) that terminates between October 1, 2009 and September
30, 2010. The following conditions apply:
- Your clerkship must have started within 9 months after law school
graduation.
- Your clerkship cannot end prior to October 1, 2009. (If your clerkship
ends on or before September 30, 2009, you are not eligible for the
Honors Program and should apply to the Department as an experienced
attorney.)
- You can have multiple clerkships (any U.S. jurisdiction), however, they must total no more
than three years in duration. (Note: If you had a prior Honors Program
clerkship with an Executive Office for Immigration Review Immigration
Court or a Drug Enforcement Agency Administrative Law Judge, you must
be admitted to the bar within 14 months of your initial entry on duty
date with the Department of Justice to remain eligible for the Honors
Program.)
- There must not be a significant break in time between completion
of a clerkship and start of any subsequent clerkship(s).
- Your clerkship(s) must be your only significant legal employment
following law school graduation.
B. Graduate Law Program (L.LM)
Student: You are eligible if you graduated from law school,
then entered a full time graduate law program (e.g., L.LM program) that will be completed (including a thesis, if
required) between October 1, 2009 and September 30, 2010. Law school graduates
who began a non-legal graduate program following law school graduation
(e.g., MBA, Ph.D) are NOT eligible). (Joint-degree
students who have not completed both degrees should review the eligibility
criteria under “Current Students.”) The
following conditions apply:
- The graduate law program must have started within 9 months after
law school graduation.
- You must be a full-time student for the duration
of the graduate law program.
- The graduate law program must not exceed three years in duration.
- You must not engage in significant legal employment (e.g., work
as an attorney) while attending the graduate law program.
C. Presidential Management Fellows: You
are eligible if you graduated from law school, then entered a Presidential
Management Fellowship (PMF) that will be completed between October 1,
2009 and September 30, 2010. The following conditions apply:
- The Fellowship must have started within 9 months after law school
graduation.
- The Fellowship must not exceed three years in duration.
- If your Fellowship involves the practice of law, it must be your
only significant legal employment following law school graduation.
D. Other Legal Fellowships: You may be eligible, subject to approval by the Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management (OARM), if you graduated from law school then entered a legal fellowship that will be completed between October 1, 2009 and September 30, 2010. The application will permit you to apply on a conditional basis - you will be prompted to respond to questions soliciting specific information about the fellowship in order to permit OARM to determine whether an exception to policy will be granted. The following additional conditions apply:
- The Fellowship must have started within 9 months after law school graduation.
- The Fellowship must not exceed three years in duration.
- If your Fellowship involves the practice of law, it must be your only significant legal employment following law school graduation.
E. Non-legal Graduate Program
Student (e.g., Masters Degree, Ph.D., etc.): If you graduated
from law school, then began a non-legal graduate program, then you
are not eligible for the Honors Program. You may apply to the Department
as an experienced attorney one year after law school graduation. (Joint-degree
students who have not completed both degrees should review the eligibility
criteria under “Current Students.”)
F. Combination of Judicial
Clerkship and Graduate Law Program (e.g., L.LM): You are
eligible if, following law school graduation, you have a combination
of judicial clerkships and graduate law program study that terminates
between October 1, 2009 and September 30, 2010 and meets all of the
following conditions:
- The first activity (either your first clerkship or the graduate
law program) must have started within 9 months after law school graduation.
- Your clerkship(s) must be your only significant legal employment
following law school graduation.
- There must not be a significant break in time between completion
of one clerkship/graduate law program, and the start of any subsequent
clerkships/graduate law programs.
- You must attend graduate law programs full time and
actually earn the graduate law degree based on the full time program
you attended. (The only exception to the full-time study requirement
occurs when a serving full-time judicial law clerk earns a graduate
law degree through part-time study while clerking).
- The total duration of the combination of clerkships and graduate
law study cannot exceed three years (excluding the period of up to
9 months between law school graduation and the start of the first
activity.)
- Your final judicial clerkship or graduate law program must be completed
between October 1, 2009 and September 30, 2010.
- If your final clerkship or graduate law program ends on or before
September 30, 2009, or the total duration of combined clerkships/graduate
law study exceeds three years (excluding the time between law
school graduation and the start of the first clerkship/graduate
law program), then you are not eligible for the Honors Program
and should apply to the Department as an experienced attorney.
- If you had a prior Honors Program clerkship with an Executive
Office for Immigration Review Immigration Court or a Drug Enforcement
Agency Administrative Law Judge, you must be admitted to the bar
(any U.S. jurisdiction) within 14 months of your initial entry
on duty date with the Department of Justice to remain eligible
for the Honors Program.
G. Combination of judicial clerkship
and non-legal graduate degree programs (e.g., MBA, Ph.D, etc): If
you graduated from law school, then began a non-legal graduate program,
then you are not eligible for the Honors Program, unless you
were a serving full-time judicial law clerk while simultaneously earning
the non-legal graduate degree. If you were a serving
full-time judicial law clerk at the time you earned the non-legal
graduate degree, the following conditions apply:
- Your clerkship must have started within 9 months after law school
graduation.
- Your clerkship cannot end prior to October 1, 2009. (If you
clerkship ends on or before September 30, 2009, you are not eligible
for the Honors Program and should apply to the Department as an
experienced attorney.)
- You can have multiple clerkships, however, they must total no more
than three years in duration. (Note: If you had a prior Honors Program
clerkship with an Executive Office for Immigration Review Immigration
Court or the Drug Enforcement Agency Administrative Law Judges, you
must be admitted to the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) within 14 months
of your initial entry on duty date with the Department of Justice
to remain eligible for the Honors Program.)
- There must not be a significant break in time between completion
of a clerkship and start of any subsequent clerkship(s).
- Your clerkship(s) must be your only significant legal employment
following law school graduation.
H. Combination of Presidential Management Fellowship or other legal fellowship and judicial clerkship or graduate law degree program (e.g., L.LM): If you graduated from law school, then
entered a Presidential Management Fellowship or other legal fellowship and either a judicial
clerkship or a graduate law program, regardless of the order, then
you are eligible for the Honors Program provided you meet the following
conditions:
- The first activity (either your Fellowship, your clerkship or the
graduate law program) must have started within 9 months after law
school graduation.
- Your clerkship(s) and Fellowship (if it involved practicing law)
must be your only significant legal employment following law school
graduation.
- There must not be a significant break in time between completion
of one clerkship, graduate law program, or Fellowship, and the start
of any subsequent clerkships, graduate law program, or Fellowship.
- You must attend graduate law programs full time and actually earn
the graduate law degree based on the full time program you attended.
(The only exception to the full-time study requirement occurs when
a serving full-time judicial law clerk or PMF earns a graduate law
degree through part-time study).
- The total duration of the combination of Fellowship, clerkships
and graduate law study cannot exceed three years (excluding the period
of up to 9 months between law school graduation and the start of the
first activity.)
- Your final judicial clerkship, graduate law program or Fellowship
must be completed between October 1, 2009 and September 30, 2010.
- If your final activity ends on or before September 30, 2009,
or the total duration of combined activities exceeds three years
(excluding the time between law school graduation and the start
of the first clerkship/graduate law program), then you are not
eligible for the Honors Program and should apply to the Department
as an experienced attorney.
- If you had a prior Executive Branch 14-month appointment to the
excepted service as a law clerk trainee, then you must be admitted
to the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) within 14 months of your initial
entry on duty date. An appointment that was initially made for less
than 14 months may be extended for a period not to exceed 14 months
in total duration. Only one such appointment is authorized (5 C.F.R. §§ 213.101,
213.3102).
I. None of the above: If
you do not meet the criteria of one of the categories above, then you
are not eligible for the Honors Program. You may apply to the Department
as an experienced attorney one year after law school graduation provided you are admitted to a bar (any U.S. jurisdiction).
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