Summer Program
The Bureau of Competition is actively recruiting talented and dedicated law students with an exceptional level of commitment to protecting consumers by enforcing the nation’s antitrust laws. A background in business or economics is preferred.
The Bureau of Competition recruits law students and joint degree candidates for summer positions to experience a fast-paced antitrust enforcement practice alongside BC staff at the FTC’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. Our goal is to offer intellectually stimulating projects that give summer law clerks an opportunity to demonstrate their writing, analytical, and advocacy skills. The type of work given to summer law clerks is similar in complexity to assignments given to junior attorneys. Both first year and second year law students work as members of an investigative team with experienced attorneys in one of three practice areas: Mergers & Acquisitions, Anticompetitive Practices, and Health Care. Additionally, students selected for the Summer Program will be matched with Mentors from within their divisions and participate in comprehensive training sessions.
For summer 2009 positions, the Bureau is seeking 8 second year law students and 4 to 6 first year law students. The Bureau recruits students through on-campus interviewing, outreach events, and through our online application process. Offer decisions are made upon completion of the entire summer program. Because of the outstanding qualifications of our summer law clerks, the Summer Program is our primary recruitment tool for finding entry-level attorneys. The Bureau also recruits a limited number of third year law students, joint degree candidates, and judicial clerks for entry-level positions.
Compensation
Second year law students will be hired for the summer at Grade 9, Step 1. If you are a non-US citizen, please see the Citizenship Requirements section below for additional information.
Although we are unable to pay our first year law student interns, many of our past first year interns have found alternate sources of funding (such as fellowships or law school grants), or have received course credit for their work with the Bureau of Competition.
Start Dates
We strongly prefer that summer law clerks spend at least 8 weeks with the Bureau and begin in late May or early June. If you plan on splitting with another firm or agency, we require you to spend the first half of the summer with us so that you can participate in training and team building events.
How to Apply
To apply online, submit a cover letter, resume, recent transcript, short writing sample, and list of three references to bcrecruit@ftc.gov. Applications for second year students will be accepted through September 30th. We will begin accepting applications from first year students from December 1st through February 15th. Selections are made on a rolling basis, so early applications are encouraged. The Bureau follows the NALP guidelines when extending offers to law students.
Citizenship Requirements
While citizenship is required for most federal government employment, the FTC may hire non-U.S. citizens for certain positions. All non-U.S. citizens must meet State Department hiring conditions in order to be eligible for consideration. To determine if you are eligible, please visit the Office of Personnel Management’s website at http://www.opm.gov/employ/html/Citizen.asp for more information on citizenship requirements for federal government employment.
