Volunteer Undergraduate and Law-Student Internship Programs

• About the Office of Legal, Legislative, and External Affairs
• Undergraduate Internship
• Law-Student Clerkship

U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) supports and regulates the nation’s transportation system across all modes of transportation, including aviation, highways, railroads, pipelines, public transit, and maritime. A cabinet-level agency, DOT is responsible for billions of dollars in grants and the enforcement of a wide variety of transportation-related laws and regulations. DOT is a critical component in making U.S. transportation safe and efficient. 

The DOT Office of Inspector General (OIG) is an independent agency within DOT whose mission it is to improve safety and efficiency and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse in DOT programs and operations. OIG’s Office of Investigations conducts investigations of crimes involving DOT funds and transportation-related laws. In addition to special agent criminal investigators, the Office of Investigations also employs non-criminal investigators who investigate whistleblower complaints, allegations of ethical misconduct by DOT personnel, and other civil and administrative impropriety. The Office of Audits and Evaluations reviews departmental programs and activities for efficiency and effectiveness and makes recommendations to the Secretary and Congress on how to maximize the use of taxpayer funds. Headquartered in Washington, DC, OIG also maintains audit and investigative field offices across the country and employs a staff of over 420. 

Office of Legal, Legislative, and External Affairs

The Office of Legal, Legislative, and External Affairs contains two components: the Office of Legal Counsel and the Office of Legislative and External Affairs. The Office of Legal Counsel, headed by the Chief Counsel, serves as an advisor to OIG management on a wide variety of issues. Among other responsibilities, the Office of Legal Counsel:

• Advises OIG auditors and investigators on legal questions;
• Works with the U.S. Department of Justice on litigation;
• Manages OIG’s ethics and FOIA programs; and
• Represents OIG in administrative legal proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission and the Merit Systems Protection Board.

The Office of Legislative and External Affairs is OIG’s primary point of contact for Congressional members and staff, the media, and the public about OIG programs and services. OIG staff members analyze bills and Acts of Congress, brief Congressional members and staff on OIG work and operations, and respond to media requests for information. 

Undergraduate Internship

Our undergraduate internship provides college juniors and seniors insight into the Federal government. Interns have a unique opportunity to gain understanding of the legislative process. Interns track transportation policy in Congress, attend committee hearings, learn how Congress works, and observe the operations of the Federal government. Interns acquire first-hand experience in the relationship between the Federal government and the media. In the Office of Legal Counsel, interns will work alongside OIG attorneys, providing research and other support.     

Examples of past responsibilities include:

• Working with government managers, including the Assistant Inspector General for Legal, Legislative, and External Affairs, the Chief Counsel, and the Director of Congressional and Public Affairs;
• Tracking, analyzing, and briefing OIG officials on high-profile and landmark transportation-related legislation in Congress, such as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (commonly called the Stimulus or Recovery Act), C.A.R.S. (commonly called “Cash for Clunkers”), and DOT Appropriations bills;
• Attending Congressional hearings and Supreme Court arguments;
• Crafting legislative memoranda and briefs of committee hearings;
• Supporting attorneys with litigation projects involving research, testimony preparation, and transcription;
• Conducting research using LexisNexis, Westlaw, Thomas, and various Congress-specific news sources;
• Assisting in the creation of presentations for meetings, training, and conferences;
• Working with attorneys to assemble comments from the government-wide OIG community on specific projects; and
• Processing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.

Students in the program gain enhanced skills and knowledge, explore career options in the Federal government, acquire hands-on legal skills and experience, expand their networks in the Federal sector and transportation industry, and gain insight into the role of Federal agencies and Congress. In addition, we encourage students to expand their professional network and experiential basis by participating in any number of extracurricular programs designed for interns working in the Federal government. Both summer and academic-year internships are available under this program on an on-going basis. The program includes an 8-week summer term and 12- to 15-week fall and spring terms and will accommodate varying academic schedules. 

Applying for an Undergraduate Internship

We select interns from a pool of highly qualified undergraduates. Successful applicants must have well-developed problem-solving skills, excellent writing ability, a professional demeanor, and the ability to work in a team environment. We evaluate candidates based on a number of factors including:

• Grade point average (minimum 3.0 GPA);
• Writing ability; and
• Demonstrated achievement, character, and aptitude.  

Your application must include:

• Cover Letter (noting desired start and end date, including the number of hours per week you could work);
• Resume;
• References (3) including contact information; and 
• Transcript.

This is an unpaid internship, but we do offer transit benefits to pay for your commute to and from the office. To apply applicants must be a U.S. citizen and enrolled at an accredited university as a junior or senior. We offer fall, spring, and summer internships, and the application is structured around the following timeframe.

*We will make accommodations for particular needs, including trimester schedules and varying academic calendars, and we will consider part-time schedule requests.

Electronic submissions are preferred and should be sent to Legal.Intern@oig.dot.gov. If you need to send your application by mail, please address to: Plutarco Cedeno, Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, W70-327, Washington, DC 20590 or faxed to 202-366-3912.

If you have any questions about the application process, please contact Plutarco Cedeno at 202-366-8751 or Plutarco.Cedeno@oig.dot.gov.

Law-Student Clerkship

The law-student clerkship focuses on the legal side of the Office of Legal, Legislative, and External Affairs, with some opportunity to also work with the legislative and external affairs. Because OIG is a law-enforcement agency with broad oversight authority, our office offers an experience that is unique within Federal government. From the investigative side, law students will have an opportunity to gain experience in criminal law from the investigative stage through prosecution. Law clerks play a key role in researching high-profile and challenging questions of law regarding DOT programs. The OIG Office of Legal Counsel has been involved in key issues such as the Recovery Act, cross-border trucking under the North American Free Trade Agreement, and other major transportation legislation. Given the mission of the OIG, law clerks may also gain experience with government-wide laws, regulations, and policies regarding government contracts, ethics, grants, information technology security, and privacy issues.

In addition to the investigation- and audit-specific support role, our office serves as “in-house” counsel for the OIG, a government agency with over 420 employees. The legal support role and environment is unique to government administration but has wide-reaching transferability across the public and private sectors. Among other responsibilities, the Office of Legal Counsel:

• Advises OIG auditors and investigators on legal questions;
• Works with the U.S. Department of Justice on litigation;
• Manages OIG’s ethics and FOIA programs; and
• Represents OIG in administrative legal proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission and the Merit Systems Protection Board.

Examples of past responsibilities include:

• Conducting research and drafting memoranda on legal issues that arise in OIG’s audits and investigations including:
  
  • Whistleblower protections available to transportation industry workers,
  • DOT’s oversight over programs administered by state agencies,
  • The impact of an agency’s failure to follow Federal acquisition rules, and
  • The use of copyrighted material in government reports;
• Participate in and prepare for decision-making meetings on OIG audits;
• Working with the attorneys in the development of legal training;
• Drafting summaries of pending legislation with a focus on provisions that impact the OIG and its areas of interest; 
• Assisting attorneys with FOIA requests and drafting FOIA appeal decisions;
• Assisting with preparing senior officials for Congressional testimony;
• Drafting motions in Federal court and administrative bodies such as the EEOC and MSPB; 
• Drafting referrals of criminal matters to the Department of Justice for prosecution; and
• Assisting staff with administrative and clerical assignments including copy, scanning, assembling briefing binders and filing.

Applying for a Law-Student Clerkship

Our office seeks current law students with excellent verbal and written ability, strong analytical and interpersonal skills, and demonstrated achievement. We take a number of factors into account including academic performance, life experience, writing ability, and personality. 

Your application must include:

• Cover Letter (noting desired start and end date, including the number of hours per week you could work);
• Resume; 
• Writing Sample (no longer than 15 pages);
• References (3) including contact information; and 
• Transcript. 

This is an unpaid internship, but we do offer transit benefits to pay for your commute to and from the office. Applicants must be a U.S. citizen and enrolled in an accredited law school to apply. We offer fall, spring, and summer clerkships, and the application process is structured around the following time frame.

*We will make accommodations for particular needs, including trimester schedules and varying academic calendars, and we will consider part-time schedule requests.

Electronic submissions are preferred and should be sent to Legal.Intern@oig.dot.gov. If you need to send your application by mail, please address to: Plutarco Cedeno, Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, W70-327, Washington, DC 20590 or faxed to 202-366-3912.

If you have any questions about the application process, please contact Plutarco Cedeno at 202-366-8751 or Plutarco.Cedeno@oig.dot.gov.