Employment Opportunities with the Office of Privacy and Civil Liberties
Law Student Volunteer Opportunities
Opportunities are available in the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Privacy and Civil Liberties (“OPCL”) for qualified candidates interested in summer law internships or academic semester law internships (sometimes called "externships"). Law interns work directly with attorneys on cutting edge legal issues relating to privacy and civil liberties. Typical intern projects have involved researching novel legal issues, reviewing compliance documentation, reviewing proposed legislation, analyzing policy questions involving issues of privacy and civil liberties, and helping to draft the Privacy Act Overview.
Qualifications: Interns must be enrolled in an accredited law school and must have:
- a strong academic background;
- excellent research and writing skills;
- interest in privacy and civil liberties issues; and
- experience, knowledge, or interest in The Privacy Act of 1974, the E-Government Act of 2002, the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014, emerging technologies, cybersecurity, international privacy issues, and/or administrative law.
Summer Interns must have completed at least one year of law school and be willing to commit ten to twelve weeks (full-time) to OPCL. In special circumstances, OPCL may consider a shorter commitment.
Semester-based Interns must have completed at least one year of law school and be willing to commit at least 16-20 hours a week to OPCL. In special circumstances, OPCL may consider a shorter commitment. OPCL will consider semester "full time" positions from law students who attend law schools with formal externship programs.
Because of the sensitive nature of the work, applicants must pass a background check before a formal offer for an internship can be extended.
All internships are unpaid.
Application Process:
Applicants must submit a cover letter, resume, a short or partial writing sample (not to exceed 10 pages), and a law school transcript (when available).
Please send your application to privacy.employment@usdoj.gov.
Approximate Application Timetable:
- Summer: Apply by February 28
- Fall: Apply by July 1
- Spring: Apply by November 1
Because interviews are scheduled on a rolling basis, early applications are helpful.
The U.S. Department of Justice is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer.