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November 08, 2007
Government Internships: General Overview
As you continue your search for summer employment (or, if you are a 1L, as you start your search for summer employment), the CSO wants to remind you not to forget about government internships. True, many government internships may be unpaid. However, you will not want to overlook these opportunities just based on what they may or may not pay -- unpaid opportunities are a great way to obtain legal experience and network with government attorneys. Overall, government internships can provide you with legal experience that you simply cannot get anywhere else and often lead to a rewarding public service career.
The United States Government is the largest legal employer in the world. Hiring for federal government positions varies by agency. Some federal government employers only hire using a competitive “Honors Program” process in which the agency uses strict application guidelines, criteria, and deadlines. The Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, the Department of State, and the Environmental Protection Agency are all examples of federal government employers that hire using an Honors Program. For agencies with Honors Programs, applications are generally accepted from 2Ls and 3Ls early in the fall semester for summer or permanent positions.
Other agencies hire full time attorneys as needed and hire paid and unpaid interns without using a specific Honors Program process. Some agencies that have an Honors Program also have unpaid positions available for 1Ls and 2Ls. For example, although the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), within the Department of Justice, hires paid summer interns through a highly competitive recruitment program, volunteer legal positions are also available to interested students and the deadline to apply for an unpaid summer internship with the ATF is February 1.
There are a variety of resources in the Career Services Offices that will help you learn more about employment opportunities with the federal government. The first resource to look at is the Government Honors & Internship Handbook 2007-2008. The website link, log-in, and password for this resource are listed on Blackboard and a paper copy is available in the CSO. This resource will help you identify the application process for all different types of federal government internships – paid, unpaid, Honors Program, etc. – as well as state and local government internships.
You may also want to read through NALP’s Federal Legal Employment Opportunities Guide at: http://www.nalp.org/assets/859_0708fedlegalempguide.pdf (or in paper copy in the CSO). Two other websites that might be helpful are http://www.studentjobs.gov/ , a website specifically for students seeking federal internships and http://www.studentjobs.gov/agencies.asp , a website that provides detailed information about employment opportunities within various federal government agencies.
Also remember that many summer internship opportunities are available at the state and local government level. These can range from work with a State Attorney General’s Office, work with a State Legislature, or work within other state agencies. Many local prosecutor and defender offices also accept law students as volunteer interns for the summer. You can often find opportunities at state and local government organizations simply by checking out the organization’s website. As noted above, state and local government positions also appear in the Government Honors & Internship Handbook 2007-2008. Keep an eye on Simplicity too because postings from state and local government employers will also appear there.
A list of additional government-related websites is also available on Blackboard. In addition, there is a section in the CSO Resource Room devoted to government opportunities and we also have several packets with the contact information for local and state government agencies available. Please stop by the CSO to check out all of the resources available for your government job search or if you have specific questions you’d like to discuss.
Posted by kcc17 at November 8, 2007 05:54 PM