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Summer Law Intern Program Eligibility

The SLIP-Pathways is the hiring program for pre-law school graduation internships. The SLIP-Law Clerk offers graduating law students the opportunity to work for DOJ between law school graduation and the start of an Honors Program eligibility preserving activity.

Applications for the 2026 Summer Law Intern Program (SLIP) will be accepted from current law students who have completed at least one semester of full-time study by the Tuesday, September 2, 2025, application deadline. First-year, first-semester law students are not eligible. In addition, a failing law school grade disqualifies SLIP-Pathways applicants if listed on their official law school transcript. 

The majority of SLIP hires intern the summer following the second year of law school via the SLIP-Pathways; however, third-year law students entering Honors Program eligibility-preserving activities may intern between law school graduation and the start of their activity (additional eligibility criteria may apply). Law students graduating in winter 2025 through spring 2026 who are applying for, but have not yet accepted clerkships/fellowships, should apply to the Honors Program and transfer to the SLIP-Law Clerk upon accepting an offer. 

Students applying to the SLIP-Pathways must attend a qualifying educational institution accredited by an agency recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. If you are unsure whether your law school qualifies, consult with your career services office, registrar, or review accreditation information on your law school’s website. 

Check Your Eligibility

To determine whether you are eligible to apply for the for the 2025 Summer Law Intern Program select the link that best describes your current law school status.

SLIP applicants must be current students enrolled and seeking a degree in a qualifying educational institution on a half- to full-time basis. SLIP-Pathways applicants also must be able to meet the definition of a student throughout the duration of their appointments (i.e., cannot be on a leave of absence).

Full-time law students: You are eligible if you are currently attending law school and have completed at least one full semester of law school by the application deadline.

Part-time law students: You are eligible if you are currently attending law school and have completed the equivalent of one semester of full-time law school by the application deadline.

Law Students Graduating in the 2025-2026 academic year: You are eligible to apply to the SLIP-Law Clerk program if you will graduate from law school between October 1, 2025 and September 30, 2026 and, within 9 months of law school graduation, you will enter a full-time eligibility preserving activity and you are available to work during summer 2026. Eligibility is restricted to graduating law students who have accepted/formally committed to a full-time eligibility-preserving activity by the application deadline. Joint-degree students who have completed the JD portion of their education are NOT eligible.   

If you are applying for but have not yet accepted an eligibility-preserving activity, your application will be routed to the Attorney General's Honors Program.  If you later commit to an eligibility preserving activity, you may return to your application, add the specific program information, and transfer your application to the Summer Law Intern Program. The system will prompt you to select components participating in the SLIP Law-Clerk (participating components differ between SLIP Programs). This option remains open until the Department finalizes its SLIP-Law Clerk hiring pools, generally in late September/early October.

Joint-degree law students (J.D./LL.M.; J.D./MBA, etc.): You are eligible if you are a current joint-degree student who is simultaneously pursuing a J.D. and a graduate law degree (e.g., J.D./LL.M.) or a J.D. and a non-legal graduate degree (e.g., J.D./MBA) who has completed at least one semester of law school by the application deadline.  You do not currently have to be taking law classes (e.g., the current or future semester may be study directed toward the second graduate degree); however, you must be actively pursuing both degrees. If you will complete academic requirements for both degrees, including a thesis, if required, and graduate from both programs between October 1, 2025, and September 30, 2026, please see the comments for Law Students Graduating in the 2025-2026 academic year, above.

Ineligibility:

  • First year, first semester law students are not eligible.
  • Students attending an educational institution that is not accredited by an agency recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education are ineligible. If you are unsure whether your law school qualifies, consult with your career services office, registrar, or review accreditation information on your law school’s website. This restriction does not apply to SLIP-Law Clerk applicants (graduating law students seeking internships prior to the start of an eligibility preserving activity).
  • Individuals who are not enrolled (or will not be deemed enrolled) at their school (e.g., are on a leave of absence) during the internship appointment.  Normal interims between semesters do not result in ineligibility.
  • Individuals who are federal government employees or active-duty military during the internship period are not eligible to be hired via the SLIP.
    • The SLIP is a compensated excepted service hiring program; current federal government employees or active-duty military should consider applying for volunteer intern positions with a view toward negotiating a detail or leave of absence with their current employer.

 

Updated July 15, 2025