Legal Intern Positions

The U.S. Department of Justice is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer. It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace, and the candidate(s) selected will be required to pass a drug test to screen for illegal drug use. Internship opportunities are also contingent upon the satisfactory completion of a background investigation adjudicated by the Department of Justice.

Opportunities are available in the Criminal Division's Fraud Section for qualified candidates interested in summer legal internships or academic semester legal internships (sometimes called "externships").  Legal interns will work directly with attorneys on cutting edge legal issues relating to a wide range of economic crime issues. Typical intern projects have involved researching novel legal issues, drafting litigation documents for active cases, analyzing policy proposals, and helping to draft Section publications.

The Fraud Section is responsible for conducting grand jury investigations and prosecutions in certain cases that require centralized treatment because of the complexity of the scheme, the multi-district nature of the criminal activity, the sensitivity of the issues, or the necessity for developing model prosecutions to establish the viability of a particular statute, theory, or technique.  Fraud Section investigations often involve business crimes such as financial institution fraud; Internet fraud; fraud in the insurance industry; international criminal activities in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; and multi-district schemes that victimize consumers, such as telemarketing and bankruptcy mills.  The Section's prosecutions also focus on fraud involving government programs and procurement, including health care, HUD, and government regulatory activity in the securities and commodities markets.

Summer legal internships are full time and usually last between ten to twelve weeks.  In past years, the Section has hired four to five summer legal interns who have completed either one or two years of law school.  Semester-based legal internships are usually part-time. The legal intern positions are unpaid.  Because of the sensitive nature of the work, applicants must pass a background check before a formal offer for an internship can be extended.

Application process for legal interns:

Applicants for internship positions must be enrolled in law school and have: (1) a strong academic background; (2) excellent research and writing skills; and (3) experience or interest in criminal issues. We encourage applicants to identify their interests and how they relate to the work of the Section. Applicants should understand that while the Section will attempt to match their interest to placement in the Section, assignments will be based on the Sections needs. Applicants must submit via e-mail, a cover letter, a resume, a short or partial writing sample (not to exceed 10 pages), a list of three references and an unofficial law school transcript to: FRA.Intern.Hiring@usdoj.gov - Attn: Minnie Walker, Intern Hiring Coordinator.

Fall semester internships:

The Fraud Section anticipates hiring several legal interns for Fall semester 2013.  Applications for Fall 2013 internships will be accepted until May 31, 2013.  Interviews will be on a rolling basis and will generally be conducted by telephone.

Spring semester internships:

The Fraud Section anticipates hiring several legal interns for Spring semester 2013.  Applications for Spring 2013 internships will be accepted until September 30, 2013.  Interviews will be on a rolling basis and will generally be conducted by telephone.

Summer legal internships:

The Fraud Section anticipates hiring several legal interns for Summer 2013.  Applications for Summer 2013 internships will be accepted until February 28, 2013.  Interviews will be on a rolling basis and will generally be conducted by telephone.

The U.S. Department of Justice is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer.  It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace, and the candidate(s) selected will be required to pass a drug test to screen for illegal drug use.  Internship opportunities are also contingent upon the satisfactory completion of a background investigation adjudicated by the Department of Justice.