Employment
Extern Opportunities for Law Students
The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California provides opportunities to law students. This is known as an "extern" appointment and duty is on a volunteer (non-paid) basis. Law clerks may be assigned to work in any of the Divisions, which include Criminal, Civil and Tax. Assignments may include assisting attorneys with legal research, writing pleadings, trial preparation, appellate briefs, or responding to habeas corpus petitions. Law clerks are encouraged to observe trials and other court proceedings in cases on which they have worked or in cases of general interest in the office.
Law clerks in the Criminal Division are given their own caseload of misdemeanor criminal cases. Law clerks are directly supervised by an Assistant United States Attorney and the Chief Law Clerk. Law clerks in the Criminal Division are expected to work at least twenty hours a week during the academic year and full time in the summer. Law clerks in the CHIP (computer hacking& intellectual property) unit work on cutting edge legal issues relating to computer crime and intellectual property. This externship is located in our San Jose office.
Please note that first-semester, first-year law students are not eligible to apply to this program. The guidelines of the National Association for Law Placement (NALP), of which we are a member, prohibit prospective employers from contacting first-semester, first-year law students before December 1. First-year resumes, therefore, may be accepted after December 1.
Employment for all positions is contingent upon the satisfactory completion of a background investigation by the Department of Justice. This is a thorough investigation that includes checks with present and former employers, military records and credit bureaus. The investigation also includes verifications of tax filings and attendance at institutions of higher learning. Those who are selected are subject to drug testing by urinalysis. United States citizenship is required.
EXCEPT WHERE OTHERWISE PROVIDED BY LAW, THERE IS NO DISCRIMINATION BECAUSE OF COLOR, RACE, RELIGION, NATIONAL ORIGIN, POLITICS, MARITAL STATUS, DISABILITY, AGE, SEX, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, MEMBERSHIP OR NONMEMBERSHIP IN AN EMPLOYEE ORGANIZATION, OR ON THE BASIS OF PERSONAL FAVORITISM
To apply for a law clerk externship, send a resume and a cover letter to:
Criminal Division & Oakland Branch Office
Attn: Wendy Thomas
United States Attorney's Office
450 Golden Gate Avenue, 11th Floor
San Francisco, California 94102-3495
Civil Division
United States Attorney's Office
450 Golden Gate Avenue, 9th Floor
San Francisco, California 94102-3495
Tax Division
Attn: Tom Moore, AUSA
United States Attorney's Office
450 Golden Gate Avenue, 9th Floor
San Francisco, California 94102-3495
Environment (Lands) Unit
Attn: Charles O’Connor, AUSA
United States Attorney's Office
450 Golden Gate Avenue, 9th Floor
San Francisco, California 94102-3495
CHIP Unit (Computer Hacking & Intellectual Property)
& San Jose Branch Office
Attn: Susan Knight
United States Attorney's Office
150 Almaden Boulevard, Suite 900
San Jose, California 95113
No telephone inquires, please.
Law students who are interested in the Department of Justice Honors Attorney Program should contact:
Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management
United States Department of Justice
Tenth & Pennsylvania Avenue, N. W. Room 7254
Washington, D. C. 20530
(202) 514-3396
For further information contact, http://www.usdoj.gov/oarm