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Honors Program & Summer Law Intern Program Application Tips and Checklist

A well-written application for the Attorney General's Honors Program or Summer Law Intern Program takes time to complete, and assembling the information listed below in advance will be a helpful time saver. To be considered for either program, applicants must submit an online application by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, September 2, 2025. The application opens on August 22nd, so we recommend you review the program-wide short answer/essay questions below in advance. Please review the eligibility criteria for the Honors Program or Summer Law Intern Program (as appropriate) and application instructions before starting your application.

Required Information

Contact Information

  • Email Address: Justice communicates with candidates via email; applicants should have an email address that will not change during the course of the application and hiring process (September - February). We strongly recommend you avoid email addresses with a ".edu" suffix due to institutional spam/junk filters.

  • References: Names, telephone numbers, and email address of three professional references who may be contacted to provide information about you. Please ensure their contact information is correct and not likely to change throughout the fall.

Educational Information

  • Undergraduate: Name of your college or university, the type of degree(s) received, your major(s), the year you graduated, any graduation honors, and the city and state or country where school is located.

  • Law School (J.D. or equivalent): Name of the law school, type of degree, dates attended, year J.D. received or expected, city and state, and, for graduates, any graduation honors.

  • Law school transcript: All applicants must attach their law school transcript in Part 1 of the application before proceeding to Part 2. Only a legible copy of your law school transcript (official or unofficial) in a format generated by the law school or downloaded and attached as a pdf from a law school system is acceptable. Transcripts may not be password protected.  An applicant-generated "grade report" or similar document is not acceptable. To ensure Justice has the most current information, applicants may provide information about their law school’s official grading scale or evaluation process on the "Additional Information" screen. Please attach only your law school transcript unless you are a joint degree applicant with an integrated transcript, or you earned a law degree from a school outside the United States and attend/attended a U.S. graduate law program to meet U.S. bar admission requirements (attach the LL.M. transcript).

  • Graduate (Non-Legal) Degree: Name of the college or university, the type of graduate degree(s), the degree field, year received, and the city and state or country where the school is located.

  • Graduate Law Degree (LL.M.): Type of degree(s), specialty, year received, name of school, and city and state or country where school is located.

Employment Information

  • Legal and non-legal experience: Name of the employers or organizations, names and telephone numbers of supervisor(s), dates of employment, brief description of responsibilities, similar to what you list in your resume in terms of the work performed.

  • Legal internship or externship experience: Names and telephone numbers of supervisor(s), organization name(s), dates of employment, brief description of responsibilities, similar to what you list in your resume in terms of the work performed.

  • U.S. Department of Justice experience: The name of the employing component or office, name of supervisor, supervisor's phone number or email address, start and end date, and type of work (paid or unpaid), brief description of responsibilities, similar to what you list in your resume in terms of the work performed.

Post-Law School Experience (applies to law school graduates applying to the Honors Program and graduating law students applying to the Summer Law Intern Program for internships between law school graduation and the start of a full-time judicial clerkship/legal fellowship).

  • Legal Fellowships: Fellowship name, sponsoring organization/employer, link to the Fellowship's website or a copy of the vacancy announcement, start and end date, and contact information. Please see the Legal Fellowship requirements for information about the types of fellowships that qualify. 

  • Judicial Clerkships: Full name of court(s) served, type of court (e.g., state, federal), dates of clerkship(s), names of judge(s), telephone number in chambers.

Application Tips 

  • User ID and Password: Keep a record of the unique User ID and Password you must create to log on and access your application. Contact Avue for password resets rather than creating a new account.
  • Review the eligibility criteria and instructions once you log on: If you are eligible to apply, complete the acknowledgements page and click on Apply to the Department of Justice.
  • Apply to either the Honors Program or Summer Law Intern Program: You may apply to either one, but not to both. However, if you are graduating law student, you may apply to the Honors Program, then, if you accept a clerkship, for a limited time period after the deadline you will be able to transfer your application to the Summer Law Intern Program.
  • Resume: A resume is not required (and will not be accepted or reviewed) as part of the application, however, keep it handy as most of the information ordinarily listed is collected in the online application.
  • Program-Wide Short Answer Question/Essay: Draft this essay like the body of a cover letter. Explain your interest in the specific hiring offices/practice areas you designated, highlight your relevant skills and experience, and make a connection between your skills and experience and the mission and work of the hiring offices you selected. Maintain the highest level of professionalism in your response. Write clearly and concisely, paying attention to spelling, grammar, style, and punctuation. Your answer must reflect your own original thoughts and words.

Tell us why you want to work for the Justice Department and describe the experiences, skills, or qualifications that make you a strong candidate. Please also address why you applied to any specific hiring office(s) and/or why you wish to work in specific practice areas. (Limited to 6000 characters, including spaces).

  • Avoid hopping from screen to screen: We strongly recommend that you complete each screen on the application in the order it is presented. Some screens will prompt you to add information or respond to a question.  If you skip past that screen, it is easy to overlook the additional information/question or forget to return and complete it.
  • Save your information: Always click the “save and continue” button at the bottom of each screen of the application. Some questions on the screen require a response and you will not be permitted to save your information or continue to the next screen if you do not answer a required question.
  • Add details to text boxes when prompted:  The "Professional Accomplishments & Experience" and "Honors & Awards" screens offer a series of "check the box" options. When you check the box, many of those options will open a text box for your use in providing relevant details about your participation in the activity, much as you would on a resume.  For example, if you received a prestigious law school academic award or prize, reviewers would find it helpful to know the name of the award (which may be specific to your law school) but also the basis for the award, the relevant dates, etc.

  • Take your time, but don't wait until the last minute: You do not have to complete the application in one sitting. Be sure to save your work before exiting using the “save and continue” button at the bottom of each screen of the application. When you are ready to continue, just log in with your User ID and password. Once your application is complete, be sure to certify and submit it prior to the deadline.

    We strongly recommend submit your application well in advance of the deadline for your geographic location (11:59 p.m. Eastern; 10:59 Central: 9:59 Mountain, 8:59 Pacific). Increased volume associated with the approaching deadline can adversely impact your ability to timely submit and for your application to be timely received. Post-deadline, you will not be able to submit your application, even if you were logged in and actively working on it. The system automatically blocks all late submissions. DOJ does not accept late applications.    

  • Submit only one application: Provided it is prior to the deadline, you may amend a submitted application by withdrawing it, making desired changes, saving, then re-certifying and resubmitting it. You cannot make substantive changes to a submitted application after the deadline.

To amend a submitted application:

  1. Log back into your online account and, in the "Action" column, select the red "Withdraw" button.
  2. The system will ask you to confirm that you want to withdraw your application.
  3. Once you confirm, the “Withdraw” button will be replaced with a “Resubmit” button. Click “Resubmit.”
  4. You can now go back into your application to make any changes necessary by clicking the "Continue Application" button in the upper right portion of the browser screen.
  5. Make and save your edits
  6. You MUST re-certify and re-submit your application prior to the application deadline - go through the same Certify & Submit process you did when first submitting your application.
  7. If you have questions relating to modifying your application or experience technical difficulty, click the "Live Chat" button to the right side of the browser for assistance directly from Avue.
  • Document veterans' preference: If you claim veterans’ preference, attach documentation associated with your veterans' preference eligibility when prompted.
  • Do not attach unrequested materials: Justice will not review unrequested materials, such as resumes.
  • Print and proofread: You may print a blank application, a partially completed application, or your completed application. Review your application prior to submission. Make sure it is accurate (especially the date of law school graduation and other relevant dates) and free of typos or grammatical errors. Substantive changes cannot be made to the application once it has been certified and submitted unless, prior to the deadline, you withdraw it for correction and resubmit.   
  • Receive E-mail confirmation: After submitting your application you will receive an email acknowledging receipt. If you do not receive a confirmation email, then log onto your account and check your status online. If your online status does not indicate that your application has been submitted, check your application to confirm you properly submitted it. If you are unable to confirm submission, please contact Avue Digital Services using the “Live Chat” or “Concierge Service” links on the top and right of the application screen for assistance.

 

The applications for the 2025-2026 Honors Program and 2026 Summer Law Intern Program will open on Friday, August 22, 2025, and close on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. EST (10:59 p.m. Central; 9:59 p.m. Mountain; 8:59 p.m. Pacific).   

 

Updated July 8, 2025