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Summer Law Intern Program - Conditions of Employment

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Summer Law Intern Program (SLIP) General Information and Conditions of Employment

Eligibility, Credentials, and Citizenship Requirements | Multiple Internships Within 12 Months | Application Process | Application Status | Selection, Interview, and Offer Process | Conditions of Employment |
Security and Suitability (Background Investigation) | Permanent Employment
 

Eligibility, Credentials, & Citizenship Requirements

Who is eligible for the Summer Law Intern Program (SLIP)?

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.

The majority of the candidates who apply to the SLIP-Pathways are second year law students who work at Justice during the summer between their second and third year of law school. By regulation, the Department may only hire students attending a qualifying educational institution accredited by an agency recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. See the eligibility guidelines for details. Any failing law school grade, if listed on the law school transcript, disqualifies applicants who will intern before law school graduation. 

Third year law students who wish to intern between law school graduation and the start of judicial clerkships, legal fellowships, or full-time graduate law programs in the fall after graduating are eligible for the SLIP-Law Clerk. Please review the eligibility guidelines for specific information.

Are first year students eligible to apply for the Summer Law Intern Program?

You must have completed at least one full semester of law school (equivalent to full-time study) before the application deadline in September to be eligible to apply to the SLIP. First-year, first-semester law students who are interested in work experience at Justice should consider applying for volunteer legal internship. Learn more about Volunteer opportunities for law students at Justice.

What factors does the Department consider when selecting summer law interns?

The Department considers many elements of the candidate's background before selecting him/her for employment, including: academic achievement, law review experience, moot court competition, clinic experience, specialized academic studies (including undergraduate and post-graduate degrees), work experience and extracurricular activities that relate directly to the work of Justice.

Does the Department hire students from my law school?

There are graduates from virtually every law school working at Justice. However, for the SLIP-Pathways, the Department may only hire students attending a qualifying educational institution accredited by an agency recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. Click here to view a list of law schools whose students were hired recently through the Attorney General's Honors Program or Summer Law Intern Program.

Must my law school be accredited for me to work at Justice?

SLIP-Pathways students 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.

What are the Department’s citizenship requirements for SLIP hires?

Congress generally prohibits agencies from employing non-citizens within the United States, except for a few narrow exceptions as set forth in the annual Appropriations Act. Pursuant to DOJ component policies, only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review, U.S. Trustee’s Offices, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, qualifying non-U.S. citizens meeting immigration and appropriations law criteria may apply for excepted service employment with other DOJ organizations. However, please be advised that the appointment of non-U.S. citizens is extremely rare; such appointments would be possible only if necessary to accomplish the Department's mission and would be subject to strict security requirements. Applicants who hold dual citizenship in the U.S. and another country will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

May I be considered for both the Summer Law Intern Program and the Honors Program simultaneously?

No. If you are eligible for one, you are not eligible for the other. Justice has unified its applications into one system, and permits limited transfers from the Honors Program applicant pool to the Summer Program for several weeks after the application deadline to accommodate third-year law students applying to clerkships, fellowships, or to full-time graduate law programs. Initially, those applicants will be considered through the Honors Program for an entry-level position following law school graduation. If, after the Justice application deadline, the applicant accepts a judicial clerkship, fellowship, (or is admitted to a graduate law program), then the system will permit that applicant to re-enter their application for the limited purpose of adding clerkship data (e.g., name of the court, name of the judge, start and end dates of the clerkship) or graduate law program data (e.g., the law school, type of degree program, start and end dates), and requesting transfer out of the Honors Program applicant pool and into the Summer Program pool. This option is only available for a few weeks post-deadline.

If I am a third-year law student, but do not plan to enter a judicial clerkship, fellowship, or full-time graduate law program following graduation, am I eligible for the Summer Law Intern Program?

No, but you are eligible to apply to the Honors Program for an entry-level attorney position.
 

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Multiple Internships Within 12 Months:

Working at the Department requires access to DOJ information, DOJ IT systems, and DOJ facilities.  Security regulations permit short-term access for not more than six months.  Beyond six months, or for two short-term appointments within a 12-month period, a background investigation is required.  In some cases, organizations sponsoring legal interns may not be in a position to justify the time and cost of the BI process in these short-term employment situations.  If you have served in a prior DOJ internship/externship and are considering a second DOJ internship within 12 months of the start of the first internship, we encourage you to raise this issue with the hiring component prior to accepting an offer. 

 

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The Application Process

Where can I find a SLIP application?

The Department of Justice uses an online application that you can access electronically. We strongly recommend that you review the eligibility criteria before applying. 

When is the SLIP application available and what is the submission deadline?

The application opens on August 22, 2025. The absolute deadline for receipt of applications is Tuesday, September 2, 2025 (11:59 p.m., Eastern time; 10:59 p.m. Central; 9:59 p.m. Mountain; 8:59 p.m. Pacific). Due to the high volume of applications submitted immediately prior to the deadline, we encourage not to wait until the last minute to submit your application. Post-deadline, the system will not permit submission, even if you are active in the application.      

I have a disability or special needs and need assistance with the SLIP application.  Who do I contact?

Individuals with disabilities or special needs who need an accommodation may contact OARM at (202) 514-8900 or contact us via email at AskOARM@usdoj.gov. 

I have a disability and would like to be considered through the "Schedule A" hiring process (5 C.F.R. § 213.3102(u)).

The Office of Personnel Management advises that the Schedule A hiring authority for people with disabilities cannot be used to fill Pathways Programs positions, which includes the Summer Law Intern Program positions for current law students. The Pathways Programs and the Schedule A authority for persons with disabilities are two separate hiring authorities with separate eligibility requirements and hiring processes. An applicant with a disability may apply to the SLIP by following the instructions found in the job opportunity announcement on USAJOBS or on this website. When doing so, students with disabilities are considered for SLIP positions in the same manner as other, non-disabled students in accordance with the provisions of 5 C.F.R. part 302. The Department provides reasonable accommodations, as required by law. 

For more information regarding hiring individuals with disabilities, see the Disability Hiring webpage.

Which Justice components participate in the SLIP, and how many interns will they hire this year?

Component participation in the Summer Law Intern Program varies from year to year. View a list of participating components for the current SLIP cycle and the estimated number positions they will fill.

How many Justice components will consider my application?

You will only be considered by the components you identify on your application. Upon completion of initial review, all eligible applications are referred to the hiring offices listed by the applicant.

If you are a first-year, second-semester law student or a second-year law student, you may select from any of the participating components except the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) and Office of Legal Counsel (OLC). Third-year law students who will graduate in the current academic year may apply to any of the employment opportunities listed for the SLIP-Law Clerk.  

May I partially complete the application and return to it at a later time? 

Once you log onto the application, you create a user profile accessed by a unique password of your choice. Please be sure to create only one account and make a note of your password, as you will need it to access the application in the future. If you create multiple accounts, you may receive erroneous "status updates.” 

You may enter and exit from the application an unlimited number of times prior to certifying and submitting it. 

We strongly recommend that you print a copy of your application and review it carefully prior to submission. Pay particular attention to dates. The Department does not accept duplicate applications. 

How will I know the Department received my application?

Once your application is received, the system will send an e-mail message to the email address you designate on your application confirming receipt of your application. Alternatively, you can check on your status online using your password at www.avuedigitalservices.com/dojoarm/applicant.html. We strongly encourage you to maintain your same email address throughout the hiring process as that will be the means with which you receive communications and notifications regarding your application status.  We also recommend that you add mail@avuedigitalservice.com to your personal address book. This reduces the chance that messages issued by the Department are not screened out by a spam or junk mail filter used by your school, internet provider, or security system. If you do not receive an email confirmation, then your application was not properly submitted.

Can I modify, update, or correct my application?

Prior to submitting your application, you may update or change your application by logging in, navigating to the appropriate screen, making the desired change, then saving your changes. 

To protect the integrity of the information you submit on your application, the system does not permit substantive changes after an application has been certified and submitted. However, prior to the application deadline, you may withdraw a submitted application, then make the changes you desire. You must re-certify and resubmit your application prior to the deadline. To edit a submitted application prior to the deadline:

  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. The system will not allow you to submit an application post-deadline, even if you were actively logged in when the deadline occurred.
  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.

 After the application deadline, only contact information (e.g., e-mail address, telephone number, address) can be updated.  

Do I submit my resume, letters of recommendation, writing samples, or a cover letter with my application?

We do not accept these documents as part of the online application or as documents mailed separately to the Department. We process and review applications electronically. Candidates who are selected for an interview may be asked to provide writing samples, resumes, or recommendations at a later time. You may preview the Pre-Interview Submissions required by participating components - but only candidates who are selected for interviews should submit the requested materials.
 

We do require applicants to attach their law school transcript to their application. The transcript must be legible, may be official or unofficial but must be generated by the law school or downloaded and attached as a pdf from a law school system. We do not accept applicant-created "grade reports" or similar documents. Transcripts may not be password protected.

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Application Status

How can I get information about the status of my application?

Individual applicants may check on the status of their applications by logging in to their applications using the User ID and password they created when they applied. We post status updates at key stages in the review process, including upon selection or non-selection for an interview, upon selection as a component finalist, and upon acceptance of an offer.
 

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Selection, Interview, and Offer Process

What qualifications does DOJ look for in a SLIP hire?

Individuals are selected for the Summer Law Intern Program on the basis of multiple factors, including academic achievement, writing skills and experience (e.g., law journals), the ability to reason independently and creatively (e.g., moot court competition), clinical/volunteer and work experiences that relate to the specific work of the Department, and extracurricular activities that indicate a candidate's legal acumen. Successful applicants are those with well-rounded backgrounds, illustrating academic achievement, intellectual and analytical thinking, and commitment to the work of Justice.

Does the Department apply veterans’ preference eligibility to SLIP hiring?

Yes. Applicants who will intern prior to law school graduation (SLIP-Pathways) will be hired pursuant to the regulations applicable to the "Pathways Intern Program," 5 CFR Part 362. With SLIP, components must account for preference eligible applicants before selecting non-preference eligible applicants. Click here for additional information on the Department's Veteran Recruitment.  

If I am selected for an interview, what are my next steps?

If selected for an interview, please review the Component Contacts and Pre-Interview Submissions and comply with the instructions for the selecting component. Questions regarding submissions or interviews should be directed to the appropriate component contacts.

When are offers made?

There is no set schedule for offers of employment for the SLIP. Many offers will be made from late October through November, but the offer process occasionally extends into January.

How much time do I have to respond if I receive an offer?

DOJ policy is as follows: 

  • Honors Program/Summer Law Intern Program offers to current law students will remain open for at least 14 days after the date issued. Current law students receiving an offer on or before December 1 may extend their response deadline up to an additional 7 days by contacting the issuing office via email to reaffirm their interest in the position and specify the date by which they will respond. Components may withdraw any offer that is not accepted or reaffirmed within 14 days from the date of the offer. Components have the discretion to extend response deadlines.  Components may deem an offer declined if the candidate fails to respond by the established deadline (original deadline or extended deadline, as appropriate).
  • Components may also offer a current SLIP-Pathways intern an Honors Program position following law school graduation (subject to Honors Program eligibility requirements). The policy listed above applies to both circumstances.  

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Conditions of Employment

How long do summer internships last?

SLIP-Pathways summer internships may not exceed 90 days, however, some components may permit shorter periods. SLIP-Law Clerk internships have flexible durations.

Does Justice allow students to "split" summers with other employers?

Some SLIP-Pathways components are willing to split their summer with other employers. If you are interested in splitting a summer, you should ask the component contact about its policy when you receive an offer.

Does Justice require employees to take a drug test?

It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace, and persons selected for employment will be required to pass a drug test to screen for current illegal drug use prior to entry on duty/start date.

When will my summer internship begin?

Candidates will work with the hiring office to determine a start date.

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Security and Fitness/Suitability (Background Investigation)

Is a background investigation is required for SLIP hires? How long does it take?

SLIP candidates are subject to fitness/suitability review and adjudication that includes a fingerprint check, credit check, drug test and a thorough review of the summer candidates' pre-employment forms (which cover a period of seven to ten years). Some components require a National Agency Check with Inquiries through the Office of Personnel Management. The process normally takes at least two to three months. 

However, if you have served in a prior DOJ internship/externship and are considering a second DOJ internship within 12 months of the start of the first internship/externships, you should discuss background investigation requirements with the hiring component prior to accepting an offer. Working at the Department requires access to DOJ information, DOJ IT systems, and DOJ facilities. Security regulations permit short term access for not more than six months. Beyond six months, or for two short-term appointments within a 12-month period, a background investigation is required. In some cases, organizations sponsoring legal interns may not be in a position to justify the time and cost of the BI process in these short-term employment situations. 

What are the most common issues or problems that arise during the fitness/suitability review process?

The most common issues that arise during the fitness/suitability review process are past unlawful use of drugs, failure to comply with financial obligations, failure to register for the selective service (male applicants only), and misrepresentations or omissions on the security form. The Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management can advise candidates considering employment on issues regarding potential fitness/suitability problems. Law students who have received offers should contact the individual listed in their formal offer letter. Other law students should reach out to their career services office to contact OARM. In a few unfortunate cases, the Department has withdrawn offers of employment when the investigation process revealed information that precluded a favorable fitness/suitability adjudication.

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Permanent Employment

Offers for Permanent Employment Following Summer Law Internships

The Department permits components to issue offers for permanent employment following law school graduation to interns hired under the SLIP through a “funnel offer” directly into the Attorney General’s Honors Program for the following year. Candidates who receive a funnel offer must still apply to the Attorney General's Honors Program. Unlike the practice in private law firms, funnel offers are issued sparingly to a relatively small number of SLIP participants. Interns working at the Department through student programs other than the formal SLIP are not eligible for funnel offers.

Components may, at their discretion, issue funnel offers to SLIP participants at the end of the summer. Honors Program funnel offers will remain open for at least 14 days after the date issued and must extend at least through the application deadline (September 2, 2025). If a component decides to issue a funnel offer after the application deadline, it must first confirm that the candidate timely applied to the HP. Late applications will not be accepted.

If you have already received a funnel offer at the time you complete your Honors Program application, you must list that component as an employment preference on your application in order to be able to accept. If you were an intern hired through the Summer Law Intern Program who has not received a funnel offer by the Honors Program application deadline, but think that you may receive a funnel offer, we strongly recommend you list the component as an employment preference. You may also list other components as employment preferences. If you receive a funnel offer, you must respond within 14 days (or request an extension), even if you were selected for an Honors Program interview by another component. The Department will not automatically extend the decision deadline on the funnel offer. If you elect to continue through the interview process, there is no guarantee that you will receive an offer from the component(s) that selected you for an interview or a second offer from the component that issued the funnel offer. If you accept a funnel offer, you will no longer be eligible to interview with any other component.

 

Updated August 28, 2025