Law Student Volunteer

USAO Middle District of Florida
Appellate Section, Civil Section and Criminal Section
Law Student Volunteer, Academic Year
United States
About the Office: 

The Middle District of Florida is seeking outstanding candidates for a Spring Legal Internship to assist in our mission. The internship will begin in the Spring of 2019. The start and end dates are negotiable. We ask that our interns commit to at least 8 weeks of service.

For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/.
As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.

Job Description: 

Assignments include, but are not limited to, drafting responsive motions, dispositive motions, memorandum of law, and appellate briefs. The interns become familiar with the Federal rules of Civil and Criminal procedure, the Federal Rules of Evidence, the local rules of practice for the Middle District of Florida District Court, and the local and Federal rules of Appellate Procedure. In addition, interns may attend dispositions, meetings with Agents and accompany attorneys to observe court proceedings.

Practice Areas:

  • Appellate Litigation
  • Civil Litigation
  • Criminal Litigation
Qualifications: 

To be eligible for this internship ALL of the following requirements must be met:

  • Law Student Status: Acceptance of applications for this announcement will be limited to second and third-year law students. Law school graduates are not eligible for law student volunteer positions. An eligible student is an individual who is enrolled in law school pursuing a Juris Doctor Degree and is taking at least half-time academic course load in an accredited university. Successful candidates must have outstanding academic records, superior writing skills, and be in good academic standing at his/her university.
  • Citizenship: Student Interns must be United States citizens.
  • Background Investigation: You must successfully complete a background investigation to determine your suitability for Federal employment.
  • Volunteer Agreement: All interns are required to sign the Participant Agreement.
Salary: 
Uncompensated and our office does work with law schools that offer academic course credit or work-study.
Travel: 
Not Applicable
Application Process: 

To apply for this announcement, go to: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/506394300

You must provide a complete Application Package, which includes:

  • Required: Your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire which is part of the online application on USAjobs. (This is not a separate form)
  • Required: Your cover letter (Note: If you are applying for the Tampa office, please identify which area of law you wish to be considered for in your cover letter (i.e., Appellate, Criminal or Civil).
  • Required: Your resume
  • Required: Your legal writing sample
  • Required: Unofficial law school transcript


Please note, if you do not provide all required information as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position.

 

To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 09/02/2018 to receive consideration.
1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package. (It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.)
3. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, http://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

Application Deadline: 
Sunday, September 2, 2018
Relocation Expenses: 
Recolation expenses will not be authorized.
Number of Positions: 
21
Updated August 7, 2018

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Department Policies

Equal Employment Opportunity:  The U.S. Department of Justice is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer.  Except where otherwise provided by law, there will be no discrimination because of color, race, religion, national origin, political affiliation, marital status, disability (physical or mental), age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, status as a parent, membership or non-membership in an employee organization, on the basis of personal favoritism, or any other non-merit factor.  The Department of Justice welcomes and encourages applications from persons with physical and mental disabilities. The Department is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advanced on the basis of merit within the Department of Justice.

Reasonable Accommodations:  This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency.  Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Outreach and Recruitment for Qualified Applicants with Disabilities:   The Department encourages qualified applicants with disabilities, including individuals with targeted/severe disabilities to apply in response to posted vacancy announcements.  Qualified applicants with targeted/severe disabilities may be eligible for direct hire, non-competitive appointment under Schedule A (5 C.F.R. § 213.3102(u)) hiring authority.  Individuals with targeted/severe disabilities are encouraged to register for the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Shared List of People with Disabilities (the Bender Disability Employment Registry) by submitting their resume to resume@benderconsult.com and referencing "Federal Career Opportunities" in the subject line.  Additional information about the Bender Registry is available at www.benderconsult.com.  Individuals with disabilities may also contact one of the Department’s Disability Points of Contact (DPOC).  See list of DPOCs.    

Suitability and Citizenship:  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 which screens for illegal drug use prior to final appointment.  Employment is also contingent upon the completion and satisfactory adjudication of a background investigation. 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 (see, https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/non-citizens/). 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 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. All DOJ employees are subject to a residency requirement. Candidates who have lived outside the United States for two or more of the past five years will likely have difficulty being approved for appointments by the Department Security Staff. The two-year period is cumulative, not necessarily consecutive. Federal or military employees, or dependents of federal or military employees serving overseas, are excepted from this requirement.

Veterans:  There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their submissions. Although the "point" system is not used, per se, applicants eligible to claim 10-point preference must submit Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and submit the supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed (visit the OPM website, www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf for a copy of SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preferences and the required supporting document(s). Applicants should note that SF 15 requires supporting documentation associated with service- connected disabilities or receipt of nonservice-connected disability pensions to be dated 1991 or later except in the case of service members submitting official statements or retirement orders from a branch of the Armed Forces showing that his  or her retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that he/she was transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).

 

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This and other vacancy announcements can be found under Attorney Vacancies and Volunteer Legal Internships. The Department of Justice cannot control further dissemination and/or posting of information contained in this vacancy announcement. Such posting and/or dissemination is not an endorsement by the Department of the organization or group disseminating and/or posting the information.