Law Student Volunteer

USAO Western District of Virginia
United States Attorney's Office - Western District of Virginia
Law Student Volunteer, Academic Year
255 West Main Street, Room 130
Charlottesville, VA 22902
United States
23-WDVA-LSV-03
About the Office: 

The mission of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia (“USAO-WDVA”) is to enforce our Nation’s
laws to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, to provide federal leadership in preventing
and reducing crime, and to seek just punishment for those guilty of unlawful behavior. We strive to build a stronger
office through in-depth recruitment efforts and maintain our high standards by promoting professional development.
The Western District of Virginia is geographically expansive, covering over 23,000 square miles, and has 52 counties
with a total population of over two million people. Currently, over thirty (30) Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs)
are assigned to one of three offices within the District: Abingdon, Charlottesville, or Roanoke, and handle a wide
variety of complex cases.
Additional information may be found at https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdva

As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.

Job Description: 

This announcement is for Internship positions available in the Charlottesville office only, which almost exclusively handles criminal matters. Intern projects include legal research and writing. Interns also participate in case investigation, witness interviews, meetings with law enforcement personnel, trial preparation, and courtroom proceedings. Students who have satisfied the requirements of the VSB Third Year Practice Rule and WDVA’s standing orders are given the opportunity to participate in courtroom proceedings, including trials.

Qualifications: 

Rising second and third-year law students are encouraged to apply. Preference is given to third-year law students. Superior research and writing skills, an eye for detail, a desire to work as part of a small team of professionals, and a commitment to fairness and integrity is essential. You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply. Law school graduates are not eligible for internship positions. Internships are subject to a background investigation due to the sensitive nature of the work performed by this office.

Salary: 
Volunteer (Uncompensated). Academic course credit may be offered depending on the applicant's law school.
Travel: 
Minimum travel to other staffed and/or non-staffed offices.
Application Process: 

Applicants submit a cover letter, resume, current law school transcript, and legal writing sample 5-10 pages in length via email to usavaw.personnel@usdoj.gov. It is best to send all documents in Adobe - PDF format. To be considered for a Fall term internship, please submit your application materials by April 7, 2023.

Application Deadline: 
Friday, April 7, 2023
Number of Positions: 
Currently, applications are being considered for up to two positions in the Charlottesville, VA office for the Fall Term. As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.
Updated March 7, 2023

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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 race, color, religion, national origin, sex - including gender identity, sexual orientation, or pregnancy status - or because of age (over 40), physical or mental disability, protected genetic information, parental status, marital status, political affiliation, or any other non-merit based 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. For more information, please review our full EEO Statement.

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 disabilities are encouraged to contact one of the Department’s Disability Points of Contact (DPOC) to express an interest in being considered for a position. 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 must have lived in the United States for at least three of the past five years. The three-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. This is a Department security requirement which is waived only for extreme circumstances and handled on a case-by-case basis.

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 their retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that they were transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).

USAO Residency Requirement:  Assistant United States Attorneys must reside in the district to which appointed or within 25 miles thereof.  See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district specific information.

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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.