Law Student Volunteer (Fall 2022)

Office of Justice Programs (OJP)
Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) Office
Law Student Volunteer, Academic Year
810 7th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20531
United States
JP-22-SMART-AVOL
About the Office: 

This position is located in the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Sex Offender
Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) Office. The SMART Office is responsible for
cooperating with and providing technical assistance to states, the District of Columbia, principal U.S. Territories, units of
local government, tribal governments, and other public and private entities involved in activities related to sex offender
registration and/or notification or to other measures for the protection of children or other members of the public from
sexual abuse or exploitation; administering grant programs relating to sex offender registration and notification
authorized by the Adam Walsh Act Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 and other grant programs authorized by the
Adam Walsh Act as directed by the Attorney General; and performing such other functions as the Attorney General may
delegate. SMART provides leadership services, and funding to America's communities by: building relationships in the
field; developing collaborations and partnerships; promoting capacity building through planning; streamlining the
administration of grants; increasing training and technical assistance; creating accountability of projects; encouraging
innovation; and, ultimately, assisting in the creation of consistent sex offender accountability and management
programs throughout the United States.

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: 

Interns will conduct a variety of legal research and analysis related to civil sex offender registration and notification laws, including assisting the SMART office with building an internal database of the differences among jurisdictions' registration and notification programs. Interns will also get exposure to speaking with law enforcement personnel and attorneys at the state/Indian tribe/U.S. territory level. Interns may be asked to assist policy advisors with reviewing statutes, regulations, draft and/or final legislation and providing an analysis of how these documents impact a jurisdiction's implementation of SORNA. 

Qualifications: 

First-year (second semester), second- and third-year law students are encouraged to apply.

Must be a U.S. Citizen.

Superior research skills, LexisNexis and/or Westlaw proficiency, an eye for detail, and a desire to work as part of a small team of professionals.

Salary: 
Volunteer (uncompensated). Course credit, work-study, and externship opportunities are available depending on school requirements.
Travel: 
No travel required.
Application Process: 

Applications must include a cover letter, resume, and current law school transcript. Please address your legal research proficiency in your cover letter. Writing samples are encouraged.  Submit all application materials in one, combined pdf document via email to Student.Employment@ojp.usdoj.gov, subject line JP-22-SMART-AVOL. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis prior to the application deadline.

Application Deadline: 
Monday, May 2, 2022
Relocation Expenses: 
Relocation expenses will not be authorized.
Number of Positions: 
2
Updated November 4, 2021

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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.