Legal Careers
Law Student Volunteer, Fraud Section
Opportunities are available in the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section (“the Section”) for qualified candidates interested in summer legal internships or academic semester legal internships (sometimes called “externships”).
The Fraud Section is responsible for conducting grand jury investigations and prosecutions in cases that require centralized treatment because of the complexity of the scheme, the multi-jurisdictional nature of the criminal activity, the sensitivity of the issues, or the necessity for developing model prosecutions to establish the viability of a particular statute, theory, or technique. Fraud Section investigations often involve business crimes such as healthcare fraud; financial institution fraud; complex securities and commodities fraud schemes that victimize American investors; government procurement frauds that harm the public fisc; trade fraud; cyber fraud; fraud in the insurance industry; international criminal activities in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; and multi-district schemes that victimize consumers, such as telemarketing and other mass marketing frauds. The Section’s prosecutions focus on fraud involving government programs, including health care fraud, procurement fraud, mortgage fraud, and abuses of government-funded programs.
Legal interns will work directly with attorneys on cutting edge legal issues relating to a wide range of economic crime enforcement priorities. Typical intern projects have involved researching novel legal issues, drafting litigation documents for active cases, analyzing policy proposals, and helping to draft Section publications. The Section's work is national in scope and often involves some of the most significant and challenging corporate investigations within the Division. We are looking for proactive and engaged interns to participate in internships either over the summer or during the fall or spring academic semesters.
Requirements or preferences for the internship program are as follows:
- Internships are open to first (second semester only), second, and third-year law students.
- Internships typically last between ten and twelve weeks. The Section generally requires a minimum commitment of eight weeks for any internship.
- Summer legal internships are full time. The Section also encourages applications for full-time positions during the academic semesters, though most semester-based legal internships are part-time and require a minimum commitment of 15 hours per week.
- Because of the sensitive nature of the work, internship opportunities are contingent upon successful completion of a suitability review and a favorable determination based on information provided in their security forms, a credit report, and fingerprint check.
Applicants for internship positions must be enrolled in law school and have: (1) a strong academic background; (2) excellent research and writing skills; and (3) experience or interest in criminal issues. We encourage applicants to identify their interests and how they relate to the work of the Section. Applicants should understand that while the Section will attempt to match their interest to placement in the Section, assignments will be based on the Section’s needs. Applicants must submit via e-mail, a cover letter, a resume, a short or partial writing sample (not to exceed 10 pages), a list of three references and an unofficial law school transcript to: FRA.Intern.Hiring@usdoj.gov - Attn: Kiana Burgess, Intern Hiring Coordinator.
The Section considers internship applications according to the following schedule:
- Fall Semester: June 1 to July 15
- Spring Semester: September 1 to October 15
- Summer: December 1 and January 31
Applicants are encouraged to apply at the beginning of an application season, as applications are considered on a rolling basis and all available positions are often filled before the final deadline.
Volunteer (Uncompensated)
Department Policies
The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. To learn more, please visit the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
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.
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.
Unless otherwise required by law, the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits employees of the U.S. Department of Justice or a federal contractor acting on its behalf from inquiring about an applicant's criminal history record, either in writing or orally, before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint within 30 days of the date of the alleged non-compliance directly to the hiring office using the contact information listed in the announcement.
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.
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).
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.
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.