Legal Careers
Law Student Volunteer, Spring 2025/ Summer 2025/ Fall 2025, Office of Justice for Victims of Overseas Terrorism
The National Security Division's (NSD) Office of Justice for Victims of Overseas Terrorism (DOJ/OVT) is seeking Law Student Volunteers.
The mission of the National Security Division is to coordinate the Department's efforts in carrying out its top priority of preventing and combating terrorism and protecting national security. The NSD provides legal and policy advice on national security matters, litigates counterterrorism, counterespionage and foreign intelligence surveillance matters, represents the Government before the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and other federal trial and appellate courts, and conducts oversight over Federal Bureau of Investigation national security investigations and foreign intelligence collection.
DOJ/OVT is responsible for, among other things, providing support to U.S. victims of overseas terrorism by helping them navigate foreign criminal justice systems and by advocating for their voices to be heard around the world. Our staff are specially trained attorneys and professionals who have expertise in prosecution, crime victims' rights, victim advocacy, and national security. We help victims and their families understand foreign criminal justice systems and participate in those systems to the extent permitted by foreign law. We are committed to an efficient and effective continuum of services for overseas terrorism victims through our partnerships with other U.S. Government agencies and components within DOJ.
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.
Intern projects include researching legal questions, drafting memoranda and other documents, and performing legal and policy analysis, factual research, international legal systems research, and assisting with presentations and supporting materials.
Internship Location: Washington, D.C. DOJ/OVT is not offering fully remote opportunities for law student volunteers. Candidates must be able to work an in-person or hybrid schedule.
Academic year internship positions are either part time (16 hours/week minimum) or full time (32 hours/week minimum). Summer internships are full time (40 hours/week). All interns are expected to begin and end their internships on the same schedule as that semester’s schedule, excluding reading days and exams. Interns cannot participate in another internship or split their semester while interning with DOJ/OVT.
Open to all law students, joint degree, or LL.M. students. Applicant must be enrolled in an accredited U.S. law school at the time of application and throughout their internship. Strong research and writing skills are required. Prior interest or experience in victims' issues is desired but not required. By the time of the internship, all applicants must have taken one or more of the following courses: Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, or Constitutional Law. Additional courses addressing litigation, international law, conflicts of laws, or national security would also be helpful.
Please submit a cover letter, resume with two references, transcript (official or unofficial), and a writing sample (not to exceed ten pages). Please submit these materials as one PDF via email to nsd.ovt@usdoj.gov. Paper or faxed applications will not be considered. The subject line should read: [LAST NAME] – DOJ/OVT 2025 (Spring, Summer, or Fall) Internship Application. Candidates selected for an interview will be contacted on a rolling basis, but no later than four weeks after the advertised closing date for the position. Interviews will be conducted by videoconference. Offers will be made on a rolling basis.
Application Deadlines:
Spring 2025: All Students - August 15, 2024
Summer 2025: For Current 2L Students - November 1, 2024
Summer 2025: For Current 1L Students - December 15, 2024 (Please note that we will not consider applications submitted before December 1, 2024).
Fall 2025: All Students - April 15, 2025
Applications submitted after the deadline(s) will not be considered.
Student volunteers are uncompensated; however, if your school offers interns academic credit or work study, we will work with you to meet school requirements whenever possible.
Department Policies
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.
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. 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.
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.