Legal Careers
Law Student Volunteer, Spring 2026
If you are looking for an exciting and challenging opportunity, this is the internship for you! With a talented workforce of over 100,000 people, the mission of the Department of Justice is to uphold the rule of law, keep our country safe, and protect civil rights. You will be part of a dedicated team helping to enforce Federal criminal and civil laws that protect life, liberty and the property of citizens.
The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida serves 35 of the state's 67 counties. With over 11.5 million residents, it is the second most populous federal district in the nation. The main office is located in Tampa, with branch offices in Orlando, Jacksonville, Fort Myers, and Ocala.
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
Those applying to the Tampa office should indicate their preferred practice area in their cover letter. Branch office applicants will be placed in the Criminal Division.
To be eligible for this internship ALL of the following requirements must be met:
- Student Status: Acceptance of applications for this announcement will be limited to first-, second-, and third-year law students attending an accredited school. An eligible student is an individual enrolled in law school pursuing a Juris Doctor degree. Successful candidates must have outstanding academic records, superior writing skills and be in good academic standing at his/her university. Student interns must be United States Citizens.
- Grade Point Average: You must have at least a 2.5 GPA.
- Citizenship: Student Interns must be United States citizens or owe permanent allegiance to the United States. (Currently, natives of American Samoa, Swains Island and certain inhabitants of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are the only groups that owe permanent allegiance to the United States.)
- Background Investigation: You must successfully complete a suitability review and receive a favorable determination based on information provided in their security forms, a credit report, and fingerprint check to determine suitability for Federal employment.
You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on October 3, 2025 to receive consideration. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. All application materials must be submitted through the USAJOBS website. Hard copy or emailed documents will not be accepted.
Directed USAJOBS Application Link: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/839235500
The following items are required documentation:
- Online Application Questionnaire: This is completed automatically when clicking "Apply Online" for this announcement.
- Cover Letter: Should include a personal statement reflecting your background and your interest in participating in this program. Those applying to the Tampa office should indicate their preferred practice area in their cover letter.
- Resume: Please include employment history, dates of employment (MM/DDDD), education history, volunteer activities, and awards/achievements (scholastic/professional).
- Proof of enrollment or unofficial college transcripts: Current Unofficial transcript or proof of current enrollment, e.g., recent letter from the registrar's office. Should clearly show the name of the academic institution, grades for completed coursework, cumulative GPA, and current academic standing. In addition, first year law students should include any undergraduate transcripts.
- Legal Writing Sample: Should be no longer than 25 pages.
Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.
The position is uncompensated. Our office works with law schools that offer academic course credit or work-study.
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.