Legal Careers
Law Student Volunteer - Summer 2024
Columbia , SC 29201 - United States
The United States Attorney's Office is responsible for representing the federal government in virtually all litigation involving the United States in the District of South Carolina. This includes all criminal prosecutions for violations of federal law, civil lawsuits by and against the government, and actions to collect judgments and restitution on behalf of victims and taxpayers. The district extends over the entire state of South Carolina. The population of our district is over five million people.
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.
Selected candidates will be assigned work from the office’s criminal and civil divisions. Our goal is to introduce law students to the federal system and litigation involving the United States. We strive to assist students in developing their legal research and writing skills. Students will perform legal research and writing; draft various pleadings, motions, briefs, and other documents; and assist with witness preparation, depositions, evidence review, and hearings or trials. Students also will be provided with opportunities to observe court proceedings, meet representatives of various federal agencies, and participate in substantive programs to familiarize them with the federal legal system.
The Criminal Division may give students an opportunity to work on a wide variety of practice areas, including violent crime, narcotics, human trafficking, financial crimes, civil rights, and other federal crimes. Within the Civil Division, students may work on a wide variety of defensive and affirmative litigation, including employment discrimination, medical malpractice, general torts, constitutional torts, immigration, prisoner litigation, civil rights, and commercial, financial, and civil fraud investigations and litigation. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as training progresses.
Students must spend 12 weeks with the office between May and August, 2024.
There is a required background check because of the sensitive nature of the work performed by our office. The United States Attorney's Office is a Drug Free workplace, and a drug test will be conducted during the background investigation.
To be eligible for this internship, you must meet ALL the following requirements:
- Student Status: You must be considered in good academic standing by the school, and currently be a rising second- or third-year Law Student.
- Grade Point Average: You must have at least a 2.75 GPA.
- Citizenship: You must be a United States citizen 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 background investigation to determine your suitability for Federal employment.
- Volunteer Agreement: You will be required to sign the Participant Agreement (will be completed later during the security process by all interns and law clerks, if selected).
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a United States Citizen or National.
- Background Investigation, credit check, and drug test required.
- You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.
- You must submit a transcript or proof of enrollment with your application.
- You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine how well you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement. Applications will be reviewed as received. To be considered for this internship, the complete application package must be submitted by 11:59pm (EST) on January 31, 2024.
Submit all applications to USASC.LawClerkResumes@usdoj.gov
You must provide a complete Application Package, which includes:
- Required: Your cover letter. In your cover letter, please state whether your school provides public interest stipends, work study, or course credit for summer internships.
- Required: Your resume showing relevant experience and dates (for full consideration you must include month/day/year) of employment and work schedule for each (e.g., part-time XX hours per week or full-time). Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social).
- Required: Current law school unofficial transcript. (Note: If you are selected for this position, an official transcript will be required prior to your first day.)
- Required: One legal writing sample (5 pages or more).
Required Veterans' Preference Documentation:-In order to verify your Veterans' Preference entitlement, you must submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty); or if you are a current Active Duty member you must submit a certification on appropriate military branch letterhead that indicates: 1) your service dates, 2) expected discharge or release date from active duty with a release/discharge date no later than 120 days from the closing date of this announcement, and 3) the character of service (e.g., Honorable); or other official documentation (e.g., documentation of receipt of a campaign badge or expeditionary medal) that shows your military service was performed under honorable conditions.
These positions are Student Volunteer positions and Uncompensated. However, preference will be given to students who attend schools that offer Public Interest Stipends for summer public interest volunteer positions. Course credit and/or work-study credit are also possible depending on school requirements.
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.