Legal Careers
Legal Volunteer Intern, Civil Division, Office of the Assistant Attorney General (January Term 2026)
Washington, DC 20530 - United States
The Office of the Assistant Attorney General (OAAG) of the Civil Division comprises the political appointees who supervise the Civil Division’s litigation work. The Civil Division’s responsibilities include defending against challenges to federal statutes, executive orders, and agency action in federal trial and appellate courts; protecting the public fisc; pursuing civil claims under consumer protection statutes, the False Claims Act, and other laws; and ensuring the Federal Government speaks with one voice in its view of the law. It does so by representing the United States, its departments and agencies, Members of Congress, Cabinet Officers, and other federal employees in any matter within the scope of its responsibility.
Attorneys in OAAG—the Assistant Attorney General, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, six Deputy Assistant Attorneys General, and several counsel and senior counsel—work to develop the Civil Division’s legal strategies, coordinate litigation across components, and ensure that the Division litigates consistent with the Trump Administration’s policy priorities. They are closely involved in litigating the Division’s most high-profile matters.
OAAG attorneys work with Civil Division attorneys across the Division’s many components, including Civil Appellate, the Federal Programs Branch, the Office of Immigration Litigation, the Consumer Protection Branch, the Torts Branch, and the Commercial Litigation Branch. They also work collaboratively with numerous other offices and client agencies, including the Office of the Attorney General, the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the Office of the Associate Attorney General, the Office of the Solicitor General, and more, to effectively represent the United States and its officers and agencies in civil litigation
The Civil Division Office of the Attorney General is seeking applications from qualified students for short-term volunteer internships for January 2026. These internships are meant to provide an opportunity for students to experience the Department of Justice Civil Division during their January Term or Winter Term. Interns will:
- Work closely with OAAG attorneys on a broad range of challenging and substantive assignments.
- Conduct legal research projects related to the Civil Division’s affirmative and defensive litigation, covering issues including:
- Article III standing;
- The jurisdiction of federal courts;
- The Administrative Procedure Act;
- Various federal statutory schemes, including immigration law, consumer protection law, and federal employment law;
- Various constitutional issues, including Second Amendment rights, religious freedom, and the separation of powers.
- Draft pleadings, motions, and legal memoranda.
- Attend and observe court hearings, strategy meetings, and attorney conferences.
- Gain exposure to collaborations with Civil Division attorneys and with federal partner offices and agencies, including the Office of the Solicitor General, the Department of the Treasury, the Department of State, and the Department of Homeland Security, among many others.
- Participate in presentations about recent cases by OAAG attorneys.
All work must be conducted in-person at the Washington, DC office. Remote work is not permitted.
- Top 10% of law school class preferred; however, OAAG considers the candidate’s entire background and relevant experience when assessing applications.
Submit the following required application materials in a single PDF file titled LastName_FirstName_January2026 to civoaag.internjobs@usdoj.gov with the subject line: “Civil-OAAG January 2026 Internship Application”:
- Resume not to exceed 2 pages
- Cover letter explaining your interest in working in the Office
- Legal writing sample
- Law school transcript (unofficial is acceptable)
In both your transmittal email and the first paragraph of your cover letter, clearly state which term you are applying for (e.g., Summer 2026).
Letters of recommendation are not required but may be submitted via email to the address listed above. The subject line should include the applicant’s first and last name.
Positions are unpaid. Interns may receive academic credit or funding through external programs such as Federal Work Study, if applicable.
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.