Summer Law Student Intern

USAO District of New Jersey
Law Student Volunteer, Summer
970 Broad Street
Suite 700
Newark, NJ 07102
United States
About the Office: 

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey (the 8th largest in the nation) is charged with the primary responsibility for prosecuting all federal crimes in New Jersey from acts of terrorism to public corruption, white-collar crime, organized crime and gang activities, internet-related crimes, drug importation, and many other criminal acts. Through its Civil Division, the Office is charged with defending agencies of the United States, enforcing regulatory agencies’ authority, and recovering funds from violators of U.S. criminal, regulatory, and civil laws.  The Office’s Criminal Division is broken into several units:  National Security, Cybercrime Prevention and Enforcement, Economic Crimes, Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering, Health Care Fraud, Government Frauds, Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement, OCDETF, Organized Crime/Gangs, and Violent Crimes Enforcement.  The Special Prosecutions Division investigates and prosecutes matters involving public corruption at the federal, state, and local government levels.  And, finally, the Appeals Division handles all appeals to the Third Circuit from the criminal cases prosecuted by the Office.  The Office has locations in Newark, Trenton, and Camden, all of which house AUSAs from the Civil, Criminal, Special Prosecutions, and Appellate Divisions.

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.

Job Description: 

Each intern will be given assignments in as many divisions and units as possible, providing exposure to a wide variety of practice areas and a number of AUSAs. Each intern will be expected to perform research projects, assist in trial preparation, and assist AUSAs in various aspects of handling cases.  Each intern will receive ample opportunity to observe ongoing trials, participate in witness preparation and proffer sessions, and interact with AUSAs and federal agents.

The Office also hosts brown bag lunches with AUSAs, the defense bar, the judiciary and federal agents and sponsors weekly skill sessions focusing on trial practice (opening statements, cross-examination, evidence, etc.), all of which culminate in a mock trial at the end of the summer.  Participation in the mock trial program is mandatory.

Qualifications: 

First-year (second semester) and second-year law students.
Must be a U.S. citizen.

Salary: 
Uncompensated
Application Process: 

Students interested in applying for the 2022 Summer Program must submit a resume, cover letter, and law school transcript (if available) as one combined PDF file by January 21, 2022. The office will be unable to consider any applications that are received after that date. Please note that applications are considered on a rolling basis and that the Department of Justice requires that applicants pass a limited background check before reporting to the office. 

Please email your application to USANJ.InternApplications@usdoj.gov

Subject: Last Name, First Name - 2022 Summer Law Student Volunteer Program (indicate Newark, Trenton or Camden)

Application Deadline: 
Friday, January 21, 2022
Number of Positions: 
Typically, the office selects 10-12 interns in Newark and one to three interns for the Trenton and Camden Offices.
Updated January 10, 2022

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Department Policies

Equal Employment Opportunity:  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.

Reasonable Accommodations:  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.

Outreach and Recruitment for Qualified Applicants with Disabilities:  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.   

Suitability and Citizenship:  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.

Veterans:  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).

USAO Residency Requirement:  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.

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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.