Volunteer Law Student, Summer 2017

USAO District of Colorado
Law Student Volunteer, Summer
Denver, CO 80202
United States
CO-17-1823086-VLS
About the Office: 

The Department of Justice has a diverse and talented workforce of over 100,000 men and women. Justice leads the Nation in ensuring the protection of all Americans while preserving their constitutional freedoms. If selected, 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 (USAO)/Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA) is a great place to work. The Department of Justice ranked #3 out of 19 large agencies and EOUSA/United States Attorneys Offices ranked #43 out of 320 agency subcomponents in a study, "The Best Places to Work in the Federal Government, 2015 Ratings" published by the Partnership for Public Service. See http://bestplacestowork.org/BPTW/index.php.

Job Description: 

Assignments include, but are not limited to, drafting responsive motions, dispositive motions, memoranda of law, and appellate briefs.  The interns become familiar with the Federal Rules of Civil and Criminal Procedure, the Federal Rules of Evidence, and the local rules of practice for the Colorado United States District Court, and the local and Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure.  In addition, interns may attend depositions, meetings with agents, and accompany the attorneys to observe court proceedings.

Practice Area:

  • Appellate Litigation
  • Civil Litigation
  • Criminal Litigation
Qualifications: 

To be eligible for this internship ALL of the following requirements must be met:

  • Law Student Status: Acceptance of applications for this announcement will be limited to first-year  (second semester), second and third-year law students. Law school graduates are not eligible for law student volunteer positions. An eligible student is an individual who is enrolled in law school pursuing a  Juris Doctor Degree and is taking at least half-time academic course load in an accredited university. Successful candidates must have outstanding academic records, superior writing skills, and be in good academic standing at his/her university.
  • 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 background investigation to determine your suitability for Federal employment.
  • Volunteer Agreement: All interns are required to sign the Participant Agreement.
Salary: 
This is a voluntary position without compensation or benefits.
Travel: 
None
Application Process: 

Applications must be submitted online via USAJobs.gov and must include a cover letter, resume, legal writing sample, and a current unofficial law school transcript or proof of enrollment (e.g., letter from the registrar's office). Please use the following link to apply for a summer 2017 internship https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/453748500. 

Application Deadline: 
Sunday, January 22, 2017
Relocation Expenses: 
Relocation expenses will not be authorized.
Number of Positions: 
Many
Updated October 24, 2016

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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 color, race, religion, national origin, political affiliation, marital status, disability (physical or mental), age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, status as a parent, membership or non-membership in an employee organization, on the basis of personal favoritism, or any other non-merit 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.

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 his  or her retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that he/she was transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).

 

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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.