Volunteer Legal Internships
Volunteer Legal Internships
Unless otherwise specified in a particular announcement below, these are all volunteer positions (without compensation). Some positions may be eligible for academic credit or work study depending on the policies of the applicant's law school.
Some DOJ agencies make their selection decisions on a rolling basis, i.e., they consider applications as received and may make offers throughout the application period and prior to their respective deadlines listed below. We therefore encourage applicants to apply as early as possible. Application requirements vary by agency, so please refer to specific agency descriptions and entries below for details.
Sort Volunteer Legal Internships by the Column Headings
Hiring Organization | Job Title | State |
Posted/ Updated![]() |
---|---|---|---|
Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) | Law Student Volunteer Intern | Ohio | January 30, 2023 |
Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) | Law Student Volunteer, Summer 2023 | New York | January 30, 2023 |
Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) | LAW STUDENT VOLUNTEER, SUMMER 2023 (SACRAMENTO IMMIGRATION COURT) | California | January 27, 2023 |
Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) | LAW STUDENT VOLUNTEER, SUMMER 2023 (SACRAMENTO IMMIGRATION COURT) | California | January 27, 2023 |
Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) | LAW STUDENT VOLUNTEER, SUMMER 2023 (SACRAMENTO IMMIGRATION COURT) | California | January 27, 2023 |
Civil Division (CIV) | Unpaid Law Student Volunteer, Summer- T-ETL | District of Columbia | January 27, 2023 |
Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) | LAW STUDENT VOLUNTEER SPRING 2023, SUMMER 2023 | California | January 26, 2023 |
Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) | LAW STUDENT VOLUNTEER SPRING 2023, SUMMER 2023 | California | January 26, 2023 |
Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) | Law Student Volunteer, Summer 2023 | New York | January 26, 2023 |
USAO District of Nebraska | Law Student Volunteer, Spring 2024 | Nebraska | January 23, 2023 |
USAO Northern District of Iowa | Law Student Volunteer | Iowa | January 23, 2023 |
USAO District of Nebraska | Law Student Volunteer, Fall 2023 | Nebraska | January 22, 2023 |
USAO Eastern District of California | Law Student Volunteer - Summer | California | January 19, 2023 |
USAO Eastern District of California | Law Student Volunteer - Summer | California | January 19, 2023 |
USAO Northern District of California | Law Student Volunteer, Summer 2023 ( Criminal Division - San Jose, CA) | California | January 19, 2023 |
USAO Northern District of California | Law Student Volunteer, Fall 2023 (Criminal Division - San Jose, CA) | California | January 19, 2023 |
Antitrust Division (ATR) | Law Student Volunteer, Academic Year 2023 | District of Columbia | January 19, 2023 |
USAO Western District of Tennessee | LAW STUDENT VOLUNTEER, SUMMER 2023 | Tennessee | January 19, 2023 |
USAO Western District of Tennessee | Law Student Volunteer, Academic Year 2023 / 2024 | Tennessee | January 19, 2023 |
Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) | Volunteer Legal Intern | Minnesota | January 19, 2023 |
USAO District of Alaska | Law Student Volunteer, Summer | Alaska | January 19, 2023 |
Civil Division (CIV) | Unpaid Law Student Volunteer, Academic Year- C-ForLit | District of Columbia | January 19, 2023 |
Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) | Law Student Volunteer, Summer 2023, Fall 2023, or Spring 2024 | District of Columbia | January 18, 2023 |
Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) | Law Student Volunteer, Summer 2023 | Michigan | January 18, 2023 |
USAO Southern District of Illinois | Law Student Volunteer, Summer 2023 | Illinois | January 18, 2023 |
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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, protected genetic information, pregnancy, status as a parent, or any other nonmerit-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 who have lived outside the United States for two or more of the past five years will likely have difficulty being approved for appointments by the Department Security Staff. The two-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.
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).