Legal Careers
Law Student Intern -- Summer 2021
The United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas, with approximately 210 Assistant United States Attorneys, is among the largest in the country. Our office prosecutes federal crimes, represents the interests of the United States in civil cases, and represents the United States in appellate and post-conviction litigation. The Southern District of Texas stretches from the Houston area southwest to the Mexican border. The United States Attorney's Office operates staffed offices in Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Galveston, Houston, Laredo, McAllen, and Victoria.
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.
Our office seeks law students of varied backgrounds and skills to assist Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) for Summer 2021. Our law student internship program provides participants with supervised and direct responsibility for criminal, civil, appellate, and post-conviction litigation. This includes conducting research and writing assignments, assisting AUSAs with trial and witness preparation, participating in moot courts prior to appellate oral arguments, attendance at depositions, mediations, and trials, and much more. Some of the outstanding memoranda written by law student interns have been sent to other United States Attorney's Offices and government agencies throughout the country. Needless to say, selection for an internship at the United States Attorney's Office is a significant accomplishment, bringing the opportunity for significant professional development.
Rising second- and third-year law students are welcome to apply for summer internships. Internships will begin as soon as May and end by early August.
Law students must be United States citizens, and will be required to successfully pass a background investigation adjudicated by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. The investigation will address a variety of areas such as credit history, drug usage, arrests, and mental health treatment. Applicants who may have issues in these areas must be prepared to provide supporting documentation showing that all matters have been resolved as part of the pre-investigation process.
Law students should send a cover letter, resume, short writing sample (ten pages maximum), and unofficial school transcript via email to interns.usatxs@usdoj.gov. Address cover letters to:
Elizabeth F. Karpati
Assistant United States Attorney
United States Attorney's Office
1000 Louisiana Street, Suite 2300
Houston, Texas 77002
The application deadline is January 15, 2021. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.
Please direct any questions to us at interns.usatxs@usdoj.gov, or call Elizabeth Karpati at (713) 567-9767.
For more information about our office, please visit our web site: www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx.
None. Our internship positions are unpaid, but we will gladly work with law schools and students to assist in arranging for any available course credit.
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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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