Law Student Internships

An internship with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska offers a unique and challenging experience to work in criminal prosecution or civil litigation in the Last Frontier. Law student clerks will have the opportunity to handle trial level and appellate research and writing projects from the office’s Criminal and Civil Divisions. Assignments include drafting responsive motions, dispositive motions, memoranda of law, and appellate briefs. In the District of Alaska, law students who have completed at least half of their credits have the unique opportunity to appear in court at hearings and participate in trials. In addition, interns may attend depositions, meetings with agents, and accompany attorneys to court proceedings.

Projected No. of Volunteers: 3-5

Internship Locations: Criminal positions are available in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau, and civil positions are available in Anchorage.

Application Materials: (1) Cover letter, (2) resume, (3) law school transcript, (4) legal writing sample, (5) dates of availability, and (6) a telephone number where the student can be reached both day and evening. In the cover letter, please include any specific interest in working in Alaska and specify a location and division placement preference.

Qualifications: Law students must have completed at least one year of school. Law school graduates are not eligible for student positions. Students chosen will be subject to a background investigation, which can take up to three months. Must be a U.S. citizen. Must complete a background investigation (includes inquiry into suitability issues such as illegal activity, drug use, outstanding debts, ties to foreign entities, etc.). Final approval for all applicants must be obtained from the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.

Deadline: The deadline for summer internship applications is February 1st of the year for which application is made. All decisions will be made by March 1st. If interested in an internship for fall, winter or spring, please provide a completed application at least eight weeks prior to desired start date.

Minimum Participation Required: 8-10 weeks

Salary:  Volunteer (without compensation); work study, if available; fellowships; internships or externships (with credit).

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, politics, marital status, disability, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, status as a parent, membership or non-membership in an employee organization, or on the  basis of personal favoritism. 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. 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.

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. Only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review and the United States Attorneys' Offices. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, non-U.S. Citizens may apply for employment with other organizations, but should be advised that appointments of non-US. Citizens are 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, https://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 documents). Applicants should note that SF 15 requires supporting documentation associated with service-connected disabilities or receipt of nonservice-connected disability pensions to be dated within the last 12 months 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).

Please submit applications by email to:

Legal Intern Coordinator
U.S. Attorney's Office District of Alaska
Email: USAAK.InternApplications@usdoj.gov

Tips for securing a volunteer legal Internship with DOJ:

http://www.justice.gov/legal-careers/video/top-3-tips-secure-legal-internship-us-department-justice

Law Student Volunteer, Academic Year

More information on Academic Year Internships can be found at  http://www.justice.gov/legal-careers/job/usao-district-alaska