Opportunities for Law Students

If you care about justice, if you want to make a difference, or if you are looking for an exciting and challenging career, this is the position for you! With a diverse and talented workforce of over 100,000 men and women, the Department of Justice leads the Nation in ensuring the protection of all Americans while preserving their constitutional freedoms. You can be part of a dedicated team helping to enforce Federal criminal and civil laws that protect life, liberty, and the property of citizens.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico is one of 94 U.S. Attorney's Offices in the nation. But this U.S. Attorney's Office is unique. New Mexico is home to 23 tribes and pueblos, 4 military bases, and 2 national labs. New Mexico is the fifth biggest state of the union in size, shares a border with Mexico, and is a major international and economic corridor. The U.S. Attorney's Office is primarily responsible for prosecuting federal crime occurring in the District of New Mexico. The U.S. Attorney's Office partners with tribal, state, county, and city governments to ensure our communities are safe and prosperous.

Internship Location(s): Albuquerque, NM and Las Cruces, NM

Job Description

Interns will be assigned to one of two divisions: Criminal or Civil. Assignments will include legal research, drafting pleadings and responses and preparing appellate briefs.

If assigned to the Criminal Division, interns will assist attorneys in all phases of criminal prosecution including charging decisions, discovery, pretrial hearings, trials, sentencings, and habeas corpus actions.

If assigned to the Civil Division, interns will assist in all phases of civil litigation including discovery, depositions, pretrial hearings, and trials.

You must be enrolled in an accredited law school to be eligible. 

Application Deadline*: September 15th for Spring Program (January – May)

                                             February 15th for Summer Program (June – August)

                                             May 15th for Autumn Program (September – December)

*These deadlines are approximate.  Please see Volunteer Legal Internship announcement for official application deadline.

Minimum Weeks Required: 10

Salary: Volunteer (without compensation) or work-study credit.

Application Material: Please submit cover letter, resume, law school transcript, legal writing sample, dates when available to work, and contact information including mailing address, email address, and current telephone number(s) where student can be reached in the day and evening. If first semester transcripts for first year students are not available at the application deadline, that fact should be noted in the cover letter, and the transcript should be forwarded as soon as it is available.

Qualifications: Any law student enrolled at least half-time, and who has completed at least one semester of law school is eligible to apply.  First-year law students who have not completed their first semester may apply for volunteer internships after December 1.  Part-time law students and joint-degree candidates may also apply for volunteer internship positions.  Law school graduation terminates eligibility for volunteer positions except for graduate law students who are enrolled at least half time and not practicing law.  Must be a U.S. citizen and will be subject to a background investigation due to the sensitive nature of the work performed by the office. The Department of Justice Student Volunteer Service Agreement must be completed for all student volunteers and signed by the student, school official, and U.S. Attorney’s Office designee.

Assignments: Typical assignments include assisting with all facets of case preparation, such as: researching legal issues, drafting/writing motions and responses and various pleadings, providing trial support to Assistant United States Attorneys, interviewing witnesses, and assembling exhibits for trial.

Vacancy announcements may be found under Volunteer Legal Internships. 

Contact:

Human Resources Office

201 Third Street NW, Suite 900

Albuquerque, NM 87102

ATTN: Jessica Sierra, Human Resources Officer

Telephone: (505) 224-1483

Department of Justice Programs for Interns, Recent Graduates and Fellows:

https://www.justice.gov/careers/interns-recent-graduates-and-fellowTips for securing a volunteer legal Internship with DOJ:

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