Volunteer Law Student Summer 2025

For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit www.justice.gov/usao/ As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.

Duties

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 people, Justice leads the Nation in ensuring the protection of all Americans while preserving their constitutional freedoms. 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.

As the federal agency whose mission it 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.

An internship with the United States Attorney's Office provides an exciting opportunity for law students to get an overview of the federal legal system. This will be accomplished through working closely with Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs), observing court proceedings throughout the district, meeting with federal judges and federal law enforcement partners (including, but not limited to, the FBI, Secret Service, DEA, IRS, and ATF) and touring federal institutions such as the federal prisons in the district. The usual assignments for legal interns will be legal research, reviewing evidence, and drafting pleading and responses to be used by an AUSA in federal court. This internship is uncompensated.

For the summer of 2025, there will be 3 intern positions in the Lexington office and 1 each in Ft. Mitchell and London. Interns in the Lexington office will have the opportunity to work with both criminal and civil AUSAs but will be asked to select which practice area they wish to be their primary focus. Interns in the London and Ft. Mitchell offices will work primarily on general criminal matters. Interns will be expected to travel within the district to other offices or courthouses on occasion.

The internship will begin approximately in late May and last a minimum of 10 weeks until August. Interns will be expected to work full-time and in-person during those 10 weeks.

Salary

• $0

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a United States Citizen or National.
• Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation
• You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.
• You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.

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

• Student Status: Acceptance of applications for this announcement will be limited to rising second-year and third-year law students. An eligible student is an individual enrolled in law school pursuing a Juris Doctor degree. Successful candidates must have outstanding academic records, superior writing skills and be in good academic standing at his/her university. Student interns must be United States Citizens. You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
• Grade Point Average: You must have at least a 2.5 GPA.

Required: Your responses to the Online Occupational Questionnaire (This is completed automatically during the apply online process).
Required: Your resume;

The following items are also requested as attachments with your application.

• Cover letter (please note preferred location [Lexington, Ft. Mitchell, or London] and, if the applicant prefers Lexington, the preferred practice area [Criminal or Civil], in bold on the upper left corner of the cover letter).
• Current Unofficial law school transcript GPA (if additional grades are released after the initial application, please supplement as the grades become available).
• One legal writing sample (20 pages or less).

Education All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see www.ed.gov. OR Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to timely provide such evidence by submitting proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency with your application materials. More information may be found at www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. All documentation must be in English or include an English translation. Other Information

Payment of relocation expenses will not be authorized.

A Benefits Package is not authorized for this position.

Veterans' Preference - If you are entitled to Veterans' Preference, you must indicate the type of preference you are claiming by checking the appropriate box in the assessment questionnaire to indicate your preference and submit the required veterans' preference documentation as specified in the, "Required Documents" section of this vacancy announcement.

Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.

Reasonable Accommodation Statement: Federal Agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities, where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

EEO Statement: The Department of Justice is committed to equal employment opportunity and providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment for all employees and applicants. See U.S. Department of Justice Equal Employment Opportunity Policy for complete details.

Diversity Statement: 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.

Political Appointees (Current or Former): The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.

Required Documents

You must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
-Required: Your responses to the Online Occupational Questionnaire (This is completed automatically during the apply online process).
-Required: Your resume;

The following items are also requested as attachments with your application.

• Cover letter (please note preferred location [Lexington, Ft. Mitchell, or London] and, if the applicant prefers Lexington, the preferred practice area [Criminal or Civil], in bold on the upper left corner of the cover letter).
• Current Unofficial law school transcript GPA (if additional grades are released after the initial application, please supplement as the grades become available).
• One legal writing sample (20 pages or less).

- Required, if applicable: Veterans' Preference documentation. See Required Veterans' Preference Documentation below. Please note, if you are entitled to Veterans' Preference, you must indicate the type of preference you are claiming in your application, check the appropriate box in the assessment questionnaire to indicate your preference, and submit the required documentation as specified below.
-Required Veterans' Preference Documentation:
-In order to verify your Veterans' Preference entitlement, you must submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 (Certificateof Release or Discharge from Active Duty); or if you are a current Active Duty member you must submit a certification on appropriatemilitary branch letterhead that indicates: 1) your service dates, 2) expected discharge or release date from active duty with arelease/discharge date no later than 120 days from the closing date of this announcement, and 3) the character of service (e.g.,Honorable); or other off icial documentation (e.g., documentation of receipt of a campaign badge or expeditionary medal) thatshows your military service was performed under honorable conditions.
In addition,
if you are a disabled veteran, a Purple Heart recipient, or widow/widower if a veteran, the spouse of a disabled veteranor the parent of a disabled or deceased veteran, you must submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point VeteranPreference" dated October 2013 and all the required documentation identified on the reverse side of the SF-15 to support yourpreference claim.

Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office by providing a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:

• Position title;
• Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);
• Agency; and
• Beginning and ending dates of appointment.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.

1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.

2. Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package. (It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation are submitted prior to the closing date.)

3. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, please click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12558701

You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. If you are unable to apply online, contact Bambi Merriman at bambi.merriman@usdoj.gov or 859-685-4897 as soon as possible to arrange an alternative application process.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 01/10/2025 to receive consideration. Keep a copy of your proof of submission in the event verification is needed.

Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Learn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits