The Northern District of Texas is offering internship opportunities in its Dallas and Fort Worth offices for the 2024 spring semester for current second- and third-year law students. Selected candidates will be assigned work from the criminal, appellate and civil divisions. Our goal is to introduce law students to the federal system and litigation involving the United States. We strive to assist students in developing their legal research and writing skills. Students will perform legal research and writing; draft various pleadings, motions, briefs, and other documents; and assist with witness preparation, depositions, and hearings or trials. Students will also be provided with several opportunities to meet members of the judiciary, representatives of various federal agencies, and to participate in substantive programs to familiarize them with the federal legal system. The Criminal Division may give students an opportunity to work on a wide variety of practice areas, including narcotics, public corruption, healthcare fraud, cybercrimes, terrorism, and other federal crimes. Within the Civil Division, students may work in a wide variety of defensive and affirmative litigation, including employment discrimination, medical malpractice, general torts, constitutional torts, immigration, prisoner litigation, commercial, financial, and civil fraud.
There is a required background check because of the sensitive nature of the work performed by our office. The US Attoreny's office is a Drug Free workplace and a drug test will be conducted during the background investigation. Students will only be allowed to work remotely if the office is working remotely. Otherwise, students are expected to be present in the office.
Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.
You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
Background Investigation, credit check, and drug test required.
You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.
You must submit a copy of your unofficial transcripts with your application.
You must be at least 16 years of age or older.
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: You must be considered in good academic standings by the school, and be a second or third year Law Student.
Grade Point Average: You must have at least a 2.5 GPA.
Citizenship: Student Interns must be United States citizens or owe permanent allegiance to the United States. (Currently, natives of American Samoa, Swains Island and certain inhabitants of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are the only groups that owe permanent allegiance to the United States.)Background Investigation: You must successfully complete a background investigation to determine your suitability for Federal employment.
Background Investigation: You must successfully complete a background investigation to determine your suitability for Federal employment.
Volunteer Agreement: All interns are required to sign the Participant Agreement.
Additional information
Payment of relocation expenses will not be authorized.
Selectees for this position are ineligible for life insurance, retirement (including the Thrift Savings Plan), long term care insurance, and within grade increases.
Veterans' Preference: 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).
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 http://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 United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, status as a parent, genetic information, disability, age, membership or non-membership in an employee organization, or on the basis of personal favoritism.
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. ยง 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.
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. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
The Occupational Questionnaire will take you approximately 10 minutes to complete.
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. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
You must provide a complete Application Package, which includes:
Required: Your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire (Online or 1203-FX).
Required: Your cover letter
Required: Your resume
Required: Current Unofficial transcript or proof of current enrollment, e.g., recent letter from the registrar's office.
Required, if applicable: Veterans' Preference documentation. (See also required Veterans' Preference Documentation below.) Please note, 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 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 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty); or if you are a current Active Duty member you must submit a certification on appropriate military branch letterhead that indicates: 1) your service dates, 2) expected discharge or release date from active duty with a release/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 official documentation (e.g., documentation of receipt of a campaign badge or expeditionary medal) that shows 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 veteran or the parent of a disabled or deceased veteran, you must submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference," dated October 2013 and the required documentation identified on the reverse side of the SF-15 to support your preference claim.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET)on 10/16/2023 to receive consideration.
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 is submitted prior to the closing date.)
3. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, http://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.
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 Patricia Medina at 214-659-8698 or Patricia.Medina@usdoj.gov as soon as possible to arrange an alternative application process.
Please call Ryan Niedermair at 214-659-8725 if you have any questions.
Northern District of Texas
1100 Commerce Street
Third Floor
Dallas, TX 75242
US
Next steps
Once your completed application package is received, a review of your application will be made to ensure you meet the program requirements. Eligible candidates will be referred to the selecting officials for further consideration and possible interview. We will notify you of the outcome after each step of the recruitment process has been completed. After making a tentative offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation, to include a credit check.
Please be advised that background investigations can take up to 8 weeks to process. If selected, your security paperwork must be turned into the Northern District of Texas on or before Monday, November 16, 2023 to ensure sufficient time for processing. Final offers are contingent upon receipt of a favorable background check.
This announcement is open from Monday, September 18,2023 to Monday, October 16, 2023.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
You must provide a complete Application Package, which includes:
Required: Your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire (Online or 1203-FX).
Required: Your cover letter
Required: Your resume
Required: Current Unofficial transcript or proof of current enrollment, e.g., recent letter from the registrar's office.
Required, if applicable: Veterans' Preference documentation. (See also required Veterans' Preference Documentation below.) Please note, 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 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 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty); or if you are a current Active Duty member you must submit a certification on appropriate military branch letterhead that indicates: 1) your service dates, 2) expected discharge or release date from active duty with a release/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 official documentation (e.g., documentation of receipt of a campaign badge or expeditionary medal) that shows 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 veteran or the parent of a disabled or deceased veteran, you must submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference," dated October 2013 and the required documentation identified on the reverse side of the SF-15 to support your preference claim.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET)on 10/16/2023 to receive consideration.
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 is submitted prior to the closing date.)
3. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, http://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.
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 Patricia Medina at 214-659-8698 or Patricia.Medina@usdoj.gov as soon as possible to arrange an alternative application process.
Please call Ryan Niedermair at 214-659-8725 if you have any questions.
Northern District of Texas
1100 Commerce Street
Third Floor
Dallas, TX 75242
US
Next steps
Once your completed application package is received, a review of your application will be made to ensure you meet the program requirements. Eligible candidates will be referred to the selecting officials for further consideration and possible interview. We will notify you of the outcome after each step of the recruitment process has been completed. After making a tentative offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation, to include a credit check.
Please be advised that background investigations can take up to 8 weeks to process. If selected, your security paperwork must be turned into the Northern District of Texas on or before Monday, November 16, 2023 to ensure sufficient time for processing. Final offers are contingent upon receipt of a favorable background check.
This announcement is open from Monday, September 18,2023 to Monday, October 16, 2023.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
