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This job is open to

Students

Current students enrolled in an accredited high school, college or graduate institution.

Clarification from the agency

All enrolled students who are U.S. Citizens/Nationals in the local commuting area of Lexington, KY and Ft. Mitchell, KY.

Duties

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An internship with the U.S. Attorney's Office offers a unique and challenging experience for the highly motivated student. This internship provides opportunity to work on some of the most significant, complex and visible cases being litigated today. Working with Assistant U.S. Attorneys and other staff, you will be part of a dedicated team helping to enforce federal criminal and civil laws that protect life, liberty and property of citizens. The United States Attorney's Office serves as the principal litigator for its judicial district and is responsible for coordinating multiple agency investigations within the district. The United States Attorney has the responsibility and authority to prosecute violations of Federal criminal statutes, defend the government in civil actions, seek the enforcement of a variety of civil enforcement statutes, and institute proceedings for the collection of fines and penalties.

Assignments for non-law student volunteers may involve clerical tasks and other litigation support responsibilities. Interns may also attend depositions, summarize transcripts, join attorneys in meetings, and observe court proceedings. In addition, interns may have assignments such as legal and public record research, evidentiary and documentary review, and trial preparation. This internship experience provides unique exposure to the inner workings of the criminal justice system and participants receive invaluable mentorship from some of the nation's best litigators. If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for administrative support assistance.

Requirements

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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 half-time student enrollment requirements.
You must submit a transcript or proof of enrollment with your application.
You must be at least 16 years of age or older.
Enrollment MUST be in an accredited technical or vocational school, two-year or four-year college or university, graduate/professional school, or certificate program equivalent to at least 1 academic year of full-time study
You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.

Qualifications

The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky is currently looking for college students to serve as interns in the Lexington and Ft. Mitchell offices.

Only current college students may apply. Strong academic background, excellent research and writing skills, an eye for detail, and a commitment to fairness and integrity supporting the administration of justice.

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.). You must successfully complete a background investigation to determine your suitability for Federal employment.

Students may earn academic credit for working at our Office. Information on academic credit programs can be obtained and may require approval from your school placement office.

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.

Additional information

Payment of relocation expenses will not be authorized.

A Benefits Package is not authorized for this position.

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 - 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 United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor.

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.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to evaluate how well you meet the qualifications above. 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.

Go to OPM Website for the definition of each competency.

The Occupational Questionnaire will take you approximately 10 minutes to complete.

Required Documents

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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 showing relevant experience and dates (for full consideration you must include month/day/year) of employment and work schedule for each (e.g., part-time XX hours per week or full-time). Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, includingvolunteerexperience.(cover letter optional)
Required:Current Unofficial transcript or proof of current enrollment, e.g., recent letter from the registrar's office. (Note: If you are selected for this position, an official transcript will be required prior to your first day.)
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.

RequiredVeterans'PreferenceDocumentation:
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
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:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

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.

Help

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

Thecompleteapplicationpackagemustbesubmittedby11:59PM(ET)on06/04/2025 toreceiveconsideration.

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.
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.)
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.

If you are unable to apply online, contact Bambina Merriman at (859)685-4897 or Bambi.Merriman@usdoj.gov as soon as possible to arrange an alternative application process.

Agency contact information

Bambi Merriman

Phone: 859-685-4897
Email: bambi.merriman@usdoj.gov

Address: Eastern District of Kentucky
260 West Vine Street
Lexington, KY 40507
US

Next steps

We will notify you of the outcome after each step of the recruitment process has been completed. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation, to include a credit check, and drug test by urinalysis. We expect to make a final job offer within 80 days after the closing date of the announcement.

Required Documents

Help

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 showing relevant experience and dates (for full consideration you must include month/day/year) of employment and work schedule for each (e.g., part-time XX hours per week or full-time). Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, includingvolunteerexperience.(cover letter optional)
Required:Current Unofficial transcript or proof of current enrollment, e.g., recent letter from the registrar's office. (Note: If you are selected for this position, an official transcript will be required prior to your first day.)
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.

RequiredVeterans'PreferenceDocumentation:
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
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:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

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.

How to Apply

Help

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

Thecompleteapplicationpackagemustbesubmittedby11:59PM(ET)on06/04/2025 toreceiveconsideration.

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.
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.)
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.

If you are unable to apply online, contact Bambina Merriman at (859)685-4897 or Bambi.Merriman@usdoj.gov as soon as possible to arrange an alternative application process.

Agency contact information

Bambi Merriman

Phone: 859-685-4897
Email: bambi.merriman@usdoj.gov

Address: Eastern District of Kentucky
260 West Vine Street
Lexington, KY 40507
US

Next steps

We will notify you of the outcome after each step of the recruitment process has been completed. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation, to include a credit check, and drug test by urinalysis. We expect to make a final job offer within 80 days after the closing date of the announcement.