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Volunteer Law Student Summer 2027

Department of Justice
Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys and the Office of the U.S. Attorneys
United States Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Kentucky

Summary

For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit
www.justice.gov/usao/.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Location
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$0 - $0 without compensation
Pay scale & grade
GS 00
Promotion potential
00
Learn more about pay scale and grade
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Interns will be expected to travel within the district to other offices or courthouses on occassion.
Appointment type
Multiple - Internships
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
27-13090682-VLS
Control number
889408500

This job is open to

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The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Duties

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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 pleadings and responses to be used by an AUSA in federal court. This internship is uncompensated.

For the summer of 2027, there will be 3 intern positions in the Lexington office and 1 each in Ft. Mitchell and London branch offices. 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.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a United States Citizen.
  • You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.
  • You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
  • Background investigation and credit check required.
  • You must be at least 16 years of age or older.
  • You must submit a law school transcript.

Qualifications

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

Rising second- and third-year law school students may apply. First-year law students: Applications accepted starting December 1, 2026. Students who will graduate prior to or during the course of the internship are not eligible. Students must be U.S. citizens and pass a background check due to the sensitive nature of the work performed by the United States Attorney's Office. The background check requires substantial input from the candidate, and it is important that all security forms be completed and returned in a timely fashion as interns may not begin until the check has been favorably completed (which may take up to 8 weeks).

Student Status: 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: Cover letter (please note preferred location - Lexington, Ft. Mitchell, or London office), and the preferred practice area (Criminal or Civil), in bold in the upper left corner of the cover letter;
Required: Resume - two page limit;
Required: Current Unofficial law school transcript with GPA listed (if additional grades are released after the initial application, please supplement as the grades become available);
Required: One legal writing sample (20 pages or less);
Required: The best phone number and e-mail address for the applicant.

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.

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, (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.
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.

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.

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.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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 determine how well you meet the job qualifications listed on this
announcement.

Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys and the Office of the U.S. Attorneys

The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky is the local arm of the United States Department of Justice. Its jurisdiction covers 67 counties, east to west from Pike County to Shelby County, and north to south from the Ohio border to the Tennessee border. Its mission is to represent the federal government in both criminal and civil matters. Criminally, it is tasked with prosecuting all federal crimes, including acts of terrorism, public corruption, civil rights offenses, white-collar fraud, controlled substance and firearm offenses, organized crime, Internet-related crime, and many other criminal acts. Civilly, it both defends the United States when the United States is sued as well as affirmatively pursues civil matters when entities or individuals violate a criminal, regulatory, or civil law. Finally, the United States Attorney's Office also represents the United States on appeals before the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. The office is headquartered in Lexington, with branch offices in Ft. Mitchell and London. All civil and most criminal fraud prosecutions are handled by the Lexington office, while other criminal matters are prosecuted by the Lexington, Ft. Mitchell, and London offices depending on where the crimes occur.

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

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