Law Student Volunteer

U.S. Department of Justice • Full-time • United States • 7h ago

Hiring Organization
USAO Southern District of Ohio

Location:
OH - United States
About the Office

The mission of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio is to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States. The Southern District of Ohio has offices located in Columbus, Cincinnati, and Dayton, OH. We serve over 5 million citizens in the southern 48 counties of the state. In all matters, we endeavor to represent the people of the Unites States in a manner that will instill confidence in the fairness of the judicial system, and to conduct our work with the highest degree of integrity.

Job Description

The Office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio is responsible for the prosecution of all federal crimes in southern Ohio. The office also represents the United States and its departments and agencies in affirmative and defensive civil proceedings filed in U.S. District Court and in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Volunteer Legal Interns assist in the prosecution and defense of both criminal and civil cases in District Court, the Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

Legal interns can expect to research and write motions and memoranda in pending cases; to research legal issues for indictments and investigations; to assemble exhibits for trial; to observe hearings and trials of cases on which they are working or in which they are interested. Internships may be filled in our Columbus, Cincinnati and/or Dayton, OH, offices. Internships are between 8-10 weeks in length (40 hours per week during the summer, with possible reduction of hours in unusual circumstances).

As needed, additional vacancies may be filled using this announcement. This announcement is open continuous and applications will be pulled periodically to fill any open vacancies.

Website: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdoh/employment

Qualifications

United States citizenship is required.

Must be enrolled in an ABA-accredited law school. First-year (second semester), Second-year and Third-year (first semester) law students are eligible. We expect that students will have successfully completed courses in Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Evidence, Legal Research and Writing, and Torts. Administrative Law is optional. Must possess strong legal research, analysis, and writing skills.

Due to the sensitive nature of the work performed by the office, all offers to candidates are conditioned upon the successful completion of a required background check which requires disclosure of any drug use, law enforcement and employment records, and financial credit information.

Application Process

Law students wishing to apply for an externship should submit the following documents to USAOHS.Legal.Intern@usdoj.gov for consideration:

Cover letter indicating: (a) city in which student is interested; (b) dates when available, and (c) telephone number(s) where student can be reached both during the day and in the evening,
Resume,
Writing sample,
Transcript, and
Three references (names, contact information, and relationship to applicant).

Application Deadline: Any time of year; open until filled.

Salary

Volunteer (without compensation). Work-study or academic credit may be available through a student's law school.

Travel
None.
Relocation Expenses
Relocation expenses will not be paid.
Department Policies
Equal Employment Opportunity

The Department remains steadfast in its commitment to equal employment opportunity (EEO) and treating employees with fairness, dignity and compassion. We must ensure that no applicant for employment or employee of our Department is denied equal opportunity because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex – including pregnancy – or because of age, physical or mental disability, protected genetic information, parental status, marital status, political affiliation, or any other non-merit based factor and that all have the freedom to compete on a fair and level playing field. To learn more, please view the Department’s full Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement.

Reasonable Accommodations

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

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. § 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.

Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs

Unless otherwise required by law , the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits employees of the U.S. Department of Justice or a federal contractor acting on its behalf from inquiring about an applicant's criminal history record, either in writing or orally, before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint within 30 days of the date of the alleged non-compliance directly to the hiring office using the contact information listed in the announcement.

Suitability and Citizenship

It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace and persons selected for employment will be required to pass a drug test which screens for illegal drug use prior to final appointment. Employment is also contingent upon the completion and satisfactory adjudication of a background investigation. Congress generally prohibits agencies from employing non-citizens within the United States, except for a few narrow exceptions as set forth in the annual Appropriations Act (see, https://help.usajobs.gov/working-in-government/non-citizens ). Pursuant to DOJ component policies, only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review, U.S. Trustee’s Offices, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, qualifying non-U.S. citizens meeting immigration and appropriations law criteria may apply for employment with other DOJ organizations. However, please be advised that the appointment of non-U.S. citizens is extremely rare; such appointments would be possible only if necessary to accomplish the Department's mission and would be subject to strict security requirements. Applicants who hold dual citizenship in the U.S. and another country will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Veterans

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 their retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that they were transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).

USAO Residency Requirement

Assistant United States Attorneys must reside in the district to which appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district specific information.

This and other vacancy announcements can be found under Attorney Vacancies and Volunteer Legal Internships. The Department of Justice cannot control further dissemination and/or posting of information contained in this vacancy announcement. Such posting and/or dissemination is not an endorsement by the Department of the organization or group disseminating and/or posting the information.

Updated July 10, 2026

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