Volunteer Law Student null

Your role

Summary:

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Iowa has opportunities for Law Student Volunteers in their Cedar Rapids and Sioux City offices beginning in the Fall of 2024.

Duties:

• Law Student duties may include but are not limited to assisting attorneys with legal research; writing pleadings; trial preparation; and drafting responsive motions, dispositive motions, memoranda of law, and appellate briefs.
• Law Student Volunteers become familiar with the Federal Rules of Civil and Criminal Procedure, the Federal Rules of Evidence, the local rules of practice for the United States District Court, and the local and Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure.
• In addition, they may attend depositions, and meetings with investigative agents, and accompany the attorneys to observe court proceedings in cases on which they have worked or in cases of general interest in the office.
• Law students who qualify to practice under the district court's student practice rules may handle motion hearings. Their goal is to introduce law students to the federal legal system and to help them develop their practical legal skills.
• Duration of the volunteer service and hours of duty are determined by the student in conjunction with a representative from the U.S. Attorney's Office. This is an in-person opportunity.
• Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

About you

Requirements

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 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:

• Law Student Status: Acceptance of applications for this announcement will be limited to second-year and third-year law students. Law school graduates are not eligible for law student volunteer positions. An eligible student is an individual who is enrolled in law school pursuing a Juris Doctor Degree and is taking at least a half-time academic course load in an accredited university. Successful candidates must have outstanding academic records, superior writing skills, and be in good academic standing at his/her university.
• 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 complete a background investigation to determine your suitability for Federal employment.
• Volunteer Agreement: All interns are required to sign the Participant Agreement.

Benefits

If you join as a full-time employee, you will get the following benefits:

• Medical, Dental and Vision
• Thrift Savings Plan
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Life Insurance
• Long-term Care Insurance
• Retirement Plan
• Pay, Vacation & Leave
• Flexible Work Schedules & Work/Life Balance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Learn more about careers at the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General.

Training & development 

Student Volunteer Service:

This program offers unpaid training opportunities to students in high school and college. These opportunities provide work experience related to a student’s academic program. The program allows students to explore options as well as develop personal and professional skills. Volunteer legal interns in offices nationwide who contribute to DOJ’s mission and gain valuable hands-on experience. You may qualify either for course credit or as part of a law school’s work-study program.

Career progression

The Internship program places currently enrolled students from high school to graduate level into paid and unpaid opportunities working in federal agencies. You may be converted to a permanent position if your appointment is eligible for conversion.

How to apply

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 online process).
• Required: Your resume.
• Required: Current Unofficial Law School transcript.
• Required: Your cover letter or resume specifying which office you wish to be considered for.
• 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.

Source

The following sources were used in researching this page:

• justice.gov/careers/benefits
• justice.gov/legal-careers/volunteer-legal-internships - T&D
• justice.gov/enrd/pathways-students-and-recent-graduates-federal-careers - CP
• youtube.com/@JusticeOIG