Legal Careers
LAW STUDENT VOLUNTEER, ACADEMIC YEAR (FALL 2024; SPRING 2025)
NY - United States
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York (NDNY) is accepting applications for its Academic Year (Fall 2024 and/or Spring 2025 Academic Terms) Volunteer Law Student Intern Program in its Albany, New York and Syracuse, New York offices.
The United States Attorney’s Office for NDNY serves an area comprised of 32 counties in upstate New York with offices in Albany, Binghamton, Plattsburgh, and Syracuse (headquarters office). Our attorneys appear before federal judges in these locations and in Utica.
Albany is the state capital of New York with a metropolitan area that is home to more than one million people. Located within a three-hour drive of New York City and Boston, the Capital Region offers rich history, extensive cultural opportunities, outstanding schools, and the nearby beauty of the Adirondack Mountains, Lake George, and the Catskills.
Syracuse is located in Central New York, a region that contains both urban and rural areas, with a population of just under 1.2 million. Syracuse and its surroundings offer abundant outdoor recreational opportunities, close proximity to the Finger Lakes region and Lake Ontario, the academic and cultural resources of numerous colleges and universities, excellent schools, and a rapidly developing high-tech manufacturing sector.
The District has three divisions: Criminal, Civil, and Appellate. The Criminal Division prosecutes federal crimes including violent crimes, drug trafficking, immigration, firearms, child exploitation, fraud, public corruption, environmental crimes, and anti-terrorism. The Civil Division represents federal agencies and employees in tort claims, constitutional torts, medical malpractice, bankruptcy, and general civil litigation. The Civil Division also files affirmative litigation under the False Claims Act. The Appellate Division handles appeals stemming from criminal prosecutions to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Approximately 51 attorneys and 50 support personnel work in NDNY, along with several subject-matter specialist contract personnel. The District hires experienced attorneys as Assistant United States Attorneys and support staff, and law student volunteers during the summer and academic terms.
Find additional information about the Northern District of New York at https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndny
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.
Law students perform legal research, draft memoranda, observe court proceedings, and generally assist in litigation and trials. Work will be performed in-person in the district office in either Albany, NY or Syracuse, NY, depending on where the intern is selected. Occasional telework may be available depending on assignment.
- First year (second semester), second year, or third year law student.
- Strong academic credentials.
- Demonstrated research, writing and analytical ability.
Requirements:
- Must be a U.S. citizen.
- Academic Year (Fall and/or Spring Term) Hours: Part-Time. Must be able to commit to a minimum of 10-16 hours per week for the entirety of the term, depending on location and if applicable, required course credit.
- Placement is conditioned upon a successful background check to include fingerprints, credit check, and tax check. Placement cannot commence until cleared. Common issues that may arise are as follows:
- Citizenship: Students must be U.S. citizens or owe permanent allegiance to the United States (natives of American Samoa).
- Drug Use: Any type of illegal drug use will require a written explanation describing the events surrounding the drug use.
- Credit History: All outstanding credit problems must be resolved before work can begin. A history of serious credit problems may be grounds for disqualification.
- Employment History: Students must submit a written explanation if they have been fired from a previous job, quit after having been told that they would be fired, or left a job by mutual agreement because of specific problems.
- Criminal History: Students must submit a written explanation if they have been charged, convicted, imprisoned, or been on probation or parole for any offense.
Interested persons should send a complete application package to include a cover letter, resume, unofficial transcript, and legal writing sample by the application deadline in a single document in PDF format via email as outlined below depending on the desired location. Please include the vacancy number listed at the top of this announcement (24-NYN-INTERN-02) in your email and on your cover letter. Electronic submission of applications is preferred. If electronic submission creates a hardship, hard-copy applications may be sent to the applicable address below.
For Albany, New York:
- Email applications to: USANYN.Lawintern-Alb@usdoj.gov
- Cover letters may be addressed to:
Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Katz
Assistant United States Attorney Alexander Wentworth-Ping
United State Attorney's Office, Northern District of New York
James T. Foley Courthouse
445 Broadway, Room 218
Albany, NY 12207-2924
- Inquiries: Taylor Righi, Human Resources Specialist, 315-488-0681
For Syracuse, New York:
- Email applications to: USANYN.Lawintern-Syr@usdoj.gov
- Cover letters may be addressed to:
Assistant United States Attorney Adrian S. LaRochelle
Assistant United States Attorney Emer M. Stack
United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of New York
Federal Building, Room 900
P.O. Box 7198
100 South Clinton Street
Syracuse, NY 13261-7198
- Inquiries: Taylor Righi, Human Resources Specialist, 315-488-0681
For both Albany, New York and Syracuse, New York:
- Email applications to: USANYN.Lawintern@usdoj.gov
- Cover letters may be addressed to:
NDNY Law Student Coordinators
United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of New York
Federal Building, Room 900
P.O. Box 7198
100 South Clinton Street
Syracuse, NY 13261-7198
- Inquiries: Taylor Righi, Human Resources Specialist, 315-488-0681
Evaluation Process
Once your application package is received, it will be reviewed to ensure you meet all program qualifications. After the application period closes, an attorney interview panel will review all qualified applicants and make recommendations for invitations to interview. You will be notified if selected for an interview. Our interviewing process involves panel-style interviews.
Volunteer (uncompensated). Course credit, work-study, and externship opportunities are available depending on school requirements.
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Department Policies
Equal Employment Opportunity: The U.S. Department of Justice is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer. Except where otherwise provided by law, there will be no discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex - including gender identity, sexual orientation, or pregnancy status - or because of age (over 40), physical or mental disability, protected genetic information, parental status, marital status, political affiliation, or any other non-merit based factor. The Department of Justice welcomes and encourages applications from persons with physical and mental disabilities. The Department is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advanced on the basis of merit within the Department of Justice. For more information, please review our full EEO 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.
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://www.usajobs.gov/Help/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. All DOJ employees are subject to a residency requirement. Candidates must have lived in the United States for at least three of the past five years. The three-year period is cumulative, not necessarily consecutive. Federal or military employees, or dependents of federal or military employees serving overseas, are excepted from this requirement. This is a Department security requirement which is waived only for extreme circumstances and handled 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.
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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.