Legal Careers
Law Student Volunteer, Summer 2024 Office of Immigration Litigation - District Court Section
United States Department of Justice
Civil Division
Office of Immigration Litigation District Court Section
VOLUNTEER LEGAL INTERNSHIP
Summer 2024
About the Office:
The Office of Immigration Litigation, District Court Section (OIL-DCS) is a very active litigation section in the Civil Division of the Department of Justice. OIL-DCS handles immigration matters at the district court level in all of the 94 federal district courts nationwide and provides centralized expertise on district court-related immigration matters. The section’s work spans complex areas of federal law. OIL-DCS work frequently addresses questions of federal jurisdiction, statutory interpretation, administrative law, and constitutional law – all in the context of federal immigration law, regulations, and policy. Some OIL-DCS attorneys possess specialized expertise in specific subject areas, such as detention and employment-based immigration. In addition to district court cases, OIL-DCS handles matters in the courts of appeals that arise from its district court cases. The District Court Section is one of the few sections within the Department of Justice in which an attorney can handle cases at both the trial and appellate levels. Most of the OIL-DCS’s litigation responsibilities are defensive in nature. Immigration litigation defense consists of a wide range of individual and class action cases, including petitions for writs of habeas corpus, Administrative Procedure Act challenges to denials of immigration benefits, actions for declaratory or injunctive relief, mandamus actions, and constitutional claims. OIL-DCS employs approximately 90 attorneys and 15 support staff.
Job Description:
Volunteer Legal Interns will be assigned to one of OIL-DCS’s eight litigation teams. Responsibilities may vary depending upon an intern’s time commitment, but will generally include conducting legal research, preparing memoranda, and providing other litigation support. Under the supervision of an attorney-mentor, Volunteer Legal Interns typically draft motions to dismiss, motions for summary judgment, oppositions in substantive or procedural matters, or appellate briefs. Interns will also be expected to prepare and deliver a mock oral argument on of their assigned cases before a panel of subject-matter experts. Any Department-wide or internal trainings offered will also be made available for Volunteer Legal Interns to attend.
Qualifications:
Applicants must have completed one year of law school by the start date of the internship, have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, be a U.S. citizen, and be able to pass a background check. Applicants must commit to working at least 10 weeks for approximately 40 hours per week. Deadline: Feb 15, 2024.
Travel:
This position is unpaid, but the Department offers a transit subsidy. OIL-DCS will also work with law schools to ensure Volunteer Legal Interns receive academic credits for their work.
Application Process:
Applicants should email a cover letter, resume, unofficial law sOILDCS.Legal.Interns@usdoj.gov. chool transcript, 5-10 page writing sample, and two professional references to OILDCS.Legal.Interns@usdoj.gov
*Please consolidate the materials into a single PDF document.
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.
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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.