Legal Internships and Externships with NOAA GC

NOAA GC is a fantastic place to intern to gain experience in agency counseling, litigation, and federal environmental and natural resource law. NOAA is the federal government’s premier ocean, space, and coastal conservation and management agency, and NOAA GC attorneys work to advance that mission and provide sound judgment, thoughtful analysis, and constructive advice in a respectful, committed environment. As an intern, you will work closely with NOAA attorneys and staff to address complex and challenging legal issues on important matters concerning our Nation’s oceans and coasts, marine resources, and space and observation systems.  

We welcome candidates who are enthusiastic about working for NOAA and are keenly interested in gaining practical experience advising client agencies on the legal aspects of NOAA’s mission. We encourage applicants from a wide variety of backgrounds to apply; having a background in government or environmental law is not a prerequisite for an internship.

For more information about NOAA GC, please visit our Career Opportunities page. NOAA GC attorneys work in thirteen legal sections located in Silver Spring, MD, Washington, D.C., and six regional offices around the country. For more information about each section and our headquarters office, please visit our General Counsel Organization page, which has links to each Section. 

The sections that currently offer regular internship programs include:

Overview of internships

As an intern with NOAA GC, you will have opportunities to develop legal skills under the supervision of experienced attorneys. This will include conducting legal research, drafting memoranda, developing written and oral communication skills in settings with attorneys and staff within the agency, and counseling and advising agency clients. Equitable participation and collaboration during your internship will be a part of your experience.

As an intern with NOAA GC, you will have opportunities to work on a wide array of legal questions and cutting-edge issues involving our agency clients (NOAA staff and line offices). You will likely interact with NOAA scientists as well as policy makers and technical staff within NOAA, and may have opportunities to interact with Department of Commerce officials, other Federal and state agency officials, congressional staff, members of the regulated community, representatives from public interest organizations, or tribal officials and members of Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Tribes.

You will work closely with experienced NOAA GC attorneys to research and resolve legal issues and advise agency clients on legal requirements under statutes such as the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (fisheries); the Endangered Species Act; the Marine Mammal Protection Act; the National Marine Sanctuaries Act; the Coastal Zone Management Act; the Marine Debris Act; the Oil Pollution Act; the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act; the National Environmental Policy Act; the Freedom of Information Act; the Administrative Procedure Act; and other similar laws, as well as international law relating to the marine environment.

You may assist NOAA GC attorneys in prosecuting and defending, in concert with U.S. Department of Justice attorneys, cases brought under NOAA-related statutes. In the Natural Resources Section, this would include working with DOJ attorneys, as well as program staff, scientists, and economists, to assess injury and seek damages to the NOAA-managed natural resources from responsible parties.

Eligibility and how to apply

Internships are open to current law students pursuing a J.D. or LLM. The International Section also offers unpaid, voluntary internships to law graduates (for more information, see the International Section's web page on Law Student Internships/Externships & Law Graduate Internships).  NOAA GC currently offers only unpaid volunteer internships. We will support interns who receive work-study or other stipends. You may receive credit for an internship with NOAA GC, and we will work with you to complete the necessary paperwork for credit for the successful completion of an internship. 

Each section currently conducts its legal internship program independently and has its own internal deadlines and requirements. Students must apply directly to each section in which they have an interest. Although application requirements vary, sections typically request a resume, cover letter, and law school transcript, as well as potentially a writing sample and references. More information on section-specific internships can be found on this page under the heading “Available Internships.” 

Most sections have early application deadlines, so interested law students should plan to apply at least four to five months in advance for semester internships and the preceding fall for summer internships.

Available internships

International Section

The International Section, located in Washington D.C., offers virtual and hybrid summer, fall, and spring internships. In addition to offering internships to current law students pursuing a J.D. or LLM, the International Section also offers unpaid, voluntary internships to law graduates. More information is available on the International Section’s page on Law Student Internships/Externships and Law Graduate Internships. 

Oceans and Coasts Section 

The Oceans and Coasts Section, located in Silver Spring, Maryland, offers virtual and in-person, full-time summer and part-time fall and spring internships. If interested, please submit inquiries to: Adam Dilts, Section Chief, gcoceansandcoastssection@noaa.gov.

Alaska Section

The Alaska Section, located in Juneau, Alaska, offers virtual and in-person, full-time summer internships.  If interested, please submit inquiries to the following email: gcak.intern@noaa.gov, or contact: Molly Watson, Deputy Section Chief, molly.watson@noaa.gov.

Natural Resources Section

The Natural Resources Section, with locations in Seattle, WA, Long Beach, CA, Silver Spring, MD, St. Petersburg, FL, and Gloucester, MA, offers virtual or in-person, full-time internships. If interested, please submit inquiries to: Laurie Lee, Deputy Section Chief, laurie.lee@noaa.gov.

Fisheries and Protected Resources Section and Environmental Review and Coordination Section

The Fisheries and Protected Resources Section and the Environmental Review and Coordination Section have completed selecting full-time summer interns to work jointly in both sections for Summer 2024.  For more information on joint internships between these two sections, please reach out to: Brandon Sousa, brandon.sousa@noaa.gov and Grace Bauer, grace.bauer@noaa.gov.

Weather, Satellites, and Research Section

The Weather, Satellites, and Research Section, located in Silver Spring, Maryland, offers virtual and in-person, full-time summer and part-time semester internships. If interested, please submit inquiries to Kate Bucacink, Attorney-Advisor, kate.bucacink@noaa.gov.

Other Sections

Other sections within NOAA GC periodically offer internships. If you are interested in a particular section or office, contact information for NOAA GC sections can be found under the General Counsel Organization page.

Want to know more about working for NOAA GC?

If you would like to learn more about working for NOAA GC, please consider reaching out to one of our NOAA GC Ambassadors. Ambassadors currently include attorneys and managers from across NOAA GC. NOAA GC Ambassadors are available to address your questions about working for NOAA GC, including workplace culture, experiences, career paths and career development, and other details. Ambassadors are an informal resource only. If you have questions about specific internships, please contact the hosting section.

NOAA GC Value Statements

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

NOAA GC is committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment in which it leverages diversity to achieve mission goals and maximize the potential of individuals and NOAA. NOAA GC is working to ensure that the organization’s management practices and organizational culture reflect this commitment and create opportunities for all employees to fully contribute to the Agency’s mission and serve the Nation. 

NOAA GC seeks to reduce barriers to participation in our NOAA GC Internship Program, improve recruitment and outreach to interested students and recruit interns from diverse backgrounds, and ensure interns have a meaningful work experience at NOAA GC in terms of quality of work, mentoring opportunities, and an understanding of potential career opportunities within NOAA and the federal government. For more information, please visit NOAA’s Diversity and Inclusion page.