UPDATE as of 2/7/25 ***** It is highly unlikely that the DOJ will have a summer internship program this year. The recent hiring freeze across the federal government extends to volunteer internship positions, such as this one. We do not expect the hiring freeze to be lifted in time for people to get through the clearance process. That said, St. Olaf students are welcome to submit an application for consideration, in case anything changes.*******
The Environment and Natural Resources Division – Environmental Enforcement Section is one of the largest litigating Sections in the Department and includes nearly one‐half of the Division’s lawyers. The Section is responsible for bringing civil judicial actions under most federal laws enacted to protect public health and the environment from the adverse effects of pollution, such as the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Oil Pollution Act, RCRA and the Superfund law (CERCLA). The breadth of the Section’s practice is extensive and challenging. It includes cases of national scope, such as cases against multiple members of an identified industry, to obtain broad compliance with the environmental laws. Through its enforcement of the Superfund law, the Section seeks to compel responsible parties either to clean up hazardous waste sites or to reimburse the United States for the cost of cleanup, thereby ensuring that they, and not the public, bear the burden of paying for cleanup. The Superfund law is also a basis of the Section’s actions to recover damages for injury to natural resources that are under the trusteeship of federal agencies.
No one can predict what one will be doing on a daily basis because it depends on the posture of the case what the assignments will involve. We check in with the undergrads frequently to see what they are working on and to make sure that they understand their assignments.
Program Description
Dates: Ten weeks during the summer
Under the “Undergraduate” Program, the interns are usually assigned to supervisory paralegals, in some sections the intern is assigned directly to an attorney. It is the responsibility of that paralegal/attorney to assign the work. Sometimes, other attorneys approach the intern directly with assignments too. It could include:
- working on trial exhibits;
- putting trial notebooks together;
- redacting information;
- preparing privilege logs;
- researching, inserting or extracting information from databases;
- internet research;
- minor legal research;
- participating in mock trials;
- attending brown bags;
- proofreading documents;
- reconciling records; and
- filing, copying, faxing, and the like.
Commitment
We ask for a minimum 10 week commitment, with a minimum of 5 days per week. Office hours equal 8 hours between the hours of 8 and 6:30 with some flexibility. All internships are unpaid; however, a $7500 award will be granted to the St. Olaf student selected for this specific internship slot (one slot is reserved for a St. Olaf student). Housing and transportation for the internship, which takes place in Washington, D.C., is not provided.
In addition to a resume, a writing sample (3-5 pages) is required. Please submit a piece that best represents your writing ability. A piece related to the environment or law is a plus, though not required. It could be a journalistic piece, or something you have written for a class.
In addition, volunteer legal interns must be U.S. citizens. If the applicant is a dual citizen, they should be prepared to fill out additional paperwork regarding the dual citizenship.
Volunteer legal intern applicants must complete a background check. The screening will specifically inquire into an applicant’s police record, payment of taxes, issues of indebtedness, and drug use, specifically within the last year. There are a number of things that have resulted
in recent applicants’ security clearance being delayed or denied. Here are the top four:
- Drug Use. Certainly admitted illegal drug use – even in states where marijuana is legal – can be problematic for securing a federal government position, even one that’s a volunteer position.
- Failure to pay taxes.
- Defaulting on student loans.
- Residency Requirement. There have been several recent candidates who have spent considerable time living abroad. (E.g., travel, study aboard, work abroad, visiting family). Candidates must have lived in the US for 36 of the last 60 months (non‐consecutive is fine). There are very narrow exceptions (e.g., U.S. military or diplomatic service).
How to Apply
Application Materials
Due Sunday, February 23rd, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. via Handshake job posting
Application Process
Streps to get your resume, unofficial transcript & personal statement uploaded to Handshake.
The selected candidate from St. Olaf will be notified by the end of February. Once selected, a security background check is required immediately. The background check paperwork is sent out about 10‐12 weeks before the internship begins. This means prospective interns have approximately 2 weeks to fill out the paperwork, get fingerprints etc., as the clearance process takes 6‐8 weeks. During that 6‐8 week period if all is well the applicant, and this office, will hear nothing from the vetting officials. This is normal. Do not be concerned.
Leslie Moore (no pronouns)
Associate Director, Career Development and Coaching, Pre-Law, Graduate and Professional School