Legal and Compliance Intern (Fall 2026)

Department of Public Safety; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 26,000 - 39,000; Part time

Job summary

Texas Teacher Retirement System in Austin is seeking a Legal and Compliance Intern for Fall 2026. This paid, part-time role supports the agency’s Legal & Compliance team with records requests, research, and project support.

The position reports to the Legal & Compliance group, offers hands-on training, and may continue into spring. Salary depends on education level and ranges by student type.

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in an accredited law school pursuing a JD; OR
• Undergraduate student within 12 months of graduation; OR
• Enrolled in a paralegal program pursuing certification.
• Applicant must submit official college transcripts.

Responsibilities

• Assist with responses to open records requests and review of legal orders and litigation materials.
• Research and analyze issues related to benefit programs, contracts, procurement, ethics, privacy, and employment law; draft memoranda and reports.
• Assist with legislation implementation and compliance with applicable laws; support ethics compliance tracking.
• Support Legal & Compliance records management, including organizing files and producing narrative reports.

Skills

Organizing and prioritizing work

Data search and analysis

Verbal and written communication

Customer service

Document review and legal compliance

Microsoft Office proficiency

Education

J.D. candidate

Undergraduate student (within 12 months of graduation)

Paralegal program

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Legal and Compliance Intern (Fall 2026)

Requisition ID: req1433
Employment Type: Unclassified Temporary Part-Time (UTP)
Division: L&C Business Administration
Compensation:$19.50 - 28.00, Hourly Wage
Job Closing: September 18th at 11:59 PM, CST
Location: TRS Headquarters Building 1
4655 Mueller Boulevard
Austin, Texas, 78723
United States

WHO WE ARE:

Service, Respect, and Connection are core to the individual and collective TRS experience. We know that great service rests on a foundation of relationships that connect us all to an empowering and rewarding career. At TRS, we’re inspired by our community who bring authenticity and commitment to our mission to improve the retirement security of public education employees and retirees throughout Texas.

As a group of achievers, we tap collaboration and innovation to raise the bar in performance, administering and counseling pensions and healthcare benefits to ensure certainty for the future of our members. We invite you to join us, where both personal and career growth are respected and where you can make a difference in our members’ lives every day.

Internship:

This position is a paid, part-time, limited term assignment that offers interns the opportunity to gain substantive hands on experience. Interns enjoy the opportunity to get training and mentoring from experienced professionals in one or more areas.

The Legal Intern is responsible for supporting agency operations with the different groups within Legal & Compliance. The incumbent will assist with responding to open records requests; assist with researching and analyzing L&C data; provide department operational support; and assist with special projects. This position will proactively work with the TRS legal & compliance team, and agency employees.

This will be a part-time (19 hours), limited-term assignment that will need to report our Austin offices at least two days per week. We are wanting this position to start in the Fall semester of 2026, with the possibility of continuing into the spring semester. Salary will be dependent upon education level:

• Undergraduate (Junior or Senior) - $19.50/hour
• Graduate Student - $21.00/hour
• Law Student - $28.00/hour

WHAT YOU WILL DO:

Legal and Compliance

• Assists with responses to open records requests, the review and analysis of legal orders received by TRS, administrative appeals and other litigation involving the TRS pension plan, and responses to member requests for information and third party subpoenas and discovery requests, including research, document preparation such as organizing, scanning, or redacting content, and paper and electronic file maintenance.
• Researches and analyzes issues relating to benefit programs, contracts and procurement matters, investment agreements, ethics and compliance, health law, data privacy and security, intellectual property, employment and immigration, and other matters relevant to a public retirement system; and drafting documents, memoranda, and correspondence.
• Assists with implementation of legislation passed by the Texas Legislature, implementation of rules adopted by the TRS board of trustees, and compliance with federal laws affecting benefit programs and investments.
• Assists with annual ethics compliance, including tracking ethics compliance submissions by agency employees and contractors, reviewing ethics compliance statements submitted by agency employees and contractors for completeness, and drafting related correspondence.
• Works collaboratively on Legal & Compliance’s records management and litigation tracking efforts, including paper and electronic file maintenance, organizing records for purging and reviewing, evaluating statistical data, and producing narrative reports of findings

General Functions

• Assists with the legal operations team.
• May assist in researching, compiling, and analyzing data; entering data into spreadsheets, databases, and other automated applications; organizing litigation and administrative appeal files; and preparing complex queries and reports.
• May review forms, correspondence, reports, and other documents for completeness and acceptability.
• May assist in reviewing and analyzing agency policies, procedures, and forms and recommending changes to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
• Assists in completing special projects and performs other work as assigned.
• Performs related work as assigned.

WHAT YOU WILL BRING:

Required Education

• Currently enrolled in an accredited law school, actively pursuing a Juris Doctor (J.D.); OR
• Currently enrolled in and actively attending an accredited college or university as an undergraduate student within 12 months of graduation; OR
• Currently enrolled in and actively attending a paralegal program, pursuing paralegal certification.
• Applicant will be required to submit a copy of official college transcripts.

Required Experience

• None.

Required Registration, Certification, or Licensure

• None.

Preferred Qualifications

• Letter(s) of recommendation from program professor(s) are strongly encouraged.
• Experience using Microsoft Office software.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Knowledge of:

• General office practices and procedures.

Skills in:

• Organizing and prioritizing work to manage a high-volume workload in a fast-paced environment, and completing work accurately while meeting deadlines.
• Conducting data searches and evaluations of large amounts of information, performing complex analysis of the data, and preparing concise and accurate reports and written/oral recommendations.
• Verbal and written communication of complex information that is accurate, timely, and based on sound judgment.
• Providing quality customer service.
• Reviewing documentation; properly applying complex laws, regulations, rules, and policies; and making decisions based on sound judgment.
• Using a personal computer in a Windows and Microsoft Office (Word, Excel) environment, and accurately performing data entry.

Ability to:

• Establish and maintain harmonious working relationships with co-workers, agency staff, and other external contacts.
• Work effectively in a professional team environment..

Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) Codes:

Veterans, Reservists or Guardsmen with experience in the Military Occupational Specialty ( https://www.trs.texas.gov/files/trs-military-crosswalk.xlsx ) along with the minimum qualifications listed above may meet the minimum requirements and are highly encouraged to apply. Please contact Talent Acquisition at [e-mail] with questions or for additional information.

To view all job vacancies, visit www.trs.texas.gov/careers or www.trs.csod.com/careersite.

For more information, visit www.trs.trs.gov.