Student Trainee (Legal)

United States Department of Defense; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

United States Department of Defense (DoD) invites current graduate law students to participate in the OSD Honors Legal Internship Program. The 10-week summer internship begins May 31, 2027 and offers exposure to the DoW OGC and DLSA offices, and a range of national security and administrative law matters.

Interns will support research, drafting, and legal policy work, with potential visits to key government bodies and courts, under the Direct-Hire Authority for post-secondary students.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required for acceptance into internship.

Responsibilities

• Interns assist in drafting and commenting on legislation, regulations, congressional testimony, litigation materials, and legal opinions.
• Interns may visit government and military entities to gain exposure to DoW practice areas.
• Interns will be assigned to DoW OGC or DLSA offices and supported by DoW attorneys.

Education

ABA-accredited Law degree program

Job description

Summary

This announcement is for the OSD Honors Legal Internship Program, First and Second Year Law Students. Expected start date is May 31, 2027. This program is 10 weeks in duration. This is a Public Notice under the DoW Direct-Hire Authority for Pathways Post-Secondary Students. Please read this Public Notice in its entirety prior to submitting your application for consideration.

This job is open to

Current students enrolled in an accredited high school, college or graduate institution.

Clarification from the agency

Candidates must be graduate students currently enrolled in an ABA accredited Law degree program. Candidates must have completed their first year of law school prior to the commencement of the summer intern period. Candidates must continue legal studies throughout the summer and/or into the fall of 2027 to be eligible for this program.

Duties

The legal issues considered by DoW OGC are broad. While unique legal issues arise as a result of the national security and military missions of DoW, such as those involving international relations, military operations, the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the DoW counternarcotics program, military education, industrial security, intelligence and counterintelligence policy, DoW OGC also advises in all of the practice areas common to the practice of law by Federal government attorneys in any Federal agency to include constitutional law issues, procurement and acquisition law, fiscal law, environmental law, property law, administrative law, employment and labor law, information disclosure (the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act), government ethics, legislation, litigation support, and the review of investigations. Perhaps surprising to those not familiar with DoW are the legal issues arising from practice areas that some may not immediately associate with DoW such as healthcare law (DoW runs its own hospital and health care system) and education law (DoW operates its own K-12 school system for military dependents, as well as undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate schools).

Interns will be assigned to specific offices within DoW OGC or DLSA, such as the Offices of the Deputy General Counsels for Energy, Environment and Installations; Fiscal; International Affairs; Intelligence; Legal Counsel; or Personnel & Health Policy; the Standards of Conduct Office; and other DLSA offices such as the Offices of General Counsel for Washington Headquarters Service. There are few, if any, offices that can provide summer interns the experiences that are available as an OSW Honors Legal Intern in DoW OGC.

Summer interns in the OSW Honors Legal Internship Program are given considerable flexibility in their assignments. There are substantial opportunities to enhance research and drafting skills by working closely with OGC attorneys. Interns will assist in drafting and commenting on legislation, regulations, congressional testimony, litigation materials, and legal opinions. Interns will also have the opportunity to assist in the process of formulating DoW legal policy on high-profile topics of current interest. Our intern program may include visits to the U.S. Supreme Court, the Senate Armed Services Committee, military installations, Defense agencies and DoW field activities, and are all intended to familiarize the interns with the practice of law by Federal attorneys and the work of DoW in general.

Conditions of employment

• False answers or omissions of information on application and processing forms, or inability to meet the following conditions may be grounds for non-selection, withdrawal of an offer of employment, or dismissal after being employed.
• Position is contingent upon acceptable proof of U.S. citizenship.
• Positions require access to classified information and selectee will be subject to a background investigation.
• This is a drug testing designated position.
• Total salary varies depending on the grade of the position filled

Qualifications

A Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university is required for acceptance into this internship program.

Candidates must have completed their first year of law school prior to the commencement of the 2027 summer intern period in order to be appointed at the GS-07 level.

Candidates must have completed their second year of law school prior to the commencement of the 2027 summer intern period in order to be appointed at the GS-09 level.

Candidates must be continuing in legal studies throughout the summer and/or into the fall of 2027 to be eligible.

Education

You MUST provide transcripts to support your educational claims. Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Additional information

About the Position & Direct-Hire Authority: This position is being filled in the Competitive Service under the Department of War (DoW) Direct-Hire Authority for Post-Secondary Students.

Under this specific statutory authority, traditional rating, ranking, and veterans' preference procedures do not apply to this Public Notice. Veterans' preference is not applied to selections made under this direct-hire authority.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Learn more about federal benefits.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

DoW OGC seeks applicants with high academic qualifications and outstanding skill in written communications. Interns will be selected based on merit. Selection criteria include, but are not limited to: a demonstrated interest in the DoW mission, coursework, work experience, research projects/publications, and participation in extracurricular activities.

If, after reviewing your resume and supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

Required Documents

1. Cover letter. Indicate why you would like to serve as an intern at OGC. The cover letter must be submitted as a separate attachment to your application email and not as text in the email. The cover letter should also include your current telephone number and e-mail address. The cover letter should provide more detailed information on your interest in the program (list the OGC sub-offices you would prefer). There is no guarantee you will be placed in a particular office within OGC.
2. Resume. Be sure to include relevant experience such as prior experience with DoW or another Federal agency, or legal work experience. Also, include relevant volunteer experience and extracurricular activities.
3. Writing Sample. A writing sample is required. A legal memorandum or a legal brief is preferred.
4. Undergraduate Transcripts. An unofficial transcript may be submitted as part of the initial application, but an official transcript or equivalent document will be required before a final offer is made.
5. Letter of Proof of Current Law School Enrollment. Statement from the institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official stating that you are a current law student.
6. Law School Transcripts. An unofficial transcript may be submitted once available, but an official transcript or equivalent document will be required before a final offer is made. In addition, if the transcript does not contain grade point average (GPA) or class rank, you must also provide a separate statement of law school class rank, GPA or an equivalent measure of academic placement, from the law school, or a statement from the law school that no such measures are in place.
7. Graduate Transcripts. If your resume mentions graduate school (other than your current law school), please include a copy of the transcript from that school (an unofficial transcript is acceptable).
8. Documentation of Veteran Status. Selectees with prior military service are required to submit photocopies of their DD 214(s), Certificate(s) of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, covering all periods of military service.
9. Relatives Employed by DoW. Applicants who have family members employed by OSW or the Joint Staff must specify in their application materials the organizational entity or entities (e.g., Directorate, Office of an Under or Assistant Secretary of War, Staff Office or equivalent) in which these individuals are employed.

Interns are generally ineligible for Federal Employee Health Benefits (5 CFR § 890.102) and retirement coverage (5 CFR § 831.201, 842.105). As provided in 5 U.S.C. 6303(b), employees whose appointments are limited to less than 90 days may be eligible for annual leave if they have previously served for a continuous period of 90 days under successive appointments.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

Agency contact information

Washington HQ Services

Email [e-mail] AddressGeneral Counsel of the Department of Defense Human Resources Directorate 4800 Mark Center Drive Alexandria, VA 22350 US

Next steps

Nepotism: Under the provisions of 5 USC 3110, an individual may not be appointed into a position if the position is under the supervisory chain of command of a relative.

Washington Headquarters Services uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit http://www.dhs.gov/E-Verify

Washington Headquarters Services is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.

*NOTE: Declining to be interviewed or failure to report for a scheduled interview will be considered as a declination for further consideration for employment against this vacancy.

Fair and transparent

The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

Criminal history inquiries Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy Financial suitability New employee probationary period Privacy Act Reasonable accommodation policy Selective Service Signature and false statements Social security number request