Student Trainee (Law) (Legal Intern)

Closing Date: 30th September, 2026

Description:

Summary:
The DCSA Student Experience (DSE) '27 Cohort. Open to law students with a cumulative GPA of 3.0/4.0. Summer Cohort Start Date: 31 May 2027 (alternate: 14 June 2027); End Date: 20 August 2027. Students must attend for a minimum of 10 weeks (400 hours).

This position is selecting a student intern for the Office of the General Counsel.

Duties:
This is a temporary position NTE 1 year from appointment.

As a STUDENT TRAINEE (LAW) (LEGAL INTERN) you will be responsible for the following duties:
We are looking for capable and eager law students interested in being part of a Federal legal office that provides support in all areas of legal practice for an agency with a national security mission. Interns will apply analytic and critical thinking skills to work on research projects, draft memos, and assist attorneys with various assignments and projects. A final or interim secret security clearance is required for appointment to the position, but applicants are not required to have a security clearance to apply for the position.

• Plan, organize and conduct studies of legal issues and cases generally encountered in the assigned area.
• Conduct research assignments given by agency counsel.
• Examine and evaluate procedural and legal sufficiency of agency actions, policies and practices.
• Provide support in analyzing issues and actions related to national security law, civilian personnel law, equal employment opportunity matters, government information practices, administrative law, fiscal law, ethics, and acquisition law.
• Use manual and automated legal research methods and other available resources to locate and apply relevant legal references, including Federal statutes, regulations and publications, DoW issuances, case law, articles and legal treatises.
• Assist with the research and preparation of legal opinions for attorneys on the full range of legal matters presented by agency operations and administration.
• Participate in defensive administrative litigation including depositions, mediation, negotiations, and hearings.
• Draft and edit legal and non-legal memoranda, research reports, and correspondence. Ensure proper processing of completed actions.
• Analyze facts and legal questions and organize and prepare research material for attorney review.
• Identify pertinent facts and issues for research and discussion, suggest legal interpretations of reference material, and prepare initial summary recommendations for attorneys.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements:
Conditions of Employment:

• Must be a US citizen
• Selective Service Requirement: Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service. For more information http://www.sss.gov
• Resume and supporting documents received by 11:59PM EST will be considered
• This is a Drug Testing designated position
• Position is a (DCIPS) position in the Excepted Service under U.S.C. 1601
• Work Schedule: Full Time
• Overtime: Occasionally
• Tour of Duty: Flexible
• PCS (Permanent Change of Station): Not Authorized
• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Non-Exempt
• Financial Disclosure: Not Required
• Telework Eligibility: Supervisors may approve situational telework on a case-by-case, temporary basis for limited situations.
• If selected, the incumbent must obtain and maintain appropriate security clearance as indicated in job announcement.
• Must hold a bachelor's degree and be currently enrolled as a full-time law student in a program leading to award of the first professional law degree.
• To be appointed to a Law Student Trainee in the summer of 2027, you will also need to have successfully completed the 1st or 2nd year of law school by the end of May 2027, with the expectation of continuing law school studies in the fall of 2027.
• Must have and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale. Grade-point averages are rounded to one decimal place.
• DSE Summer '27 Cohort Start Date: 31 May 2027 (alternate – 14 June 2027); End Date: 20 August 2027. Students must attend for a minimum of 10 weeks (400 hours).
• Students accepted to the internship program must send law school official transcript with spring 2027 semester/quarter grades to the Student Programs prior to their start date.
• Students who successfully complete the program may be eligible for non-competitive conversion to a permanent position after graduation if all requirements have been met. Funding availability, mission requirements, and other factors may apply.

Qualifications:
To qualify for this position, you must meet the criteria specified below:

• Must hold a bachelor's degree and be currently enrolled as a full-time law student in a program leading to award of the first professional law degree.
• You must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale. Grade-point averages are rounded to one decimal place. For example, 2.95 will round to 3.0 and 2.94 will round to 2.9.

Note:To be appointed to a Law Student Trainee - Intern (Law Student) in the summer of 2027, you will also need to have successfully completed the 1st or 2nd year of law school by the end of May 2027, with the expectation of continuing law school studies in the fall of 2027.

All applicants must submit college or university undergraduate transcripts (official or unofficial) AND law school transcripts (official or unofficial) that demonstrate the completion, (or for 1st year law student applicants, the anticipated completion), of the 1st year of law school by the end of May 2027 or earlier.

Specifically, you will be evaluated on the following competencies:

• Communication: Written and oral communication techniques sufficient to develop and deliver briefings, project papers, status/staff reports and correspondence to managers to foster understanding and acceptance of findings and recommendations.
• Interpersonal Skills: Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations.
• Teamwork: Encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust, and group identity; fosters commitment and team spirit; works with others to achieve goals.
• Problem Solving: Identifies and analyzes problems; uses sound reasoning to arrive at conclusions; finds alternative solutions to complex problems; distinguishes between relevant and irrelevant information to make logical judgements.
• Attention to Detail: Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.
• Ability to research, analyze and present information.

Education:
All applicants must submit college or university undergraduate transcripts (official or unofficial) AND law school transcripts (official or unofficial) that demonstrate the completion, or for 1st year law student applicants, the anticipated completion, of the 1st year of law school by the end of May 2027.

Official Transcripts and other required Official supporting documentation will be submitted by selected students prior to their start to continue in the program.

Superior Academic Achievement does not apply to DCIPS positions.

Failure to provide transcripts will result in you being rated ineligible for this position.

Foreign Education: For further information, click on the following link:
https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/

Additional Information: