Closing Date: 15th February, 2026
Description:
About the Office:The Criminal Division of the USAO for the Northern District prosecutes all federal crimes from Monterey to the Oregon border, including economic crimes, cyber intrusion, narcotics, immigration, violent crime, public corruption, child exploitation and other federal crimes. The Civil Division represents the United States and its departments and agencies in civil proceedings filed in federal court. Approximately 100 AUSAs work across these two divisions in one of three offices: San Francisco, San Jose, or Oakland.
Internship Locations: Volunteer Legal Interns can apply to the U.S. Attorney's Office's: (i) Criminal Division - San Francisco; (ii) Civil Division - San Francisco; (iii) Criminal Division - Oakland Branch Office; (iv) Criminal Division - San Jose Branch Office. Applicants can express interest in multiple divisions/offices but will be assigned to one. A single application should be sent to the Office's internship email inbox indicating the applicant's preferences in the cover letter and subject line of the email. The program is in-person and interns are required to be in the office. Remote work is not available.
Job Description:
Assignments may include assisting attorneys with legal research, writing pleadings, trial preparation, completing appellate briefs, and appearing in court if students are certified pursuant to local rules.
Within the Criminal Division, interns are encouraged to observe pretrial proceedings, trials, and other court proceedings, in cases on which they have worked or in cases of general interest in the office.
Within the Civil Division, interns are encouraged to observe hearings, pretrial proceedings, trials, appellate oral argument, and other court proceedings; to attend meetings with client agencies and to attend settlement conferences, mediations, depositions, site visits, and witness interviews.
Minimum Hours: (School-year) 16 hours per week required across 10 weeks per semester or 8 weeks per quarter
(Summer) 40 hours per week required across 10 weeks
Qualifications:
Volunteer Legal Interns must have completed one year of an ABA accredited law school before beginning the internships. During school-year terms, Volunteer Legal Interns must be enrolled in an accredited law school at least half-time. Volunteer Legal Interns must complete a background check before beginning employment. Law school graduation terminates eligibility for volunteer positions except for graduate law students who are enrolled at least half-time and not practicing law. Must be a U.S. citizen.
Application Process:
Law Students wishing to apply for an internship should submit a resume (not to exceed two pages), cover letter, current law school transcript, and writing sample to the division(s)/branch(es) of their choice. If applying to more than one division/office, please indicate preference. Applicants must email their applications to USACAN.InternProgram@usdoj.gov and indicate in the subject line their division(s)/office(s) preference (e.g. "SF-Crim"; "Oak-Crim"; "SJ-Crim") and when they would like to serve as an intern (e.g., "Application for Summer 2026").
Salary:
This is a volunteer position and is unpaid.
