Volunteer Law Student Summer 2026

Volunteer Law Student Summer 2026

Department: Department of Justice

Location(s): Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, London, Kentucky

Salary Range: $0 - $0 Without Compensation

Job Summary: For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit www.justice.gov/usao/. As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.

Major Duties:

• The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky is the local arm of the United States Department of Justice. Its jurisdiction covers 67 counties, east to west from Pike County to Shelby County, and north to south from the Ohio border to the Tennessee border. Its mission is to represent the federal government in both criminal and civil matters. Criminally, it is tasked with prosecuting all federal crimes, including acts of terrorism, public corruption, civil rights offenses, white-collar fraud, controlled substance and firearm offenses, organized crime, Internet-related crime, and many other criminal acts. Civilly, it both defends the United States when the United States is sued as well as affirmatively pursues civil matters when entities or individuals violate a criminal, regulatory, or civil law. Finally, the United States Attorney's Office also represents the United States on appeals before the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. The office is headquartered in Lexington, with branch offices in Ft. Mitchell and London. All civil and most criminal fraud prosecutions are handled by the Lexington office, while other criminal matters are prosecuted by the Lexington, Ft. Mitchell, and London offices depending on where the crimes occur. An internship with the United States Attorney's Office provides an exciting opportunity for law students to get an overview of the federal legal system. This will be accomplished through working closely with Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs), observing court proceedings throughout the district, meeting with federal judges and federal law enforcement partners (including, but not limited to, the FBI, Secret Service, DEA, IRS, and ATF) and touring federal institutions such as the federal prisons in the district. The usual assignments for legal interns will be legal research, reviewing evidence, and drafting pleadings and responses to be used by an AUSA in federal court. This internship is uncompensated. For the summer of 2026, there will be 3 intern positions in the Lexington office and 1 each in Ft. Mitchell and London. Interns in the Lexington office will have the opportunity to work with both criminal and civil AUSAs but will be asked to select which practice area they wish to be their primary focus. Interns in the London and Ft. Mitchell offices will work primarily on general criminal matters. Interns will be expected to travel within the district to other offices or courthouses on occasion. The internship will begin approximately in late May and last a minimum of 10 weeks until August. Interns will be expected to work full-time and in-person during those 10 weeks.

Qualifications: Rising second- and third-year law school students may apply. Students who will graduate prior to or during the course of the internship are not eligible. Students must be U.S. citizens and pass a background check due to the sensitive nature of the work performed by the United States Attorney's Office. The background check requires substantial input from the candidate, and it is important that all security forms be completed and returned in a timely fashion as interns may not begin until the check has been favorably completed (which may take up to 8 weeks). To be eligible for this internship ALL of the following requirements must be met: Student Status: Acceptance of applications for this announcement will be limited to rising second-year and third-year law students. An eligible student is an individual enrolled in law school pursuing a Juris Doctor degree. Successful candidates must have outstanding academic records, superior writing skills and be in good academic standing at his/her university. Student interns must be United States Citizens. You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement. Grade Point Average: You must have at least a 2.5 GPA. Applicants should submit the following materials: (1) Cover letter (please note preferred location [Lexington, Ft. Mitchell, or London] and, if the applicant prefers Lexington, the preferred practice area [Criminal or Civil], in bold on the upper left corner of the cover letter) (2) resume - 2 page limit; (3) law school transcript with GPA (if additional grades are released after the initial application, please supplement as the grades become available); (4) one legal writing sample (20 pages or less); and (5) the best phone number and e-mail address for the applicant.

How to Apply: To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. 1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. 2. Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package. (It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation are submitted prior to the closing date.) 3. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete. To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, please click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12806183 You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. If you are unable to apply online, contact Bambi Merriman at bambi.merriman@usdoj.gov or 859-685-4897 as soon as possible to arrange an alternative application process. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 01/09/2026 to receive consideration. Keep a copy of your proof of submission in the event verification is needed. Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.

Application Deadline: 2026-01-09