Non-USAO DOJ Internships Forum

[Anonymous User]

Yeah I'm pretty much going to give up on the DOJ stuff. going to have to find something else I guess.

They could have at least sent back an acknowledgement of receipt. oh well

[Anonymous User]

Do you guys think that's just essentially a rejection to have heard nothing back at this point? Frustrating to say the least. Going to have to expand my fishing a lot more

ughhh i'm starting to think that too.... although i know there are a few sections that haven't started their processes yet

This. Depends on what division and section you are waiting on.

[Anonymous User]

For those that don't feel great about their chances with the components they applied to, don't forget about the "independent bureaus" of DOJ (BOP, ATF, USMS, FBI [though the FBI ship has sailed for this next summer already]). Each of them tends to sort of do their own thing when it comes to hiring, and some of them (excluding the FBI, of course) haven't even posted their internships, let alone started choosing people for them.

I've never interned in one of the main justice components, though I've been rejected from plenty, but I've either interned or been offered an internship at every one of the independent bureaus at Justice. So don't take rejection from main Justice too hard, and don't forget about these other options.

Don't forget the other Executive Departments either (Treasury, DHS, etc.), but that's a story for another thread.

[Anonymous User]

Thanks for that post.

Did you find that you got "enough" legal experience with those independent bureaus? At least, enough so that when you interviewed in the future you had something to talk about?

[Anonymous User]

Same non-Main-Justice person as above.

Did you find that you got "enough" legal experience with those independent bureaus? At least, enough so that when you interviewed in the future you had something to talk about?

ATF/FBI/BOP/USMS each have their own counsel's offices, which was where I did the vast majority of my internship. You get plenty of legal experience, and I think you get a really unique legal experience. You get to do a lot more front-end legal work, by which I mean you're advising various parts of whatever the agency is before the action happens. "Can we do this, and if we did would it be legal?" That kind of stuff. You get to become really well versed in certain areas of law, too (this depends on which agency you're working at of course) and areas that main Justice doesn't necessarily deal with as much. If you do a 1L summer at one of the independent bureaus, you'll have plenty to talk about at OCI.

[Anonymous User]

Received an interview request today from a Division not mentioned on here already.

[Anonymous User]

Same non-Main-Justice person as above.

Did you find that you got "enough" legal experience with those independent bureaus? At least, enough so that when you interviewed in the future you had something to talk about?

ATF/FBI/BOP/USMS each have their own counsel's offices, which was where I did the vast majority of my internship. You get plenty of legal experience, and I think you get a really unique legal experience. You get to do a lot more front-end legal work, by which I mean you're advising various parts of whatever the agency is before the action happens. "Can we do this, and if we did would it be legal?" That kind of stuff. You get to become really well versed in certain areas of law, too (this depends on which agency you're working at of course) and areas that main Justice doesn't necessarily deal with as much. If you do a 1L summer at one of the independent bureaus, you'll have plenty to talk about at OCI.

Thanks for the response. I'll probably spread out some more apps this weekend.

[Anonymous User]

any news?

[Anonymous User]

*I'm the guy who had the Capital Case Unit interview,

Just got an offer today. Going to accept it in. Huzzah.

[Anonymous User]

Just got an offer today from one of the divisions not yet mentioned on this thread. I interviewed there last week. Good luck to everyone...

[Anonymous User]

Like the above poster stated, the DOJ's independent law enforcement bureaus (FBI/DEA/ATF/USMC, etc.) each have their "Office of Chief Counsel", and are probably some of the best places to gain a wide range of legal experience. This is where legal interns work, and it is at the very heart of the agency where you do very substantive and impactful work. They are very competitive in their selections process and only hire a couple of interns each cycle. I know many who have chosen them over USAOs and some of the most competitive Main Justice components, and have not regretted it one bit.

They each have a wide range of practice areas you can obtain work from, ranging from administrative law, civil litigation, congressional work, legal ethics, and like 5+ more.
I had a friend work at the DEA and they didn't touch a single drug related issue if they didn't want to. Rather, they went into civ lit and dealt with issues such as DEA Agents breaking into someone's house, pissing them off, and now the agency is getting sued etc.

Fun stuff.