USAO DC Forum

[ebw1080]

I have a 1L summer offer from them. I'm 99% going to take it, but I was hoping to learn a little more first. I was wondering if anybody had interned there for the summer and would want to share their thoughts. Feel free to PM me if you feel more comfortable.

Also, they have a preference sheet for assignments where you rank your top 3. They claim that they try to honor that, but that the office's needs may dictate your placement. Is this just them covering themselves, or could I realistically get put in a division that I don't even rank?

[Anonymous User]

I worked there my 1L summer and really enjoyed my experience. Although they try to honor your rankings, there are a lot of interns so it is difficult for them to. I worked in Misdemeanors which is basically DC's "state" level prosecution and had a great experience in and out of court, papering cases in intake, doing substantive legal research and memos. I know other interns that were in Homicides that enjoyed their experience as well.

Remember when ranking that you will only have a very low level of clearance so getting placed in National Security may sound interesting at first but you really will not have that much work to do. Finally, this may go without saying but they do not recruit entry level candidates so the earliest you can apply to work in the office after graduation would be after you have gained at least one year of experience elsewhere.

Enjoy your summer.

[kalvano]

I'm working in the Dallas office right now. It's awesome. Take it and enjoy it.

[LawIdiot86]

I'm working in the Dallas office right now. It's awesome. Take it and enjoy it.

Just noting that USAO DC is very very different from USAO Dallas and any other USAO office. USAO DC would handle a lot more small matters that happen to occur on federal property in DC and a lot more big matters like national security that occur in DC, compared to nearly any other USAO office.

[kalvano]

I'm working in the Dallas office right now. It's awesome. Take it and enjoy it.

Just noting that USAO DC is very very different from USAO Dallas and any other USAO office. USAO DC would handle a lot more small matters that happen to occur on federal property in DC and a lot more big matters like national security that occur in DC, compared to nearly any other USAO office.

Oh, absolutely. But I worked in the state criminal court here for my 1L summer, and it was a lot of fun too. So regardless of whether it's large or small crimes, I feel like the USAO would be a blast everywhere.

[LawIdiot86]

I'm working in the Dallas office right now. It's awesome. Take it and enjoy it.

Just noting that USAO DC is very very different from USAO Dallas and any other USAO office. USAO DC would handle a lot more small matters that happen to occur on federal property in DC and a lot more big matters like national security that occur in DC, compared to nearly any other USAO office.

Oh, absolutely. But I worked in the state criminal court here for my 1L summer, and it was a lot of fun too. So regardless of whether it's large or small crimes, I feel like the USAO would be a blast everywhere.

Yes, agreed. I worked for a judge for my 1L summer and loved the hands-on work that you just don't get in huge firms where every task is so segmented that it's impossible to see the big picture.