DOJ Honors Program 2022-2023
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2022 9:24 pm
Does anyone know when DOJ typically updates their website with the new participating components?
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Believe me friends, the process is long enough as is. Enjoy this time because starting in September you’re going to have at least three months of anxiety filled daysAnonymous User wrote: ↑Wed Apr 13, 2022 9:24 pmDoes anyone know when DOJ typically updates their website with the new participating components?
Thanks! That was really recent.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Fri May 27, 2022 10:50 amI’ve been stalking the components participating website, and while the application page itself hasn’t been updated (still has 2021 deadline), the components participating page has been updated.
Any litigating branch (so all of CIV) is going to be competitive. Of the most competitive, it’s Appellate followed closely by Fed Programs. I would probably put every other branch on the same level with the caveat that the sections with the least spots are naturally going to be more competitive.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Thu Jun 02, 2022 6:43 pmCan anyone give any insight about the defensive sections of Civ and their competitiveness? Thinking of ranking Torts and Fed Programs high.
I applied last year and am starting with fed pro this fall. pm me if you have questionsAnonymous User wrote: ↑Thu Jun 02, 2022 6:43 pmCan anyone give any insight about the defensive sections of Civ and their competitiveness? Thinking of ranking Torts and Fed Programs high.
You'll be very competitive. It's a little bit of a crapshoot just because there are so few positions, but that's a very strong application. I don't think they'll quite drill down on your crim pro grades (and none of those schools give conventional grades, anyway). Just take the required essays really seriously.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sat Jun 18, 2022 12:48 pmHoping this is (sorta) the right thread for this. I just graduated with honors from HYSC and over the next couple years, I'm doing federal district and appellate clerkships, with judges/circuits that let clerks do a pretty decent amount of crim work and who have DOJ connections. I've never worked at the DOJ itself, but both of my summer jobs involved litigation work that incorporated some crim/white collar stuff. And, while my grades in law school were pretty good, my grades in crim pro classes were about average.
I'm not going to be thinking about applying for another year, but if I do, how competitive am I as an applicant? I'm primarily interested in crim/national security type work.
Sorry if this is a super obvious question - I thought about the Honors program a bit in law school, but because of clerkships I haven't sat down and deliberately tried to assess my odds.
I think this depends a bit. If you’re looking at something like civil rights, I agree that you want to have some kind of relevant public interest experience. Civil programs, which involves work closer to general civil lit, I think less so. And I think if they got a decent amount of criminal experience while summering and build on this while clerking, crim could be interested.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sun Jun 19, 2022 1:05 pmDOJ looks for strong interest in public service and DOJ itself. I actually don't think you're a particularly strong applicant for the honors program with zero DOJ experience. Maybe if you have a decent or great amount of other public service experience.
To add a data point to this, I worked at civil litigation law firms both summers during law school and am entering DOJ honors in the fall. I strongly agree that essays will make a huge difference, as well as leaning on your clerkship as the pivoting point as to why you’re now interested in government work. If you were a 3L, this would be a different story but with your clerkship, if you mail the essays and interviews you have a shot. I also truly feel like there’s no shame in saying what I said (so long as it’s true): I needed a paid internship and SLIP wasn’t an option. DOJ really understands that unpaid internships, especially for students who don’t live in the market, are a huge financial endeavor.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sun Jun 19, 2022 5:00 pmI think this depends a bit. If you’re looking at something like civil rights, I agree that you want to have some kind of relevant public interest experience. Civil programs, which involves work closer to general civil lit, I think less so. And I think if they got a decent amount of criminal experience while summering and build on this while clerking, crim could be interested.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sun Jun 19, 2022 1:05 pmDOJ looks for strong interest in public service and DOJ itself. I actually don't think you're a particularly strong applicant for the honors program with zero DOJ experience. Maybe if you have a decent or great amount of other public service experience.
Again, this is where your essays can make a difference. Certainly it’s easier to show your interest in public sector work if you already have that on your resume, but I think if you have otherwise conventionally excellent qualifications, and can sell your interest and relevant experience in your essays, you have a shot. (I worked at a firm my 2L summer, so that doesn’t eliminate you at all, but I also did various public sector internships during the school years which may have made up for it.)
I guess I don’t think you have to have worked for DOJ specifically, since not everyone attends a school where that’s an option.
If you've worked for a firm after graduation you can't apply to DOJ honors. (Not sure exactly what you mean by "clerking" for a firm for two years, generally I've only heard of being a "clerk" at a firm for the period when you start but before you're admitted to the bar. You should make sure you're eligible to come in through honors, otherwise you have to apply for lateral positions.)Anonymous User wrote: ↑Mon Jul 25, 2022 4:13 pmDoes anyone know how competitive the Environmental and Natural Resources Division is? I want to do litigation in this division but have average grades and no environmental experience through my 2 clerkships that were litigation heavy firms. Does commitment to school organizations in the E&NR area show enough interest in the division? I started law school relatively young (21) and wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to do with my J.D. post graduation, but government work in this area is extremely interesting to me. Does anyone have any tips, advice or want to shoot me straight? Anything helps.
I'm assuming by clerkships with firms you mean summer positions? All honors positions are competitive just because there aren't very many of them. Not sure what good telling you it's competitive will do - you can either apply with the experience you do have, or not, and there's no point in ruling yourself out. Best thing you can do is use the essay components in the application to really sell your interest in environmental stuff and also sell how your litigation experience gave you transferable skills that work for any kind of litigation, including environmental. You don't get a writing sample or cover letter so those essay components are especially important.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Mon Jul 25, 2022 4:13 pmDoes anyone know how competitive the Environmental and Natural Resources Division is? I want to do litigation in this division but have average grades and no environmental experience through my 2 clerkships that were litigation heavy firms. Does commitment to school organizations in the E&NR area show enough interest in the division? I started law school relatively young (21) and wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to do with my J.D. post graduation, but government work in this area is extremely interesting to me. Does anyone have any tips, advice or want to shoot me straight? Anything helps.
Maybe too late for an answer but: yes, it’s criminal. If you’re in Tucson you will start out doing illegal reentry, alien smuggling (sorry for the term, it’s what’s in the statute), and reactive drug crimes (i.e. people bringing drugs over the border, either in the desert or through a port). You will have a chance to do other kinds of cases (complex drugs, fraud, violence in Indian Country) after you’ve been in the office a few years, depending on caseloads and needs and how quickly you catch on. Hours aren’t bad when the office isn’t swamped by zero tolerance immigration policies and can set some criteria for taking cases (so, very busy when you are prepping for/in trial, but probably 40-50 hrs a week otherwise, on average).Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sat Jul 30, 2022 6:34 pmAnyone know anything about the position at the USAO in the District of Arizona? My understanding is it’s a criminal position? But wondering what type of work the hiree would be doing? How are the hours? Etc.
Thanks!