Student Intern

INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY
U.S. COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT AND U.S. DISTRICT & BANKRUPTCY COURTS OF THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA
ANNOUNCEMENT NO: 25-P002R       

 NO. OF VACANCIES: ONE (1)

 SALARY: $33,708- $42,130             
DUTY STATION: Richmond, VA POSITION 

TITLE: STUDENT INTERN      CLOSING DATE: Open until Filled

****************************NOTICE OF VACANCY****************************

 POSITION OVERVIEW:

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and United States District and Bankruptcy Courts for the Eastern District of Virginia are accepting applications for a one-year term student internship as part of the Model Intern Program (MIP) offered through the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. The MIP was established to expand applicant pools and increase access to opportunities within the Judiciary. The MIP fosters excellence and values the unique perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds present within the Judiciary and the communities it serves. The program is designed to address barriers to opportunities unrelated to merit, talent, or qualifications, ensuring that individuals have the chance to pursue opportunities based on their skills and abilities. By mitigating challenges created by income disparities, the program seeks to provide equitable access to opportunities. The MIP provides opportunities for talented college 
students to compete for paid internships with federal courts throughout the country, preparing them for future employment opportunities within the Judiciary.

This unique, year-long internship is being offered to junior and senior undergraduate students and will be headquartered at Richmond, Virginia. The MIP internship begins on June 30, 2025, and concludes by May 30, 2026. The intern will work full-time (no more than 40-hours per week) during the summer semester and part-time (no more than 20-hours per week) during the Fall and Spring semesters. The intern will report directly to Federal Courthouse in Richmond, Virginia and will rotate between U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, U.S. District & Bankruptcy Courts of The Eastern District of Virginia to maximize exposure to the diverse career opportunities within the Judiciary.

POSITION DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Intern will function as a student trainee and his/her duties will include:
•  Observing a wide variety of court proceedings in civil and criminal matters to develop a 
familiarity with the judicial process;
•  Working with judges, U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Officers, U.S. Probation Officers, Federal Public Defenders, Clerk’s Office personnel, U.S. Attorney’s Office and
U.S. Marshal’s Office personnel and other court-system professionals to develop an understanding of the federal judiciary;
•  Working cooperatively with members of judicial chambers to effectively support judges in fulfilling their judicial responsibilities;
•  Assisting judicial, legal, professional, and/or administrative staff with jury matters. Assisting judicial, legal, professional, and/or administrative staff as needed in handling special events, such as naturalization ceremonies, investitures, and community outreach events;
• Providing support and guidance to members of the public regarding court processes and procedures;
• Assisting judicial, legal, professional, and/or administrative staff in collecting, maintaining, and processing case information;
• Performing basic legal, social science, historical, statistical, and other research to support judicial, legal, professional, and/or administrative staff;
• Collecting, organizing, and summarizing statistical, accounting, or mathematical data on case processing, budgetary, workload, and other court-related issues for judicial, legal, professional, and/or administrative staff;
• Organizing legal pleadings, briefs, motions, and letters for judicial, legal, professional, and/or administrative staff;
• Sorting, classifying, copying, distributing, and filing court records to assist judicial, legal, professional, and/or administrative staff;
• Performing duties with Federal Probation and Pretrial Services Office to include: working with officers and other staff and direct/indirect client interaction, preparing documents for the Court, appearing at Court hearings, meeting with collateral resources;
• Exposure to the Office of United States Attorney and Federal Public Defender operations
• Special projects as identified by each court unit; and
• Performing other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
To be eligible for consideration, the applicant must:
1.) Be a rising junior or senior currently enrolled full-time.
2.) Be in good standing at an accredited college.
3.) Possess excellent communication and organizational skills.
 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
Degree or emphasis in one of the following disciplines: pre-law, criminal justice, political science, history, English, business administration, finance, or related discipline.
 

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
Must be a U.S. citizen or eligible to work in the United States. Judiciary employees serve under excepted appointments, are considered “at will” appointments, and can be terminated with or without cause by the Court. Employees are hired provisionally pending results of a criminal background check and fingerprinting and are subject to a probation period. This position is subject to mandatory electronic funds transfer (direct deposit) for payment of salary. The U.S. Courts require employees to adhere to the Code of Conduct for Judiciary Employees, which is available to applicants for review on the Court’s webpage here.
 

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
Qualified persons must submit the following:

1) A cover letter. In your cover letter please answer the following question: Why are you interested in this internship and what experience do you hope to gain?
2) A resume detailing experience, education, and skills.
3) At least one (1) character reference from a college professor.
4) A judiciary application (available here).
5) Unofficial school transcript (reflecting most recent academic semester and the cumulative GPA as of the application date).
Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Submissions must be made via email to: vaep_jobs@vaep.uscourts.gov. The subject line for your submission must read -- Job announcement 25-P002R, Student Intern.
Interviews are tentatively scheduled for the week of May 5, 2025
 

Preference given to applications received by April 22, 2025.
Due to the volume of applications received, the Court will only communicate with those applicants who will be interviewed. Applicants selected for interviews must travel at their expense and relocation expenses will not be reimbursed. Funding for housing will not be provided and will be the responsibility of the intern.