Summary
For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit www.justice.gov/usao/.
Responsibilities
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 2027, there will be 3 intern positions in the Lexington office and 1 each in Ft. Mitchell and London branch offices. 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
To be eligible for this internship ALL of the following requirements must be met: Rising second- and third-year law school students may apply. First-year law students: Applications accepted starting December 1, 2026. 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). Student Status: 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. Required: Your responses to the Online Occupational Questionnaire (This is completed automatically during the apply online process). Required: Cover letter (please note preferred location - Lexington, Ft. Mitchell, or London office), and the preferred practice area (Criminal or Civil), in bold in the upper left corner of the cover letter; Required: Resume - two page limit; Required: Current Unofficial law school transcript with GPA listed (if additional grades are released after the initial application, please supplement as the grades become available); Required: One legal writing sample (20 pages or less); Required: The best phone number and e-mail address for the applicant.
Education
All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre- accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see www.ed.gov. OR Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to timely provide such evidence by submitting proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency with your application materials. More information may be found at: www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.