Come join a team of extraordinary lawyers bringing accountability to bear on the Trump administration. Through open records requests, backed by aggressive litigation, American Oversight attorneys shine a light on corruption, malfeasance, and other misconduct. The organization is uniquely positioned to drive accountability, working in parallel with congressional investigators to ensure that facts matter and bad actors are scrutinized.
Litigation and legal work are central to our efforts, and we are looking for an innovative and inquisitive law student to join our team for summer 2020. Our attorneys creatively use the law to promote governmental accountability and to uncover unethical and abusive government conduct. We use all available legal tools to identify, investigate, and reveal ethical problems and malfeasance in the federal government. This requires initiative, skill, and creativity in identifying and crafting legal strategies.
While working on a broad range of substantive issues — from EPA policy, to corruption concerns at DOJ, to interference with the 2020 Census — our lawyers are litigators first and foremost. Our legal intern will be exposed to a wide range of legal activity within this active startup, including drafting open records requests, drafting complaints, assisting in developing litigation strategy, attending court hearings, and participating in brown bag luncheons discussing current litigation and ethics topics. Our interns also benefit from active mentoring by our team of attorneys.
The ideal candidate will have an interest in legal investigations, government ethics, and/or government oversight; will be self-motivated and dependable; and will possess excellent research skills (of both the legal and investigations kind). Familiarity with the operation of the federal government would also be helpful but is not required.
We are a small team in a fast-paced environment. Collegiality and ability to work effectively on multiple projects, balance priorities, and excel in a team-based environment are essential.
ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
- Review and research current events to spot potential legal issues and to identify opportunities to uncover state and federal government malfeasance or unethical conduct.
- Draft Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and state open records act requests and administrative appeals.
- Draft court pleadings, including complaints, motions, and briefs.
- Conduct legal research to support our litigation strategy.
- Prepare reports and other editorial content for our website based on the findings of our investigations.
QUALIFICATIONS
This legal internship is open to law students who will have completed their first semester of law school before the internship commences. Legal interns should possess the following:
- Commitment to public-interest advocacy.
- Exceptional writing, research, and oral communications skills.
- An interest in government ethics and accountability.
- Sound judgment and ability to analyze situations and information.
- Ability to work collaboratively.
- High degree of professional ethics and integrity.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
American Oversight is proudly an equal opportunity employer and is committed to building a diverse team. People of color, women, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ+ individuals, and/or veterans are encouraged to apply.
- Legal interns who are not receiving course credit will be paid $15/hour for a 35-hour week.
- We are biased, but we think American Oversight is a great place to work! Take a look at the testimonials from members of our wonderful team.
- American Oversight is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.
- The position is located in downtown Washington, DC, and is easily accessible by multiple metro and bus lines.
HOW TO APPLY
Please send application materials, including a cover letter describing relevant experience and interest, resume, and writing sample to jobs@americanoversight.org with the subject "Legal Internship – Summer 2020."
Interested applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. We will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis and will complete our first round of review by January 2, 2020.
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