Summer Program and Careers with the Environmental Protection Agency
We would like to remind you of our upcoming deadline of August 31, 2020 to apply to the U.S. EPA, Office of General Counsel, 2021 Summer Honors Program.
We also want to invite you to a free August 6 webinar about legal careers at EPA. Five EPA attorneys, representing diverse backgrounds and work experiences, will share what it is like to work at the EPA as well as how to pursue a Federal attorney job. You can learn more about the event and register here. The event is free but you must register by August 4.
The announcement for the Summer Honors Program is below:
U.S. EPA Office of General Counsel
The Office of General Counsel (OGC) is the chief legal advisor to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the federal agency with primary responsibility for implementing the nation’s environmental laws. OGC attorneys provide counsel to EPA policy makers on legal issues associated with implementing these environmental laws, as well as the laws governing the day-to-day operations of a federal agency. Approximately 160 attorneys work in the OGC headquarters office in downtown Washington, DC.
OGC is organized by practice area into eight law offices: Air and Radiation; Pesticides and Toxic Substances; Solid Waste and Emergency Response; Water; Cross-Cutting Issues; General Law; and Civil Rights and Finance Law. In addition, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) National Program Office, the Ethics Office and the External Civil Rights and Compliance Office also reside within OGC, although this announcement does not relate to those offices.
2021 OGC Summer Honors Law Clerk Program
OGC operates a highly competitive, 12-week volunteer Summer Honors Program for law clerks who have completed their second year (or the equivalent for part-time students) at an American Bar Association accredited law school. The program will run from Monday, May 17, 2021 through Friday, August 6, 2021.
OGC seeks law clerks with strong academic credentials who have a demonstrated interest in public service and environmental, administrative, government operations, civil rights, or public interest law. The effectiveness of EPA’s legal responsibilities depends upon recruiting and hiring excellent and diverse legal talent. We recognize the need for attorneys and legal interns of varied backgrounds and skills, and we offer an inclusive environment that relies on those diverse perspectives to ensure that we effectively serve the American people. OGC attorneys tackle many issues of first impression and work on matters that are at the forefront of environmental, administrative, international, Indian, and public law. OGC works to defend the Agency’s positions that are often challenged by the top lawyers in their fields across the country. OGC also counsels on very complex matters relating to public policy issues of great importance to the nation. Therefore, we want to make sure we are recruiting the best and the brightest attorneys and ensure that OGC is a place for people who are talented, smart, and passionate about environmental or public law and public service.
EPA is an equal opportunity employer. Selection for this student volunteer appointment will be based solely on merit without regard to race, color, religion, age, gender including gender identity and expression, national origin, political affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, marital or family status or other differences. Law clerks must be U.S. citizens. Veterans are strongly encouraged to apply.
Although this is an unpaid internship, OGC is committed to providing law clerks with an excellent and wellrounded legal learning experience. Law clerks can expect to gain experience researching and writing about administrative, environmental, and general law issues, and they can expect to work on at least one project that will result in a product that can be used as a writing sample. OGC makes every effort to give our clerks broad opportunities to meet with senior leaders in OGC and clients throughout the Agency. Each clerk is assigned to a home law office and provided with individual mentors. Clerks are welcomed as full members of their home law offices, while also having the opportunity to work for attorneys in another law office. In addition, OGC provides the opportunity to attend field trips, moot courts, arguments in the D.C. federal courts, and training to develop professional skills.
For more information, please visit: www.epa.gov/ogc.
Memphis Law will grant pro bono credit. School credit may be available for eligible students, but must be pre-approved
Applicants must submit one pdf containing the following five documents in the following order: (1) a cover letter explaining why you are interested in the EPA OGC Summer Honors Program; (2) a resume; (3) a transcript (with an explanation of school grading policy); (4) a writing sample (10 pages or fewer); and (5) a list of three or more references. Again, applicants must submit one pdf file that contains all five (5) documents in the order indicated. Incomplete and improperly formatted applications will not be considered.
Please submit your single file pdf application by email to: Angela Johnson, OGC Attorney Recruitment Coordinator at OGC_Summer_Honors@epa.gov or mail to: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of General Counsel, Mail Code 2311A, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20460. All applications must be received no later than Saturday, August 31, 2020 11:59 pm Eastern time.
We also ask students to complete a Voluntary Demographic Information form (available from your Career Services Office). OGC will not be conducting any on-campus interviews. Therefore, to be considered for the 2021 OGC Summer Honors Law Clerk Program, all interested applicants must submit application materials as described above
