Judicial Intern Opportunity Program: Overview

The American Bar Association Section of Litigation will begin accepting applications for its Summer 2009 Judicial Intern Opportunity Program October 1st for second-year law students. Applications for first-year law students will be accepted December 1st, in accordance with NALP guidelines. The program is a full-time, six-week minimum, summer internship program open to all first-or second-year minority and/or financially disadvantaged law students.

The program offers the following intern sites:

• Chicago and surrounding suburbs
• Central and Southern Illinois
• Houston, Dallas, Southern and Eastern Texas
• Miami, FL
• Phoenix, AZ
• Los Angeles, CA
• San Francisco, CA
• Washington, DC

Interns will receive an award of $1,500.

Internships for students with an Intellectual Property Law focus will be offered in Chicago, Los Angeles, Texas and Washington, DC. Students can indicate their interest on their application. These “specialized” spots are limited and any student applying to the program with a request for specialization will also be considered for general litigation internships.

Students applying to the program must submit a completed application, resume, legal writing sample and a statement of interest. Detailed program information, frequently asked questions and a copy of the application are available at our website: www.abanet.org/litigation/jiop. Students may rank location preferences on their application, however no location will be guaranteed. Students may not request particular judges or courts.

Applications should be postmarked by December 31, 2008. Screening interviews to better determine student qualifications will be done on a rolling basis. Screening interviews will begin in November and will continue through the application process. We will make every attempt to interview students where they attend school and in person.

Only qualified students will be sent on for judicial interviews. Students will be notified when they are sent on for a judicial interview. Judicial interviews will continue until all positions are filled. All applicants will be notified when the program or certain locations have closed for the year and all positions are filled.

The program is only open to students who have not previously participated as an intern in the program.

The goal of the program is to place students from traditionally underrepresented groups in the legal profession. Students should outline their qualifications for this program in their statement of interest.

Participating Judges

Participating judges will determine their process for interviews and selection. Students will be forwarded to judges based on qualifications and the result of their screening interviews. Not all students will be granted a judicial interview.

Judges selected for the program are selected for their mentoring skills. Students may not select particular judges or courts. Survey results from students in previous years indicate that it is the judge, not the type of court that provides quality experiences for students.

Participating judges are from:

• Illinois: United States District Court for the Northern and Central Districts of Illinois, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and all Illinois Circuit Courts.
• Texas: United States District Court for the Eastern, Western and Southern Districts of Texas, and Texas Civil District Courts.
• Florida: Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court for Miami-Dade County and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Miami.
• Arizona: Arizona Court of Appeals, Arizona Supreme Court, Maricopa Superior Court, and the United States District Court for the District of Arizona in Phoenix.
• California: Los Angeles Superior Court of California, San Francisco Superior Court of California, United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California, United States District Court for the Northern and Central Districts of California, California Court of Appeals for San Francisco and Los Angeles and Santa Ana, California Supreme Court, Sylmar Juvenile Court, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
• Washington, DC: Superior Court for the District of Columbia, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Award

Interns will receive an award of $1,500. Award checks are mailed by the end of June. Students may also elect to receive law school credit. The award is intended to be the reimbursement of reasonable out-of-pocket expenses associated with placement in the program. Students may elect to receive both the award and law school credit. The awarding of law school credit is determined by the student’s law school. Only students with a valid social security number (US residents) may apply to the program. The program does not provide housing.

Time Commitment

The time commitment will vary by judge, subject to a full-time, six-week minimum. Individual judges will determine a student’s expected schedule. Many judges require students to remain longer than six weeks. Students will be expected to coordinate their schedules with their individual judge and to work the hours required by each judge.

Application Requirements/Procedure

Students are strongly encouraged to apply early as the program has become more competitive and available positions fill quickly. Our goal is to place 200 students in positions this summer. Applications will continue to be accepted until the December 31, 2008 (postmark) deadline.

Electronic applications are preferred. To submit electronically, students should follow the instructions on the JIOP website at: www.abanet.org/litigation/jiop.

If a student is unable to apply electronically, we will accept hard copy applications. Hard copy applicants are required to submit four copies of each of the following:

• A completed application
• resume
• Grades (second-year law students)
• A statement of interest
• A legal writing sample (no more than 10 pages in length)
• IPL applicants only – a one page summary of qualifications

The statement of interest should be no more than two pages in length and should outline the student’s qualifications for the internship.  Students should use that statement as an opportunity to express why they believe they are qualified for this program and what sets them apart from the rest of the applicants.

For additional information, contact the program director, Gail Howard at 312-988-6348.

Application Process

First Round Interviews

• First round interviews will be conducted either in person where the student attends law school, or by telephone.
• The interviewer (or his or her assistant) will contact the student to set up an interview time and place.
• The interview will last no longer than 30 minutes and is intended to give the student the opportunity to discuss skills, experience and interest in being an intern.

Judges’ Interviews

• Candidates will be sent to judges based on qualifications for review. The most qualified applicants will be sent out for review first.
• Individual judges will determine which students they will interview and ultimately hire. If a student has been selected for a judicial interview they will be notified either by the chamber or the program staff.
• Most judicial interviews will be conducted in person in the judges’ chambers in the city selected for the internship. They usually last a minimum of 30 minutes. If personal interviews are not possible, they may be conducted by telephone. Please remember that there is no reimbursement for any travel expenses.
• Judicial interviews will continue until all judges have filled their positions.
• Some judges may offer positions during the interview. If a student is offered a position, they must either accept or decline within 24 hours.
• If a student declines a position, they will be removed from the program.

Final Selection of Interns

• Judges are expected to conclude their selection process by May.
• At that time all applicants will be notified as to whether or not they have been accepted into the program. If a student is accepted into the program, it is assumed that they are committed to participate and fulfill the requirements outlined by the program and hiring judge.

Program Orientations

Welcome receptions and program orientations will be held in Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Miami, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington, DC in June. Students are expected to attend the program orientation. In addition, supplemental programming will be made available to students. Students are strongly encouraged to attend these programs.

Follow Up Procedures

Upon completion of the internship, students will be asked to complete a program evaluation form. Interested students may join a JIOP alumni group to work on future program development.

Contact Information

Questions about the program can be directed to the Program Director, Gail Howard at 312-988-6348.