Governmental Placements
The Office of Executive Counsel for the Georgia Governor advises the Governor on legal matters, including pending legislation, inter-governmental relations, and a wide range of public initiatives. Students work directly with the Executive Counsel and have regular contact with senior administrators in the Governor's office.
Full-time or part-time
The Georgia Attorney General's office handles a wide range of legal work on behalf of the government of the State of Georgia. Students will work in one of six divisions: Regulated Industries and Professions; Commercial Transactions and Litigation; Criminal Justice; General Litigation; Government Services and Employment; and Special Prosecutions. Practice areas include litigation in both judicial and administrative forums, and transactional work. Student work includes research, writing, investigation, negotiation and, as appropriate, practice under the relevant student practice rules. Students may express a preference for their area of interest. For further information, see: https://law.georgia.gov/internship-program
After screening, students must also apply at law.ga.gov.
Full-time or part-time
The Administrative Office of the Courts of Georgia (AOC) accepts applications from students interested in administrative and public interest law. Externs help to prepare contracts, engage in legal research and writing on issues affecting Georgia courts and the departments of the AOC, and assist in the investigation of disciplinary complaints against licensed court professionals including court reporters, neutrals, and court interpreters. Opportunities for other types of work experience may also be possible during the externship period. Experience with contracts is helpful but not required.
Criteria: Site supervisor selects.
Part-time only
The County Attorney's office engages in a diverse and interesting range of practice in advising the City and County. The Office advises the mayor and county commissioners and a range of different county-wide commissions. In addition, the Office works on personnel complaints, defends county government in lawsuits, drafts ordinances, prepares legal and policy recommendations and engages in an active litigation practice on county based issues. This placement represents an ideal forum in which students can gain exposure to the practical realities of municipal law and local government.
Criteria: Clinic Director and site supervisor select.
Part-time only
Athens-Clarke County Housing and Community Development Department Athens
Part-time only
Centers for Disease Control (Public Law Program) Atlanta
CDC has been dedicated to protecting health and promoting quality of life through the prevention and control of disease, injury, and disability. They are committed to programs that reduce the health and economic consequences of the leading causes of death and disability, thereby ensuring a long, productive, healthy life for all people.
In the Public Health Law Program (PHLP), students work to advance the use of law as a public health tool. PHLP provides services and resources such as technical assistance, publications, and workforce development to CDC programs and state, tribal, local, and territorial health departments. The program features: work experience on one or more core projects with mentorship from a CDC PHLP staff attorney; exposure to a complex, government work environment and a team of public health lawyers with diverse expertise; involvement in work projects that impact the mission of PHLP and CDC; opportunities to co-author published articles and other materials; communication and mentorship with a dedicated preceptor throughout the externship experience; active participation in weekly PHLP staff meetings; and opportunities to showcase experiences in an end of externship presentation.
Full-time students can combine this placement with a placement in the CDC's Office of General Counsel if the student receives an offer from both offices.
Criteria: Preference for 3Ls; demonstrated interest in public health law and healthcare law, as well as governmental and municipal law.
Part-time or Full-time
Centers for Disease Control (Office of General Counsel) Atlanta
CDC has been dedicated to protecting health and promoting quality of life through the prevention and control of disease, injury, and disability. They are committed to programs that reduce the health and economic consequences of the leading causes of death and disability, thereby ensuring a long, productive, healthy life for all people. The Office of General Counsel provides externs with the opportunity to work on a wide variety of critical and cutting-edge legal issues. OGC provides representation and legal advice to CDC and supports the development and implementation of CDC's programs by providing legal services and litigation support to all Centers, Institutes, and Offices within the agency. OGC furthers the CDC mission by working on legal issues related to the following areas: disease outbreak, food safety, global health programs, chronic diseases, environmental health, and other essential public health issues. Externs will conduct essential legal research and writing, participate in client meetings, work on litigation matters, attend CDC wide lectures and specific OGC trainings, and work closely with OGC attorneys on other public health law-related matters.
Full-time students can combine this placement with a placement in the CDC's Public Health Law Program if the student receives an offer from both offices.
Criteria: Site supervisor interviews and selects; Writing sample required;
Part-time or Full-Time
The Office of Resilience offers an excellent opportunity for a student interested in environmental work, specifically solar energy. Among the initiatives on which a student might are: deploying the City's first-ever solar program; urban agriculture; zoning for micro-housing units; hazardous and brownfields sites, including site remediation issues; and electric vehicle programs. Students would gain experience in research relating to urban planning and in drafting amendments to the city code, procurement contracts, and related documents.
Part-time only
DeKalb County Law Department Decatur
The Office of the DeKalb County Attorney serves the citizens of DeKalb County by providing high quality legal advice to the county and its officials, including the CEO, the Board of Commissioners, department directors and other county officers, boards, authorities and employees. The county attorney assists in the preparation of legislation and resolutions, provides legal opinions, negotiates and reviews contracts, and represents the county and its officials in civil litigation matters ranging from civil rights and constitutional cases to land use and zoning disputes.
Criteria: Interest in local government law.
Part-time only
DeKalb County Public Defender's Office Decatur
The 6th Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees that the accused has the right to an attorney in all criminal cases. The Law Office of the DeKalb County Public Defender provides legal representation to those unable to afford an attorney in all criminal cases in DeKalb County. The office promotes equal justice, fairness and respect for all people in the judicial system through effective and excellent legal advocacy. Students will assist public defenders in representing clients and some students may be able to appear in court under Georgia's Student Practice Act.
Criteria: Site supervisor selects.
Full-time only
EEOC Administrative Judges hear and decide cases involving a variety of claims, with specific stress on employee claims against governmental agencies. Students work directly with Administrative Judges in preparing cases for hearing and decision, including file review, fact organization and development and legal research.
Criteria: Writing sample; Transcript may be requested if selected to interview.
Full-time or part-time
EEOC - Legal Atlanta
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information. It is also illegal to discriminate against a person because the person complained about discrimination, filed a charge of discrimination, or participated in an employment discrimination investigation or lawsuit. Law students generally work closely with EEOC attorneys conducting substantive legal assignments. Typical assignments for legal interns include legal research and writing, assistance with hearing or trial preparation, and investigatory follow-up on cases.
Criteria: Transcript required.
Full-Time Only
Students work in an organized externship program within the primary federal regulatory and enforcement agency on environmental issues. The placement offers an excellent opportunity to learn about environmental issues from the governmental standpoint, and to understand the full mechanics of environmental regulation, from drafting to enforcement.
Criteria: writing sample of 10 pages or less. Transcript may be requested if selected to interview.
Full-time or part-time
Fulton County Public Defender's Office Atlanta
The mission of the Office of the Fulton County Public Defender is to ensure that all accused indigent defendants are provided with their guaranteed fundamental constitutional rights by providing effective and zealous legal representation. Students will assist public defenders in representing clients and some students may be able to appear in court under Georgia's Student Practice Act.
Criteria: Site supervisor selects.
Full-time only
Students work in a federal agency charged with enforcing a range of federal statutes regarding trade and consumer protection. Students engage in legal research and writing, case development, investigation and case assessment.
Criteria: writing sample; 3.0 minimum GPA preferred (stated on resume).
Full-time or part-time
The Legal Services Division of the Georgia Department of Administrative Services (DOAS) supports five primary business services that the agency provides to State of Georgia entities: State Purchasing, including statewide contracting and bidding processes; Risk Management, including workers compensation, liability, property, and unemployment compensation; Human Resources Administration, including advice on personnel policies and practices; Fleet Management, including guidance on all aspects of state vehicles; and Surplus Property, including the disposition of surplus state assets. This extraordinarily diverse practice covers both transactional and dispute resolution work in the governmental context.
Law students at DOAS will gain experience in a number of practice areas including contract law (negotiation and drafting), litigation/insurance defense, administrative law and employment law. In addition, students who are placed during the spring semester may assist with legislative analysis.
Criteria: Students who apply should be in the top 1/3 of their class and will be asked to submit a transcript and a writing sample.
Full-time or part-time
The office regulates securities, manages corporate filings, oversees 450,000 professional licensees including healthcare professionals, and operates the state elections division. The externship experience is flexible and can be tailored to fit a student's interest in any of these fields which include healthcare regulation, business/corporate law, securities enforcement, government practice, and election law. The extern will work daily with the Assistant Deputy Secretary of State, General Counsel, and Deputy General Counsel. Third year applicants are preferred. Preferred coursework also includes at least one course in corporations, constitutional law, secured transactions, health law, state and local government, election law, immigration law, or nonprofits, although these are not required.
Criteria: Site supervisor selects.
Full-Time or Part-time
The County Attorney's office engages in a diverse and interesting range of practice in advising the County. The Office advises the county commissioners and a range of different county-wide commissions. In addition, the Office works on personnel complaints, defends county government in lawsuits, drafts ordinances, prepares legal and policy recommendations and engages in an active litigation practice on county based issues. This placement represents an ideal forum in which students can gain exposure to the practical realities of municipal law and local government.
Criteria: Site supervisor selects.
Part-time only
Students work the Office of General Counsel for the IRS, on litigation relating to personal, small business, and self-employed taxpayers. This office litigates in the U.S. Tax Court in Atlanta, a court which hears cases from a large portion of the Southeast and which hears cases primarily during the academic year. Opportunities exist for student practice under federal and tax court student practice rules.
Criteria: prefer top 1/3 of class and basic income tax course.
Full-time or part-time
National Labor Relations Board Region 10 Atlanta
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is comprised of a team of professionals who work to assure fair labor practices and workplace democracy nationwide. Since its creation by Congress in 1935, this independent Federal agency has had daily impact on the way America's companies, industries and unions conduct business. Agency staff members investigate and remedy unfair labor practices by unions and employers. They also conduct elections to determine whether employees wish to be represented by a union, and if so, which union. In the Agency's field offices, attorneys act on behalf of the General Counsel, investigating charges of unfair labor practices, resolving or litigating cases, conducting elections, and acting as hearing officers in contested representation matters.
Region 10 interns work in the Atlanta field office and assist in conducting investigations, arranging and conducting elections, and performing legal research and drafting. Interns may be briefed by senior officials from throughout the Region and Agency about the NLRB on both procedural and substantive labor law issues. Interns will be asked to produce written work products summarizing the results of investigations along with recommendations. The Agency will provide on-the-job training as well as training on the NLRB through live and video presentations.
Criteria: Writing sample; transcript; Students should possess strong writing and research skills, have strong academic credentials, and have an interest in litigation. A labor law course is preferred, but it is not required.
Full-time or Part-time
The Atlanta Office of the S.E.C. offers students the opportunity to work in monitoring and enforcing compliance with the federal securities laws. Students will engage in a wide range of different activities, from research and writing, to preparation of case plans and files, to observation of negotiation, litigation and other work.
Criteria: Students must also apply for the Honors Program for the semester they want to extern prior to being interviewed. The Honors Program application can be located by searching for the Securities and Exchange Commission at this site: https://www.usajobs.gov/
Full-time only
The United States Department of Labor handles labor relations issues for the United States government. Students gain exposure to the full range of federal regulatory activities, and participate actively in researching and developing cases for merit evaluation and further action.
Criteria: Writing sample required.
Full-time or part-time
Students work in the United States Department of Veteran's Affairs in Atlanta. Work includes research on a wide range of issues relating to the operations of the Veteran's Administration, as well as on legal issues of relevance to veterans nationwide.
Full-time or part-time
The Criminal and Civil Divisions of the United States Attorney's office allow third-year students to work as interns for one full-time semester or two part-time semesters in an organized program of litigation support under Georgia's Student Practice Act. Students are assigned to a particular component of the office, and practice under the supervision of an Assistant U.S. Attorney. A federal security check is required.
Criteria: Part-time students must make a two semester commitment.
Full-time or part-time
Students work in the office of the United States Bankruptcy Trustee, on legal and policy work related to the Trustee's office. Part of the Department of Justice, the Trustee seeks to promote the efficiency and protect the integrity of the Federal bankruptcy system. To further the public interest in the just, speedy and economical resolution of cases filed under the Bankruptcy Code, the Trustee monitors the conduct of bankruptcy parties and private estate trustees, acts to ensure compliance with applicable laws and procedures, and identifies and helps investigate bankruptcy fraud and abuse
Criteria: Site supervisor selects. Writing sample required.
Full-time or part-time
Students in this placement have assisted HUD in developing and closing community based housing and construction projects. Students research and prepare transactional documents, and participate in organizing materials towards closings on major developments.
Criteria: Site supervisor interviews and selects.
Part-time only
The Community Relations Service conciliates between participants in real or potential community disputes involving racial or ethnic tension. Students help to identify potential disputes, to investigate the dimensions of the conflict, and to prepare for interventions in conflicts.
Criteria: Site supervisor interviews and selects.
Part-time only
Students work in the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights, focusing primarily on education and discrimination issues. Practical experience includes research and writing, observation of trials, depositions, and negotiations, and exposure to federal governmental practice in civil rights and civil enforcement issues.
Criteria: Site supervisor interviews and selects; prefer students with interest in education law or civil rights law.
Full-time or part-time
Legislative Placements
Students work in the office of the Lieutenant Governor in support of the legislative agenda of that office. Students work to collect and report on the legal dimensions of pending legislation, and to provide practical support to legislators during the legislative session. Intensive work during the legislative session. Spring only.
Part-time only
Students work for legislators in the Georgia Senate, in support of a legislative caucus. Students work to collect and report on the legal dimensions of pending legislation, and to provide practical support to legislators during the legislative session. Intensive work during the legislative session. Spring only.
Full-time or part-time
Spring only
The House Democratic Caucus accepts part-time students for the Fall semester and full-time and part-time students in Spring semester. Spring semester students will work during the legislative session, which runs from January through the end of March. Interns help Democratic House members by summarizing bills and statutes, drafting talking points, follow committees and performing public policy research. Law students will gain insight into constitutional law, legislative intent and the rules of statutory construction by actually reading and applying constitutional and statutory law. Students should have excellent writing skills and be very detail oriented. A high degree of maturity, discretion and an interest in government are necessary.
Criteria: Writing sample; References may be requested if selected to interview.
Part-time only