Law Clerk Internship/Externship for… at Washington… · Multiple…

All employees and volunteers of the Washington State Attorney General's Office serve a crucial role in the protection of the state, its people and resources, thereby providing an incomparable degree of job satisfaction. The AGO is composed of diverse, collegial and supremely talented legal professionals who are resolute in their commitment to public service and share the common goal of advancing the public interest. For more information about the AGO, we encourage you to review the Office's Annual Report which can be found HERE.

Law students interested in externing at the AGO, whether receiving academic credit or serving as a law clerk (not receiving credit), during the academic year can submit their application for consideration. Please know that submission of an application expresses interest in serving as a law clerk extern and does not guarantee placement in the AGO.

Serving as a law clerk or extern for the AGO not only can provide you the opportunity to earn valuable academic credit, but it can also offer the following, equally important benefits:

• Exceptional legal experience working in a professional law office
• Demonstration of one’s interest in and commitment to public service
• Engagement with experienced, professional colleagues and legal mentors
• Expansive breadth and diversity of work
• Opportunity to attend a wide array of effective, interesting legal trainings (e.g., CLEs) and events
• Work that makes a tangible and positive difference to the people of Washington

Details about working for the Attorney General’s Office

The Office is committed to the benefits of a healthy life-work balance with a respectful, inclusive and diverse workplace where you will experience belonging and be part of a supportive and collegial team. Successful candidates will join an Office in which every person is committed to providing exceptional legal services and where individual professional development is encouraged and supported. The exceptional benefits of joining the AGO as a law clerk include:

• Competitive salary – If your law school allows being paid while receiving academic credit - Law clerks who have completed their first year of law school will receive $23/hour. Law clerks who have completed their second year of law school will receive $24/hour
• Law clerk positions assigned to our Seattle office location receive an additional 5% King County Location Pay
• Vacation Leave, Sick Leave, Military and Civil Leave and Paid Holidays
• Health and wellness program
• Access to attend training and career development program that is recognized for its excellence and efficacy by AGOs nationwide
• Enrollment in the Public Employees’ Retirement System, receiving one service credit per each month worked of 90 hours or more.
• Due to the limited duration of these positions (if less than six months), they are not eligible for medical and dental benefits.

Although each law clerk's experience is unique, the following duties are typical of an AGO law clerk:

• Researching and writing memoranda, pleadings, and correspondence;
• Assistant in preparation for litigation, i.e., depositions, witness interviews, and discovery;
• Drafting client advice memos and attending meetings where that advice is then presented to the client; and
• Opportunity to observe attorneys in court, particularly for those cases for which the law clerk provided assistance. Rule 9 law clerks may be allowed to present in court.

To be considered for a law clerk internship or externship opportunity, you must have completed at least one year of law school at an ABA accredited law school and must be enrolled in said law school during the duration of your service. In addition, the AGO seeks applicants who are committed to public service as demonstrated by an applicant's background, talents, attitude, and enthusiasm for public law practice. We also seek applicants with a diverse background in education, previous work experience, law school activities, extracurricular activities, community service and areas of interest that enhance our respectful, diverse and professional office. Applicants must also be able to work in WA State for the duration of the clerkship.

Note that this program is not for summer clerkships. Those seeking a summer externship must apply via the formal fall/spring recruitment program. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Talent Acquisition Team at HREmployment@atg.wa.gov.

Law students interested in externing at the AGO, whether receiving academic credit or serving as a law clerk (not receiving credit), during the academic year may submit their application by clicking the “apply” button above. If you're looking to serve as a law clerk extern during the academic year, you must time your application to coincide with the needs of their school's externship program. In addition to completing the application, all applicants must upload all required documents:

• Letter of Interest
• Resume
• Law School Transcript (Official/Unofficial)
• *Letter of Recommendation if a 2L, 3L or LL.M.

*Note about the letter of recommendation: If your recommender would prefer to send the letter directly to the AGO, they can send it to the Talent Acquisition Team at HREmployment@atg.wa.gov. If you already have your current letter of recommendation, feel free to upload it with your application. If you receive the letter of recommendation after you’ve submitted your application, you can send it to the Talent Acquisition Team via the email address above and we will upload it to your application.

Upon receipt, the application material will be reviewed and approved applications will be disseminated to the divisions of interest for consideration. Divisions should be afforded generous time to review your application; thus, you should submit your material well in advance when planning your academic schedule. We are very confident that the experience gleaned from serving as an extern for the AGO will meet or exceed the substantive experience requirement of any law school externship program. For our part, division supervisors are committed to ensuring that as sponsors, all supervisory duties and requirements specified by the law school are met. However, it is ultimately the responsibility of the law student to ensure mastery of and compliance with his or her law school's specific program requirements.

NOTE! Some positions require that employees and volunteers submit to and pass a fingerprint-based criminal background check conducted by the Washington State Patrol, Criminal Records Division.

In accordance with WAC 162-12-140, the AGO will conduct permissible pre-employment inquiries of preferred candidates, to include the completion of a criminal conviction screening questionnaire.

The Washington State Office of the Attorney General does not use the E-Verify system; therefore, we are not eligible to extend STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT). For more information, please visit www.uscis.gov.

Honoring diversity, equity and inclusion means that as an agency, and as individuals, we are committed to ensuring that all employees and volunteers enjoy a respectful, safe and supportive working environment. Only by fostering the inclusion of people from all backgrounds, cultures and attributes, can AGO employees and volunteers achieve their fullest potential and best advance the goals and mission of the AGO.

The AGO is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, race, creed, color, national origin, honorably discharged veteran or military status, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability. Persons requiring reasonable accommodation in the application process or requiring information in an alternative format may contact the recruitment team at HREmployment@atg.wa.gov. Those with a hearing impairment in need of accommodation are encouraged to contact the Washington Relay Service at 1-800-676-3777 or www.washingtonrelay.com.