Upcoming Government Opportunities (as of 7/24/26)

These are upcoming deadlines from the Government Honors and Internship Handbook and from the Public Policy Handbook. For job descriptions and application details, go to https://arizonahandbooks.com/u/vanilla (request password from aoa28@cornell.edu). And don’t forget to set up an email alert on Symplicity.

Additional resources:

NOTE:   With the Jan. 20, 2025 Federal Hiring Freeze, federal legal hiring is in a state of flux. There are some exemptions to the freeze (https://www.chcoc.gov/content/federal-civilian-hiring-freeze-guidance-1) and Agencies are reviewing appointments on a case-by-case basis. We have heard reports that some offers to students and graduates have been revoked and have heard of others going forward.  Positions that are no longer recruiting are being removed from Agency websites and USAJobs.gov, so we advise checking Agency websites ands USAJobs to reconfirm availability and access the most up-to-date information before applying. Please contact us at cls-careers@cornell.edu for assistance if you are impacted.

1L

  • Washington, State Of – Seattle, Kent, Redmond – 1L Summer Externships & Rule 9 Legal Interns King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (Paid & Unpaid, Deadline July 27, 2026) Rule 9 Intern
  • Sacramento, CA – District Attorney’s Office – Law Student Internship Programs (Paid & Unpaid, Deadline Aug. 7, 2026)
2L
  • San Francisco, CA – District Attorney Office – Legal Internship Program; Certified Legal Internship Program; and Legal Fellowship Program and 2L Summer Law Clerk Program (Paid & Unpaid, Deadline July 31, 2026)
  • Washington, State Of – Seattle – Summer 2027 Internship Program King County Department of Public Defense (Paid, Deadline Aug. 3, 2026)
  • Sacramento, CA – District Attorney’s Office – Law Student Internship Programs (Paid & Unpaid, Deadline Aug. 7, 2026)

3L/ Honors Programs/Fellowships

  • National Nuclear Security Administration (Washington, DC & Nationwide) – NNSA Post Bachelors Fellowship Program (One-Year, Administered by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) Energy, Department Of (Paid, Aug. 1, 2026 Begin accepting applications)
  • Justice, Department Of – DC – General Attorney & Trial Attorney (Paid, Deadline July 24, 2026) Civil Frauds
  • Orange County, CA – Santa Ana – Deputy Public Defender Attorney I, II, III Orange County Public Defender (Paid, Deadline July 24, 2026) 1st round review
  • Agriculture, Department Of – Attorney Advisor, Various Locations (Paid, Deadline July 25, 2026) Kansas City monthly cutoff
  • Immigration and Customs Enforcement, DHS, U.S. – General Attorney Office of Principal Legal Advisor, Various Divisions (Paid, Deadline July 26, 2026) Executive Communications
  • Consumer Product Safety Commission – General Attorney Office of General Counsel (Paid, Deadline July 27, 2026) Enforcement and Litigation
  • Immigration and Customs Enforcement, DHS, U.S. – General Attorney Office of Principal Legal Advisor, Various Divisions (Paid, Deadline July 28, 2026) Commercial and Administrative Law
  • Justice, Department Of – DC-Area – Attorney Advisor (General) Drug Enforcement Administration – Office of Chief Counsel (Paid, Deadline July 28, 2026)
  • Labor, Department Of – Law Clerk Office of Administrative Law Judges (Regional Offices) (Paid, Deadline July 28, 2026)
  • Justice, Department Of – DC – General Attorney & Trial Attorney (Paid, Deadline July 29, 2026) Nat Resources (DC, Denver)
  • Immigration and Customs Enforcement, DHS, U.S. – General Attorney Office of Principal Legal Advisor, Various Divisions (Paid, Deadline July 30, 2026) District Ct Litigation
  • Riverside County, CA – District Attorney Post-Bar Law Clerk: July 2026 Bar Exam (Law Clerk II) Office of District Attorney (Paid, Deadline July 30, 2026)
  • Office of Personnel Management – Litigation Attorneys (DC) & General Attorneys (DC & Various Locations) Office of General Counsel (Paid, Deadline July 31, 2026) General Attorney
  • Homeland Security, Department Of – Secretary’s Honors Attorney Program Office of General Counsel (Paid, Aug. 1, 2026 Begin accepting applications 2027 program)
  • Securities and Exchange Commission – Junior Attorney & Law Clerk Program Division of Trading and Markets (Paid, Deadline Aug. 4, 2026) 5th cutoff
  • Justice, Department Of – DC – General Attorney & Trial Attorney (Paid, Deadline Aug. 5, 2026) Env Defense, DC/Denver
  • Justice, Department Of – Attorney Advisor Office of Legislative Affairs (Paid, Deadline Aug. 5, 2026)
  • Sacramento, CA – District Attorney’s Office – Post-Bar Law Clerk (Paid, Deadline Aug. 7, 2026) 2027 Program

Recent Grads

  • Executive Office of the President (Washington, DC) – Policy Analyst Office of Information & Regulatory Affairs Office of Management and Budget (Recent Law Grads & Recent Grads, Paid) Deadline July 31, 2026

Upcoming Public Policy Opportunities  

Federal/State

Non-Profits

  • Humane World for Animals (Remote) – Law Clerk Intern Animal Protection Law Department (2L & 3L Law Students, Paid) On a Rolling Basis Fall

Post-Graduate Fellowships