INTERNSHIP & clerkship OPPORTUNITIES

United States Patent and Trademark Office - Trademark Law Student Intern Program

(Fall and Spring Semesters) 

The United States Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO") Trademark Law Student Intern Program is tailored for law students with an interest in trademark law and the U.S. trademark registration process, although some research may touch upon international trademark law issues and related intellectual property issues.  The intern program primarily supports the trademark examining operation, which consists of approximately 425 trademark attorneys who are responsible for determining the registrability of trademark applications.

Law School Credit May be Available:

Although the intern positions are unpaid, the USPTO will provide whatever assistance is necessary for students to obtain school credit for their work experience in accordance with their educational institution's rules and policies.  If course credit is desired, students should consult with their law school career counseling office to determine the specific requirements, which may include a minimum number of hours per semester, and may also include a writing requirement. 

Minimum Weekly Hours and Other Restrictions: 

During the Fall and Spring terms, USPTO has up to ten (10) unpaid positions available for law student interns each semester.  Interns must work a minimum of 10-20 hours per week.  Interns will be provided with the necessary computer equipment, Lexis/Nexis(R) training, and other legal training as needed.  Business casual attire is required. 

General Duties: 

Essentially, interns will serve as assistants to trademark attorneys in the trademark examining operation, the Office of the Assistant Commissioner for Trademarks, and elsewhere as needed.  Duties of interns shall include the following: 

• gathering evidence for use in trademark application cases; 
• legal research in trademark law and general legal principles related to trademark law; 
• utilizing the automated trademark search system; and 
• other duties as assigned.

USPTO Location: 

Requirements for Intern Positions:

Applicants must have completed at least one year of law school and be currently enrolled not less than half-time in an accredited law school.  United States citizenship is also required.

Preference will be given to candidates with a demonstrated background in intellectual property law.

Please mail (or fax to the USPTO at the fax numbers listed below) a resume and cover letter to the following address:

Law Student Intern Program

Attention: Mitch Front, Law Office 113

Office of the Commissioner for Trademarks

600 Dulany Street

Alexandria, VA 22314

For further information about the intern program, please contact: 

Mitch Front

(571) 272-9382    

fax no. (571) 273-9382

USPTO will notify successful candidates as soon as possible.

For questions about USPTO employment and other intern possibilities, please contact the USPTO Office of Human Resources at (571) 272-6000.

International Internship Program (1L, 2L, 3L, LL.M.)

INTERNATIONAL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

Offered by

SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL and THE CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL LEGAL STUDIES

Suffolk University Law School ("SULS"), Boston, MA and The Center for International Legal Studies, Salzburg, Austria offer a unique opportunity to acquire practical legal experience abroad in law firms and international organizations in Europe, the Americas and Asia. Interns engage in real-life practice, learn new tools and skills and are able to develop an invaluable network of professional contacts. The experience of an international internship is a stepping stone to an international legal career.

An international internship may be taken for credit or not for credit. For SULS students, a prerequisite for receiving Internship credit at Suffolk Law School is passing the 2-credit course in International Legal Practice. Non-SULS students taking an internship for credit must ensure that their home institute offers an equivalent classroom course to satisfy the ABA rule regulating internship credit. J.D. students earn 3 credits and LL.M. students can earn between 2 and 5 credits. Students are required to work 45 hours per credit and academic credit for a Suffolk/CILS internship may be transferred to another law school. Additionally, all students engaged in the internship for credit must complete a work journal throughout their placement stay.

~ Application Requirements and Deadlines ~  

1. Complete a pre-application at http://cils.net/reg/regsimple.php so that the school can provide feedback on your placement viability.  

2. Once you receive feedback on placement options, you need to complete the application at https://www.law.suffolk.edu/academic/llm/apps/internship/application/index.cfm  before February 1, 2008 at which time a US $250 non-refundable Application Fee is required.  

3. Other items necessary to complete your application are:  

a. Completed and Signed Application for Admission

b. Curriculum Vitae to be emailed to adeluca@suffolk.edu

c. Personal Statement (as part of application)

d. List of up to three Preferences of Locations

e. Official Law School Transcript

f. Letter of Academic Good Standing

g. Statement or Proof of Foreign Language Skills (as part of application)

h. One Letter of Recommendation from either a law professor or law-related employer  

4. Upon acceptance of the Offer of an Internship from CILS, whether the Internship is for credit or not, a US $350 Placement Fee is required. You will have ten days following placement confirmation in which to make payment and the Placement Fee is non-refundable after May 1st of the summer of the internship should you withdraw from the internship.

5. If you are planning to earn academic credit for this experience, then you will be charged the Suffolk per credit tuition rate for Summer 2008, which will be due by May 1, 2008.  

6. To view a listing of past and possible placements, please visit http://cils.net/reg/recentplacements.html  and http://www.cils.net/reg/ngos/ngosGrid.php .  

Further specifics of the program can be found at http://www.law.suffolk.edu/academic/clinical/internship/intl/.

Charlotte Legal Diversity Clerkship Program (1L)

A Unique Program Allowing First-Year Law Students to Experience Law Practice within a Law Firm and a Corporate Legal Department 

The Mecklenburg County Bar is pleased to offer the 2008 Charlotte Legal Diversity Clerkship Program.  This internship program places first-year law students who advance the value of diversity within corporate law departments and law firms in Charlotte, NC.  The twelve-week summer clerkship will allow selected students to spend the first six weeks working as a summer associate in the Charlotte office of one participating law firm, and the second six weeks working in the Charlotte law department of one of the corporate partners.  Selected students will be compensated by those entities at the same level as other first-year summer associates.  The law students will participate in professional, civic and social activities that highlight the benefits of practicing law & living in the progressive and dynamic city of Charlotte, NC.  More information is available at www.charlottelegaldiversity.org. 

Participating law departments for 2008 are Bank of America, Compass Group, Duke Energy, Goodrich, Lowe's Home Improvement, TIAA-CREF, and Wachovia.  The participating law firms are Alston & Bird LLP; Helms Mulliss & Wicker, PLLC; Hunton & Williams, LLP; Kennedy Covington Lobdell & Hickman LLP; Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw, LLP; Moore & Van Allen, PLLC; Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP; Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson, P.A.; and Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC.   

All applications should include a resume, copies of college & first-semester law school transcripts, and a writing sample.  Additionally, applicants must submit a brief statement explaining how he/she would contribute to the goal of creating a more diverse legal community in Charlotte.  These application materials must be received no later than February 8, 2008, by: 

Charlotte Legal Diversity Clerkship Program

C/o Caroline Hemingway, Recruiting Manager

Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein, LLP

401 South Tryon Street, Ste. 3000

Charlotte, NC 28202

carolinehemingway@parkerpoe.com

Any applications submitted by electronic mail should be received in one file; however, first-semester grades may be submitted in a separate file in the event grades are not available when the rest of the application is submitted.  Please see the website for additional information about the application and application process. 

Interviews will be conducted in Charlotte on the afternoon of February 27, 2008 and the morning of February 28, 2008.  The participating law departments and law firms will cover reasonable travel costs for persons who are selected for in-person interviews.  

Pfizer Inc/AALDEF Corporate Legal Internship Program (1L, 2L)

American Health Lawyers Association-Diversity Summer Internship

The American Health Lawyers Association  ("AHLA") in Washington, DC announce their Diversity Summer Internship.

Duration of Internship:

Mid-June through Mid-August, 2008.

Preferred start date of June 16, 2008.

Stipend:

A stipend for the eight week period (paid bi-monthly) will be provided. This payment is based on an approximate 30 hour work week. While no benefits will be offered, the internship will include travel, lodging and meal expenses for the AHLA Annual Meeting that will be held in San Francisco, CA.

Qualifications:

• 1L or 2L at an ABA-accredited law school
• U.S. citizen

• Law student is of racially or ethnically diverse background

          (e.g. Hispanic/Latino/Latina, African-American, Native-American, Asian or Pacific

          Islander, etc.)

• Favorable recommendation from law professor, preferably a legal research and

    writing professor. 

Duties:

• Assist (80%) the Vice President and Managing Editor of Professional Resources by:
  • Editing the Journal of Health and Life Sciences Law, including cite-checking
  • Editing the Health Lawyers Weekly
  • Editing Practice Group newsletters and member briefings
  • Writing case summaries for the Health Law Digest
  • Interviewing leaders and writing special profiles for the Health Lawyers Weekly
  • Monitoring and identifying legal developments in health law
  • Attending Professional Resources staff meetings
• Assist (20%) the Manager of Public Interest by:
  • Editing documents in the Public Information Series
  • Researching topics and speakers for the Conversations with Policymakers series
  • Assist in the marketing of Public Interest resources and activities
  • Research various fundraising initiatives
  • Attending Public Interest staff meetings
  • Assist with efforts and initiatives of the Advisory Council on Racial & Ethnic Diversity.

Benefits:

Aside from writing, researching and editing, the law student intern will also: 

• Attend networking lunches on a weekly basis with local health attorneys from small and large firms, solo practitioners, government attorneys, in-house counsel, etc.
• Attend the AHLA Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA, June 30 - July 2, 2008, a major networking opportunity with health lawyers from around the country while attending select CLE programs and other programs related to the conference.

To apply: Send a cover letter, resume, and writing sample to Cynthia Conner, cconner@healthlawyers.org or fax to her attention at 202-833-1105. 

Deadline for submission: January 15, 2008

Only candidates chosen for an interview will be notified. No phone calls, please.

Public Interest Law Initiative ("PILI") Announces Paid 2008 Summer Internships in Chicago (1L, 2L)

Each year, The Public Interest Law Initiative ("PILI") offers over 40 public interest law internships that provide excellent legal training and experience for first or second-year law students.  Interns work at one of PILI's affiliated public interest law agencies in Chicago.  PILI raises the money to fund the internships, and then issues grants to its eligible host agencies.  The agencies, in turn, pay their Interns directly.   PILI ensures quality supervision by experienced lawyers at its agencies, and provides a lunch-time educational seminar program.  The Internship program encourages law students to work at --and learn about-- legal institutions that serve the public interest, and engenders a life-long commitment to public interest law and pro bono work.

PILI sponsors a Summer Internship Program for first and second-year law students.  The Summer Internship program is open to law students from across the country. Each summer, PILI funds dozens of internships at public interest law agencies in the Chicago metropolitan area. Agencies hosting Summer Interns receive $5,000 to pay an Intern for 10 full-time weeks of work. 

The following are some of the areas of law which will be covered in these internships:

• Family Law

• Civil Rights

• Children's Rights

• Environmental Law

• Social Justice Issues

• Immigration Law

• Disability Rights

• Fair Housing Law

• LGBT Rights

To apply for a Summer Internship, you must be a first or second-year law student with an accredited law school, and must first register online at www.illinoisprobono.org.  Registration is free and you may register at any time, supplying some brief demographic information. Even if you attend a law school located in a state other than Illinois, you must still register.  Simply choose "Law Student" as your "Job Title.  Registrations will be approved in 24 hours. 

To get started with your online application, go to www.illinoisprobono.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=students.dspHome.   If you have already registered, or after your registration is approved, you may log in and apply to up to ten summer internship host agencies. 

THE COVER LETTER:

Please individualize your cover letters.  Since PILI and the agencies seek a diverse group of interns, you may include information about minority status and foreign language fluency.

DEADLINES: 

The application period for the 2008 Summer Internship program will be open to second-year students beginning on October 15, 2007.  Due to NALP restrictions, first-year students will not be eligible to apply until December 1st, 2007.  Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis through March of 2008. 

Please note: Each agency supervisor handles hiring differently; some make hiring decisions in fall or winter, while others wait until later in the school-year.  The earlier you apply, the better your chances of obtaining an Internship.

UPLOADING YOUR APPLICATION MATERIALS : 

Once you have uploaded your resume and your cover letter(s), your application is complete. (You will not receive any e-mail or other notification from PILI that they have received your application materials).  From October through March, agency supervisors receive weekly automated e-mails with links to their applicants.  When an agency supervisor logs in, he/she will see your resume and cover letter, along with those of others who have applied to the agency.

GETTING HIRED AS A PILI INTERN:

PILI does not hire Interns; the agencies do. PILI recruits applicants and hosts, funds stipends and acts as a clearinghouse.  However, here are some tips.  Public interest agencies want students who are dedicated to public interest issues.  Therefore, mention experiences that demonstrate your commitment, including volunteer or community work, and note any special skills, e.g., language proficiency, computer experience, etc.   

AGENCY RESPONSES:

Don't be discouraged if you have applied for an Internship but have not yet had a response.  Each agency has its own hiring practices.  Some make hiring decisions in fall or winter, while others wait until later in the school-year.  Agencies may not always acknowledge every application because many agencies have neither the staff nor the funds to do so.  Some agencies will directly contact selected applicants for interviews.  If you have not yet heard from an agency, you are free to follow up with that agency to check on the status of your application, but do so in a professional and respectful manner.

STIPEND FOR PILI SUMMER INTERNS:

PILI pays a $5,000 grant to the agency; the agency withholds taxes and pays the Intern for 400 hours, or ten full-time weeks, of work.  Check the agency's pay arrangements so you will know what to expect.

AFFILIATED AGENCIES FOR THE 2008 SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM:

PILI's affiliated agencies page lists all of the 50 host agencies at which law student Interns or post-graduate Fellows work.  However, only the 20 agencies designated as Summer Intern hosts are participating in the PILI Summer Internship Program.   Therefore, PILI Law Student Summer Interns are restricted to applying only the agencies listed below:

Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago
AIDS Legal Council of Chicago
American Civil Liberties Union
Business and Professional People for the Public Interest
Cabrini Green Legal Aid Clinic
Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Chicago Legal Clinic
Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation
Citizen Advocacy Center
Coordinated Advice & Referral Program for Legal Services (CARPLS)
Environmental Law and Policy Center of the Midwest
Equip for Equality 
Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund
Law Project of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless

Lawyers' Committee for Better Housing
Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago

Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund

National Immigrant Justice Center (formerly MIHRC)
Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law
U.S. Dep't of Health & Human Services

For additional information, and to apply on-line, please visit

www.pili-law.org/PILIStudentInternships.htm.

The Brennan Center for Justice -

Summer 2008 Legal Internship Program 

The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law is seeking approximately fourteen law student interns to help with its work during the summer of 2008.  They hope to have some very limited financial support for students whose schools do not provide summer funding. Students are asked to apply to the Democracy Program, Justice Program, or Public Initiatives and Living Constitution Project.   

The Brennan Center is a non-partisan, public policy and law institute that focuses on the fundamental issues of democracy and justice. Their work ranges from voting rights to redistricting reform, from access to the courts to presidential power in the fight against terrorism. A singular institution - part think tank, part public interest law firm, part advocacy group - the Brennan Center combines scholarship, legislative and legal advocacy, and communications to win meaningful, measurable change in the public sector. 

You may send one application, and state within the cover letter your program area(s) of interest. Students applying to the Justice Program are encouraged to identify the particular project in which they are most interested. The application deadline is January 15, 2008. However, applications will be considered on a rolling basis until all positions are filled. Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply early. 

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, resume, law school transcript, one or more legal writing samples, and the names of references. Please send your applications via e-mail only to brennancenterjobs@nyu.edu with 2008 Summer Legal Internship Program in the subject line. No telephone inquiries please.

Please visit the Brennan Center website at www.brennancenter.org for additional information on the Center's current activities and staff.

The ABA Minority Judicial Internship Summer Program for 2008

The ABA Judicial Intern Opportunity 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 who want to do legal research and writing for state or federal judges in participating cities. Participating judges are from Illinois; Texas; Miami, FL; Phoenix, AZ; Los Angeles and San Francisco, CA; and Washington DC. Students may indicate geographic location preferences on their applications. Interns will receive an award of $1,500.

The program seeks to provide internship opportunities for minority or financially disadvantaged law students, those who are members of traditionally underrepresented groups in the legal profession.

The program is only open to students who have not previously participated as an intern in the program. Students applying to the program must submit a completed application, resume, legal writing sample and a statement of interest. Students may rank location preferences on their application; however students may not request particular judges or courts.

The American Bar Association Section of Litigation will begin accepting applications for its Summer 2008 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 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

All applications must be postmarked by January 18, 2008. Screening interviews to better determine student qualifications will be done on a rolling basis. Only qualified students will be sent on for judicial interviews. Judicial interviews will continue until all positions are filled.

More in depth information can be found in the "AVAILABLE JUDICIAL INTERNSHIPS" Binder in the Resource Room or online at: http://www.abanet.org/litigation/jiop.

Graduate Employment Opportunities

Attorneys Wanted

The Department of Children and Family Services General Counsel's Office is looking for committed attorneys to represent one of the largest social service agencies in the U.S. Attorney, Paralegal and Legal Intern positions are open throughout the state in the areas of Child Welfare litigation, Adult Protective Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health, Public Benefits and Assistance, transactional law and litigation, appellate practice and administrative law. The salary for Child Welfare Legal Services, entry-level attorneys and those not yet admitted to the FL Bar, is $35,668.10, and base salary for those with 2+ years legal experience after admission to the FL Bar is $50,348.48. FL Bar membership or certified legal intern (CLI) status required for attorney positions. Benefits include health, disability, life insurance, paid vacation and sick leave, and retirement plans. If interested, please send a resume to: John J. Copelan, General Counsel, 1317 Winewood Blvd, Tallahassee, FL 32303.

Quarles & Brady, LLP in Naples, Florida is seeking an associate who was in the top 20% of their class. If interested, you may apply via e-mail and send your resume, cover letter, unofficial transcript and writing sample to mdurston@quarles.com.

Phelps Dunbar, LLP in New Orleans, LA is seeking a lateral attorney with 2+ years of business and real estate experience for the Business practice of the firm's Tampa office. Excellent academic credentials required (top 25%). The position offers competitive salary, benefits, a collegial work environment, and the opportunity to work in a vibrant and growing practice. Interested candidates should contact Ms. Alice Trahant, 365 Canal Street, Suite 2000, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130, fax (504) 568-9130 or e-mail: alice.trahant@Phelps.Com.