San Diego City Attorney's Office
Legal Intern (Paid Internship - Summer)
$25.29 Hourly
$2,023.20 Biweekly
$4,383.60 Monthly
$52,603.20 Annually
San Diego, CA
Part-time
2022-00039
Administration
07/18/2022
Continuous
$25.29 Hourly
$2,023.20 Biweekly
$4,383.60 Monthly
$52,603.20 Annually
San Diego, CA
Part-time
2022-00039
Administration
07/18/2022
Continuous
JOB INFORMATION
Launch your legal career here: This is your chance to gain experience in one of the largest, most high-profile, full-service public interest law offices in California – the San Diego City Attorney’s Office. The City Attorney seeks highly qualified second-year (2L) law students for our paid Summer 2022 Internship program.
Legal Intern positions in the Program are open to a select number of qualified law students who:- have completed their first year at a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA)
- will be graduating law school by June 2023
- will be sitting for the California Bar Exam for the first time in July 2023
- are available and interested in starting a career in the City Attorney’s Office immediately upon passing the California Bar Exam
FOR MORE INFORMATION: If you are interested in learning more about the Office or this Internship Program, please register your email address by clicking on the following link: Register for More Information We also plan on hosting a virtual presentation with an opportunity for you to ask questions about our Office and the Program. To be invited to a virtual presentation, please register your email address with us.
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION: The Office is strongly committed to Diversity & Inclusion. The Office is led by the first woman and first Latina in City history elected to the position. It is vitally important to us that as public servants, we represent the community that we serve. To that end, the Office strongly encourages applicants of diverse backgrounds to apply. To ensure our commitment to Diversity & Inclusion, the Office has a Chief Diversity Officer and an active Committee for Diversity & Inclusion and Racial Equity Task Force.
OVERVIEW OF THE CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
The City Attorney’s Office operates with over 375 staff members and a $60 million annual budget, serving as the City’s chief legal advisor and prosecutor.
CRIMINAL DIVISION: We have over 70 prosecutors in our Criminal Division that process over 23,000 cases per year. The Office has a wide range of specialty units within the Criminal Division, including Domestic Violence & Sex Crimes, Appellate, Nuisance Abatement, Special Prosecution, and Neighborhood Justice and Collaborative Courts. Because the Office has sole jurisdiction over misdemeanor crimes in the City and does not handle any felonies, we are able to address many individuals who may be newer to the criminal justice system or who have addictions that have a tendency to lead to them committing criminal activity. We seek not only to deter future criminal activity and to reduce recidivism, but to focus on finding ways to address societal problems related to certain criminal activity in an effort to divert individuals out of the criminal justice system. To that end, the Office has created and participated in many innovative rehabilitative and restorative justice programs that help the homeless and those addicted to drugs, alcohol, and other substances. The Office is also a pioneer and national model in addressing domestic violence, creating the first-ever Family Justice Center, obtaining Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVROs) and training other law enforcement agencies on how to address gun violence utilizing the Office’s pioneering legal tool of GVROs.
CIVIL DIVISION: We have over 80 attorneys in our Civil Division, which is primarily comprised of Civil Advisory and Civil Litigation. Our civil litigators primarily defend the City in state and federal court from a wide range of lawsuits involving personal injury, environmental, land use, constitutional rights, labor and employment, real property, and more. The Office also has a small team of litigators that pursue impactful consumer-related and environmental cases to protect public safety such as class action cases against opioid manufacturers and distributors, toxic polluters, and others. Our Civil Advisory attorneys act as in-house counsel to provide legal advice to the Mayor, the City Council, and virtually all of the City departments related to City projects, programs, and policies.
TIMELINE FOR SUMMER LEGAL INTERNS IN THE PROGRAM: Interns must commit to work 40 hours per week from May 23, 2022, to July 29, 2022, with a mandatory orientation on May 20, 2022. Summer Legal Interns will rotate through both the Criminal and Civil Divisions, spending approximately five weeks in each Division where they gain valuable 1-on-1 mentorship and hands-on experience with Office legal activities -- including trial work.
DIRECT CAREER PATHWAY INTO THE OFFICE: At the end of the Program, Summer Legal Interns will be considered for a paid Post-bar Legal Intern position. Those positions would begin after candidates sit for the July 2023 California Bar Exam, and would include a conditional offer of employment as a Deputy City Attorney. Successful candidates would launch their legal careers in the General Trial Unit of the Criminal Division with a projected start date of January 2024. Employment offers are contingent upon successful passage of the July 2023 California Bar Exam, satisfactory performance as a Post-bar Legal Intern, and being admitted to practice as an attorney in the state of California. Once employed as Deputy City Attorney in the General Trial Unit of the Criminal Division, attorneys have opportunities to apply for open positions in other units of the Criminal Division and the Civil Division (both in Litigation and Advisory).
MENTORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: Each Legal Intern will be assigned a supervising attorney in the Criminal and Civil Divisions, who will provide one-on-one mentoring and professional support. Legal Interns will have an opportunity to know all of the supervising attorneys as part of regularly scheduled group meetings, which provide both practical training and the chance for discussion on topics of interest to the interns.
RECRUITMENT PROCESS: Recruitment for Summer Legal Intern 2022 positions will include a written application and two rounds of interviews with demonstration of specific writing and oral presentation skills. The most qualified candidates will be invited to interview.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES ALSO AVAILABLE: While this highly competitive Summer Legal Internship program is open only to second-year law students, the City Attorney’s Office continues to offer other internships to law students (1L, 2L and 3L). Learn more about law student volunteer internship opportunities by clicking on this link.
QUALIFICATIONS: The ideal candidate will possess:- a strong record of academic achievement
- interest in both criminal justice and civil municipal law matters
- ability to communicate clearly and succinctly
- strong legal writing and oral advocacy skills
- experience participating in moot court, law review, trial teams, negotiation/mediation teams, or any combination
- detail-oriented skills, with ability to prioritize assignments and independently manage a workload; demonstrated good judgment and initiative, and ability to interact effectively with different personalities and work styles
- demonstrated passion for public service and demonstrated interest in furthering or supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion
- commitment to adhering to the highest standards of integrity and professional ethics required of the legal profession
- any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities
EXAMPLE OF DUTIES
CRIMINAL DIVISION: As an advocate for the People of the State of California, Legal Interns working in the Criminal Division will investigate and prosecute misdemeanor criminal cases that occurred within the City of San Diego jurisdiction. They will have the chance to:
- evaluate cases in the General Trial Unit for legal sufficiency and constitutional compliance
- communicate with victims and witnesses
- assist in preparing and reviewing administrative and criminal search warrants
- prepare and subpoena witnesses, demonstrate their ability to independently manage a case load
- draft discovery responses and comply with State and Federal discovery obligations
- draft and argue a variety of complaints, briefs, motions and other legal documents
- conduct legal research
- argue motions and present misdemeanor jury trials, either a portion of or the entire trial.
CIVIL DIVISION: Legal Interns will have the opportunity to participate in important, challenging, and often pioneering work in the municipal legal field. Civil Division Legal Interns will handle both litigation and advisory/transactional assignments in a variety of practice areas, and have an opportunity to work with a diverse group of attorneys having wide-ranging specialty expertise -- from consumer law to environmental law to public policy advisory law.
Civil Division Legal Interns gain the chance to engage with attorneys in the Office through a customized website portal, where they will find legal assignments and opportunities to participate in challenging and practical activities that include:- conducting legal research and writing legal memoranda
- assisting with depositions, mediations, and trials
- participating in client meetings
- drafting discovery, correspondence, motions, briefs, and declarations
- making court appearances
- attending Council and Committee hearings
- briefing Mayoral, City Council, and high-level City staff
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Applicants must be on track to graduate on or before June 2023 with a Juris Doctor degree from an ABA-accredited law school. Successful applicants must pass criminal background and reference checks. Prior to the start of the internship, Legal Interns are required on their own time and expense to become certified by the California State Bar in order to make appearances in court on the record. Learn more information on how to become certified by clicking here. Employment is contingent upon completion of the above-mentioned process. To apply, please provide the following documents through our online application, which can be found in the “How to Apply” section below:
- a letter of interest (cover letter) highlighting your qualifications
- a writing sample that demonstrates your legal writing skills, and reflects your own original work product
- an unofficial law school transcript
- a current resume
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
Compensation and Benefits:
The starting hourly rate of pay for the Legal Intern position is $25.29. This limited hourly position is not eligible for benefits.
Pre-Employment Requirements:
Employment offers are conditional pending the results of all screening processes that are applicable to this job, which may include but are not limited to the following:- Reference checks.
- Proof of citizenship or legal right to work in the United States.
- Fingerprint checks: fingerprints will be submitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the California Department of Justice for a conviction record report.
- Medical evaluation: a City medical examination including drug/alcohol screening and documentation of medical history may be conducted following a conditional offer of employment or promotion.
- Certain positions may require additional screening processes that may include a polygraph examination and/or background investigation.
How to Apply:
The San Diego City Attorney's Office only accepts online applications through the following link.
To apply online, click the Position Title of any open job opportunity and then click the "Apply" link. For assistance, please see our employment application guide.
To be considered for the position, submit a completed San Diego City Attorney employment application, required documents outlined in this job bulletin, and complete the supplemental questionnaire no later than the closing date. Submitted application material will be screened according to the qualifications outlined above. If you have any questions or concerns related to the recruitment process and the Americans with Disabilities Act, you may contact (619) 533-5811. The City of San Diego has an active Equal Opportunity/ADA Program for employment and vigorously supports diversity in the workplace.
Nothing in this job posting constitutes an expressed or implied contract for employment with the City of San Diego.
- Employer
- San Diego City Attorney's Office
- Website
- https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/sandiegoattorney
- Address
-
1200 Third Avenue, Suite 1620
San Diego, California, 92101
- Employer
- San Diego City Attorney's Office
- Website
- https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/sandiegoattorney
- Address
-
1200 Third Avenue, Suite 1620
San Diego, California, 92101
- Legal Intern (Paid Internship - Summer) Supplemental Questionnaire
- * QUESTION 1
- I understand that failure to respond to the following questions in the spaces provided may result in the rejection of my application. In addition, I may miss out on employment opportunities. Resumes are NOT reviewed for assessing the minimum requirements.
- * QUESTION 2
- I understand that the responses I provide on the supplemental questions will be reviewed using an automated evaluation system and that if I am successful in this initial screening process, my application will be reviewed for applicable education, experience, and/or training to ensure all minimum requirements have been met.
- * QUESTION 3
- Are you currently enrolled in an ABA accredited law school?
- * QUESTION 4
- Please list any academic awards, honors, and/or academic scholarships that you received while in law school. Please include dates and a brief statement describing the award, honor, and/or academic scholarship. If not applicable, please indicate N/A in the field below.
- * Required Question