Federal, state and local government agencies and public interest organizations are among the best source of internship and externship opportunities for Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University students. Below is a partial listing of government agencies and public interest organizations that you may want to consider for semester or summer internships or externships.
Please note that internships with government agencies and public interest organizations are, more often than not, unpaid. You may want to pursue academic credit for such an internship through Hofstra Law’s Externship Program. Alternatively, you may want to explore with the Office of Career Services options for obtaining funding for your internship through a variety of fellowship programs.
Criminal Prosecution
- Local New York District Attorney Offices
Local DA Offices regularly hire Hofstra Law students for fall, spring and summer internships and for post-graduate Assistant District Attorney Positions. If you are interested in becoming an ADA, you will generally apply to the local DA offices in August and September of your 3L year.
- The Office of Career Services produces annually a booklet containing contact information for all of the prosecutors’ offices in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Please stop by OCS to obtain a copy of this booklet.
- U.S. Attorney’s Office
The local U.S. Attorneys’ offices regularly hire Hofstra Law students for fall, spring and summer internships. However, these offices generally do not hire entry-level attorneys for assistant U.S. attorney positions; the attorneys they hire for AUSA positions typically have two-three years of postgraduate experience. If you plan to apply for an internship with a U.S. Attorney’s Office, please make sure you do so several months in advance, because there is a background screen process that takes between 60 and 90 days to complete.
- U.S. Attorney, Eastern District of New York
- U.S. Attorney, Southern District of New York
- United States Department of Justice
The U.S. Department of Justice hires law student interns through both a paid Summer Law Intern Program (SLIP) and through a Volunteer Legal Intern Recruitment Program. DOJ only hires law graduates for entry-level attorney positions through its Attorney General Honors Program.
Criminal Defense
