Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to: Students, as described in the "Qualification" and "Education Requirement" section of this announcement.

This is a temporary position NTE 1 year from appointment.

As a STUDENT TRAINEE (LAW) you will be responsible for the following duties:

We are looking for capable and eager law students interested in being part of a Federal legal office that provides support in all areas of legal practice for an agency with a national security mission. Interns will apply analytic and critical thinking skills to work on research projects, draft memos, and assist attorneys with various assignments and projects. A final or interim secret security clearance is required for appointment to the position, but applicants are not required to have a security clearance to apply for the position.

• Plan, organize and conduct studies of legal issues and cases generally encountered in the assigned area.
• Conduct research assignments given by agency counsel.
• Examine and evaluates procedural and legal sufficiency of agency actions, policies and practices.
• Provide support in analyzing issues and actions related to national security law, civilian personnel law, equal employment opportunity matters, government information practices, administrative law, fiscal law, ethics, and acquisition law.,.
• Use manual and automated legal research methods and other available resources to locate and apply relevant legal references, including Federal statutes, regulations and publications, DoD issuances, case law articles and legal treatises.
• Assist with the research and preparation of legal opinions for attorneys on the full range of legal matters presented by agency operations and administration.
• Participate in defensive administrative litigation including depositions, mediation, negotiations, and hearings.
• Draft and edit legal and non-legal memoranda, research reports, and correspondence. Ensure proper processing of completed actions.
• Analyze facts and legal questions and organize and prepare research material for attorney review.
• Identify pertinent facts and issues for research and discussion, suggest legal interpretations of reference material, and prepare initial summary recommendations for attorneys.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Conditions of employment

• Must be a US citizen
• Selective Service Requirement: Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service. For more information http://www.sss.gov
• Resume and supporting documents received by 11:59PM EST will be considered
• This is a Drug Testing designated position
• Position is a (DCIPS) position in the Excepted Service under U.S.C. 1601
• Work Schedule: Full Time
• Overtime: Occasionally
• Tour of Duty: Flexible
• PCS (Permanent Change of Station): Not Authorized (Relocation expenses or housing will NOT be provided by the agency)
• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Non-Exempt
• Financial Disclosure: Not Required
• Telework Eligibility: This position is telework eligible but is not a full time telework position. The incumbent will be required to report to the office on a routine basis.
• Supervisors may approve situational telework on a case-by-case, temporary basis for limited situations.
• If selected, the incumbent must obtain and maintain appropriate security clearance as indicated in job announcement.
• Incumbent must be adjudicated as suitable for federal employment, based on a background investigation.
• Incumbent must hold a bachelor's degree and be currently enrolled as a full-time law student in a program leading to award of the first professional law degree.
• Incumbent must have and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale.
• Students accepted into the internship program must send law school official transcript with Spring 2026 semester/quarter grade to the DCSA Student Programs Office prior to onboarding.
• Students who successfully complete the program may be eligible for non-competitive conversion to a permanent position after graduation if all requirements have been met. Funding availability, mission requirements, and other factors may apply.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, you must meet the criteria specified below:

• You must hold a bachelor's degree;
• You must be currently enrolled as a full-time law student in a program leading to award of the first professional law degree; and
• You must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale.

Note:In order to be appointed to a Student Trainee (Law Student Intern) in the summer of 2026, you will also need to have successfully completed the 1st or 2^nd year of law school by the end of May 2026., with the expectation of continuing law school studies in the fall of 2026.

Education: All applicants must submit college or university undergraduate transcripts (official or unofficial) AND law school transcripts (official or unofficial) that demonstrate the completion, (or for 1^st year law student applicants, the anticipated completion), of the 1^st year of law school by the end of May 2026 or earlier.

Specifically, you will be evaluated on the following competencies:

1. Communication: Written and oral communication techniques sufficient to develop and deliver briefings, project papers, status/staff reports and correspondence to managers to foster understanding and acceptance of findings and recommendations.

2. Interpersonal Skills: Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations.

3. Teamwork: Encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust, and group identity; fosters commitment and team spirit; works with others to achieve goals.

4. Problem Solving: Identifies and analyzes problems; uses sound reasoning to arrive at conclusions; finds alternative solutions to complex problems; distinguishes between relevant and irrelevant information to make logical judgements.

5. Attention to Detail: Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.

6. Ability to research, analyze and present information.

Relocation expenses or housing benefits are NOT offered for our student positions. This position does not offer remote work. If you are selected, you will have to report to the office throughout your internship and be living within commuting distance of the office during the summer program.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the SME Resume Panel review.

A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnairet o determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified'.

Application Questionnaire: Applicants must complete a screen out questionnaire as part of the application process. Applicants identified as meeting the basic education requirement and minimum qualifications for the position may move on to the HR/SME Resume Panel review.

HR/SME Panel Review: An HR/SME Panel will review your resume to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the competencies stated below. Only the first 2 pages of your resume will be reviewed. Applicants that are found qualified will move on to the next phase of the hiring process.

Competencies: Communication, Interpersonal Skills, Teamwork, Problem Solving, Attention to Detail, and ability to research, analyze and present information.

You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

Top ranked candidates will be referred to the selecting official for further review and consideration.

A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified'.

Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

All eligibility and qualifications requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Your complete application includes your COMPLETE resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.

The following documents are REQUIRED:

1. Your resume:

• All applicants are required to submit a resume limited to two (2) pages showing all relevant experience. Your resume must address your qualifications for the position, and it may not exceed two (2) pages. Your 2-page (or less) resume must be in PDF format, with no smaller than a 0.5" margin and no smaller than a 10-point font. If you submit a resume that exceeds the two-page limit and/or does not meet the margin or font limitations stated herein, you will immediately be deemed ineligible for this position and will receive no further consideration.
• If you submit more than one copy of your resume, only the most recent version will be reviewed. The latest timestamp will be used to determine which version of your resume is "most recent."
• If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you will not be considered for this vacancy.
• Narrative responses in the assessment questionnaire do not replace content in your resume or vise a versa. Experience must be described in both places for qualification determinations.
• For qualifications determinations your resume must contain the dates of employment (i.e., Month/Year to Month/Year, Hours per Week).
• If your resume does not clearly outline details for each position as noted, you may be deemed "not referred" for this position.
• For additional information see: What to include in your resume.

2. Transcripts

• This position has a degree or education requirement, so you are required to submit a copy of your transcript. We accept unofficial transcripts, but they must contain your name, the name of the school, the date and degree that was awarded (if applicable), classes, GPA and credits earned. Unofficial transcripts may be obtained by your registrar's office and uploaded as a PDF document.

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