Spring 2026 SEC Scholars Legal Program- HQ (1L, 2L, 3L, or LL.M.) (Volunteer) Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. 26-SVP-HQ-12765300-BK Department Securities and Exchange Commission
Salary $0.00 to $0.00 Grade 00 to 00
Perm/Temp Temporary FT/PT Part-time
Open Date 7/29/2025 Close Date 9/2/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

Do you want to perform volunteer legal operations work in a challenging yet professional environment? The SEC is actively recruiting for the Spring 2026 SEC Scholars Legal Program. The program targets currently enrolled JD and LL.M. students to participate in at least a ten-week program.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Student Program Eligibles with a planned graduation date no earlier than May 2026.

Duties

The program will tentatively begin on the following dates:

  • 01/26/26 - 04/03/26
  • 02/09/26 - 04/17/26
Law students will be assigned to work with SEC staff members on projects and assignments that cover a broad range of the Commission's work. Intern assignments range from supporting litigation to assisting with drafting new regulations to helping with reviews, exams or public outreach. For information about the opportunities and the work that interns do in specific division/offices within headquarters, please read the SEC's website.

The SEC Scholars Legal Program will be full-time or part-time during the Spring. Work schedule will be determined and agreed upon based on the selectees' academic course load schedule and division/office needs. You will have the opportunity to discuss schedule, hours, etc. upon selection and acceptance into the program. Students must work a minimum of 16 hours per week.

The following divisions and offices within our Headquarters offices are seeking JD/LL.M. students to volunteer with us during the Spring 2026 program. You will be asked to rank your top three choices of office. You will be given priority consideration of these offices but may be contacted by any of them.SEC.gov | SEC Divisions Homepages
  • Office of Chairman Atkins-Crypto Task Force
  • Office of Commissioner Crenshaw
  • Office of Commissioner Peirce
  • Office of Commissioner Uyeda
  • Division of Corporation Finance (CF)
  • Division of Economic and Risk Analysis (DERA)
  • Division of Enforcement (ENF)
  • Division of Examinations (EXAMS)
  • Division of Investment Management (IM)
  • Division of Trading and Markets (TM)
  • EDGAR Business Office (EBO)
  • Office of Acquisitions (OA)
  • Office of Administrative Law Judges (OALJ)
  • Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation (OASB)
  • Office of the Chief Accountant (OCA)
  • Office of the Chief Operating Officer (OCOO)
  • Office of Ethics Counsel (OEC)
  • Office of Credit Ratings (OCR)
  • Office of Equal Employment Opportunity (OEEO)
  • Office of Financial Management (OFM)
  • Office of the General Counsel (OGC)
  • Office of Human Resources (OHR)
  • Office of International Affairs (OIA)
  • Office of Inspector General (OIG)
  • Office of Information Technology (OIT)
  • Office of the Investor Advocate (OIAD)
  • Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA)
  • Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs (OLIA)
  • Office of Municipal Securities (OMS)
  • Office of Public Affairs (OPA)
  • Office of the Secretary (OS)
  • Office of Support Operations (OSO)
  • Strategic Hub for Innovation and Financial Technology (FinHub)
Please see linked announcement for students interested in applying to our Regional Offices announcement.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Application procedures are specific to this vacancy announcement. Please read all the instructions carefully. Failure to follow the instructions may result in you not being considered for this position.
  • Supplementary vacancies may be filled in addition to the number stated in this announcement and may be filled from any division or office within the agency.
  • SECURITY CLEARANCE: Entrance on duty is contingent upon completion of a pre-employment security investigation. Favorable results on a Background Investigation may be a condition of employment or selection to another position.
  • DRUG TESTING: This position may be subjected to drug testing requirements.
  • PERMANENT CHANGE OF STATION (PCS): Moving/Relocation expenses are not authorized.
  • This position is not in the collective bargaining unit.
  • UNITED STATES CITIZENSHIP: Must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
  • SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
  • WORK SCHEDULES: The SEC Scholars Program will be full-time or part-time. This will be discussed, determined, and agreed upon based on the selectee's academic course load schedule and division/office needs.
  • The anticipated start dates for this program is January 26, 2026, and February 9, 2026.
  • Relatives of an SEC Employee may not work directly in their chain-of command.
  • AGE REQUIREMENT: You must be at least 16 years of age to apply to this position.

Qualifications

Eligibility Requirements: In order to be eligible for this internship under the SEC Scholars Legal Program:
  • You must be accepted for enrollment or enrolled and seeking a JD or LL.M. at an accredited law school on at least a half-time basis* (as determined by the educational institution); AND
  • You must possess a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of a 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale, or the equivalent.
You must continue to meet these eligibility requirements throughout the duration of your volunteer service under the SEC Scholars Legal Program.

*An applicant who is less than half time enrolled immediately prior to graduating may be considered a student for purposes of this Program.

NOTE:
  • STUDENT STATUS: You must maintain status as a law student during your volunteer service.
  • PROOF OF ENROLLMENT: You may provide proof of enrollment at the time of application; however, you must provide proof of enrollment at an accredited law school by the selection date.
  • ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS: All eligibility requirements must be met by the selection date.
  • DEFINITION OF STUDENT: You must meet the definition of a "student" by the selection date in order to be eligible for this program.

Education

You will be required to provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Documentation may be submitted at the time of application. All materials will be required upon selection.

See Required Documents section below. Qualifying education must have been obtained from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: Evaluation of Foreign Degrees - United States Department of State.

Additional information

If you would like to learn more about the SEC Scholars Program, please register for one of our upcoming information sessions.

Information Session Links:
Thursday, August 7, 2025; 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm (ET) - Register Here
Tuesday, August 12, 2025; 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm (ET) - Register Here
Monday, August 18, 2025; 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm (ET)- Register Here
Friday, August 22, 2025; 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm (ET) - Register Here

This is a volunteer position. As a result:
- Under 5.U.S.C. 3111, a student volunteer is not a Federal employee for any purposes other than injury compensation and law related to the Tort Claims Act. Service is not creditable for leave or any other employee benefits however, transportation subsidy to and from your assigned duty station may be available.

- Volunteer Service may be extended at the discretion of the agency.

- Selectees for this position are ineligible for health benefits, life insurance, retirement (including the Thrift Savings Plan), and long-term care insurance.

- Converting to the Competitive Service: This appointment does not confer eligibility to be noncompetitively converted to a term, career or career-conditional appointment in the competitive service.

Reasonable Accommodation: If you are an applicant who needs a reasonable accommodation to participate in the SEC application process due to a medical disability, please contact reasonableaccommodation@sec.gov. For religious-based accommodations, please contact religiousaccommodation@sec.gov. Please be sure to submit your request at least 5 business days in advance of the date you need the requested accommodation.

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Information for SEC Job Applicants: Federal EEO laws protect all applicants from discrimination on the following bases: race, color, sex (not limited to conduct which is sexual in nature, includes pregnancy, gender identity, sexual orientation, transgender status), age (40 and over), religion, national origin, disability, genetic information, retaliation for participating in the EEO process or opposing discrimination. Applicants who believe they have been discriminated against on any EEO basis can seek recourse through the SEC's administrative complaints process. To be timely, an individual must enter the EEO process within 45 days from when they know (or should have known) of the alleged discrimination. Click here for additional information.

The Fair Chance Act prohibits specific inquiries concerning an applicant's criminal or credit background unless the hiring agency has made a conditional offer of employment to the applicant. An applicant may submit a complaint, or any other information, to the agency within 30 calendar days of the date of alleged non-compliance by contacting the Legal and Policy Office in the Office of Human Resources at ElliottT@sec.gov.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

All applicants will be notified of their application status once the vacancy announcement has closed. Applicants that have a tentative eligible rating will be referred to the hiring office for review. You may be required to submit additional documentation upon selection to verify eligibility and qualifications. If additional documentation is required, OHR will contact you directly.

Applicants will be required to submit a writing sample as part of the initial application process. The writing sample may be used to further assess applicants who meet the basic eligibility requirements.

The Occupational Questionnaire will take you approximately 10 minutes to complete. To preview the Occupational Questionnaire, click the following link https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12765300.

Required Documents

You must provide a complete Application Package; please read the following requirements carefully. Your name should be included on all documents, these include:

  • Required: Your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire (this is built into the online application).
  • Required, Resume: Please provide your complete and comprehensive resume that includes a complete history of your work experience, education, and the applicable dates with months and years. Resume must be no longer than 2 pages.
  • Cover Letter.
  • Required, Writing Sample: Your legal writing sample should be no longer than 10 pages in length. Ensure your writing sample does not contain any non-public information (you may redact as necessary).
  • Transcript: Transcripts can be an official or unofficial copy at time of application.
  • Proof of education enrollment:
    • Proof of enrollment can be one of the following:
      1. A screen shot of the semester class schedule,
      2. An official letter/acceptance letter of enrollment , or
      3. Listed on the official transcript
      • The enrollment documents should show student's name, academic institution, the degree or certificate program, and enrollment in at least half-time status (as defined by the academic institution).
Important Notes:
  • Utilize the preview feature of USAJobs to view your documents and ensure the formatting remains and all documents are legible.
  • Screenshots of documents should be legible.
  • Your application materials should not contain photographs .
  • Your full name should be clearly visible on all documents.
  • Do not submit encrypted documents.
  • Tips: Encrypted documents do not transmit properly through USAJobs. We recommend, you save the document as a new PDF, or Print to PDF to ensure the document comes through properly and is displayed properly using the USAJobs preview feature.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.

A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.

  • To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
  • Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
  • After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
  • You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.


If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

Agency contact information

ask HR
Address
SEC
100 F Street NE
Washington, DC 20602
US

Next steps

You will be notified of your application status through USAJOBS at four points during the hiring process, as applicable. You can check the status of your application by accessing the USAJOBS website at http://usajobs.gov/ and clicking on "Track Your Online Application."

By submitting your application, you are certifying the accuracy of the information contained in your application. If you make a false statement in any part of your application, you may not be hired, you may be terminated after you begin work, or you may be fined or jailed. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation. You will be required to submit official documentation before appointment. The agency will then verify the information provided on your application (i.e., degree, Veterans' Preference, certification of disability, etc.).


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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