Trial Unit Law Clerk - Los Angeles
About the role
The Federal Public Defender’s Office for the Central District of California (FPD-CDCA) offers an intensive and rewarding experience to law students and recent post-bar graduates who wish to volunteer in an office dedicated to the zealous defense of the indigent accused. Through our program, law clerks assist trial lawyers in all aspects of our work, including performing legal research, drafting pleadings, analyzing discovery, assisting with trial preparation, visiting clients and helping to develop sentencing mitigation.
Responsibilities
- Perform legal research
- Draft pleadings
- Analyze discovery
- Assist with trial preparation
- Visit clients
- Help develop sentencing mitigation
Qualifications
- Attend or have recently graduated from an accredited law school
- Strong written and oral communication skills
- Demonstrated interest in indigent defense
Benefits
- Robust, formal training program
- Informal training through working closely with trial attorneys on case-specific projects
- Opportunity to obtain academic credit from participating law schools
How to Apply
- Submit a cover letter, resume, and writing sample by email to the Trial Law Clerk Program at Current Openings - FPDCDCA.
- For the summer program: Direct applications are accepted on a rolling basis, with a final deadline of the last day in January. We recommend submitting your materials as early as possible.
- For the semester program: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Again, we recommend submitting your materials as early as possible.
- In addition to accepting applications sent directly to our office, representatives from our office also attend several career fairs, such as the fairs sponsored by Equal Justice Works, Public Interest Legal Career Fair at NYU, Annual Northern California Public Interest/Public Sector Legal Careers Day, and the Annual Southern California Public Interest/Public Sector Career Day.
Equal Opportunity Employer
The Federal Public Defender’s Office for the Central District of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All applicants, regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or age, are encouraged to apply.