TRIAL DIVISION INTERNSHIP
The Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Oklahoma provides indigent defendants with high quality legal representation at all stages of litigation for offenses ranging from petty misdemeanors to serious felony offenses. Our office has a trial division and a capital habeas division. This internship is for the Trial Division. Typical caseloads include misdemeanors, felonies, supervised release revocations, and appeals to the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and petitions to the United States Supreme Court. Our clients are charged with crimes that fall under federal jurisdiction—cases from Armed Robbery to Tax Fraud, from Illegal Reentry to Murder in “Indian Country.”
Training
Each intern will have the unique opportunity to receive hands-on experience in the preparation of the defense of criminal cases in federal court. An intern may identify and research legal issues, draft motions and memoranda, and otherwise assist in trial preparation and investigation.
If interested in appellate work, an intern may also collaborate on briefs to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. A summer intern interested in appeals may spend their summer focused on a specific federal criminal appeal – from reviewing the record, to identifying issues for appeal, to drafting portions of the opening brief – under the close supervision of an experienced appellate attorney.
Throughout the internship, interns are encouraged to accompany lawyers to court proceedings, as well as client interviews at the marshal’s holdover and local federal detention centers. A supervisory attorney will monitor intern assignments, but interns will work with one or more trial attorneys during their placement. Interns also may be invited to attend informal lectures on criminal practice in federal court.
Externships: Many law school programs will award academic credit to participants in a law clerk program. The requirements and procedures vary depending upon the specific school’s guidelines. The law student must coordinate between their school and our office to ensure all requirements are met.
Qualifications and Requirements
The ideal candidate will have strong written and oral communication skills and a strong interest in indigent defense.
Summer Program: Ideally, students will have successfully completed courses in Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure by the position’s start date. We generally accept 2L students for these positions (who will be rising 3Ls in the Summer). A strong 1L candidate (rising 2L in the summer), particularly in research and writing, will be considered. Summer interns typically work around 35 hours per week in either five-to-six-week blocks (for those who split their summer internships) or ten-to-twelve-week blocks. Some telework is acceptable, but the intern is mostly expected to be in the office or field daily from 9 am to 4 pm daily. Summer applicants are accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
Fall/Spring Program: The Spring/Fall program is reserved for 2Ls and 3Ls exclusively. Fall and Spring interns must commit to a minimum of 10 hours per week.
How to Apply
Interested applicants should submit their resume, cover letter, unofficial law school transcript, writing sample (usually a brief or memorandum written for a specific legal research or writing class), and a list of two or three references. If you prefer appellate work over trial work (or vice versa), please let us know so we can consider your placement accordingly.
Send applications to Assistant Federal Public Defender Laura Deskin at laura_deskin@fd.org.
Feel free to call with questions: 405-609-5944 (Laura’s direct line).
Important notes for all applicants:
Compensation is $30–$35 per hour, depending on experience. Applicants receiving academic credit through a law school externship are not eligible for compensation.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents seeking U.S. citizenship, or otherwise authorized by the Department of Homeland Security to work in the United States. Acceptance is contingent on successful completion of a background investigation and submission of an Application for Judicial Branch Federal Employment (AO-78). Interns and externs are also subject to the Federal Public Defender Code of Conduct.