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Work for the government?

Work for the government?. WHY?. TONS of opportunity – in addition to internships, the government needs to hire nearly 10,000 attorneys by the end of 2009! Gain relevant experience in a practice area Make public and private sector contacts

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Work for the government?

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  1. Work for the government?

  2. WHY? • TONS of opportunity – in addition to internships, the government needs to hire nearly 10,000 attorneys by the end of 2009! • Gain relevant experience in a practice area • Make public and private sector contacts • Do all of this for credit – lighten your load for future semesters • Set yourself up for post-graduation work with government agencies

  3. WHAT? • Federal • State • Local • County, municipality, city • Hill/Policy work • National • State

  4. WHERE? • Networking/informational interviewing • Agency websites • Arizona Guide • Symplicity • PSLawNet • Other sites on CDO website

  5. Organization of Federal agencies • Executive Agencies – all the Departments, e.g., Army, Commerce, Homeland Security, Interior, DOJ, State, etc.) • Executive agency subdivisions, e.g., IRS (Treasury) and FAA (Transportation) • Independent Establishments & Government Corporations, e.g. EPA, SEC • Quasi-Official Agencies, e.g. Smithsonian

  6. Office of General Counsel (“OGC”) • Government contracts/procurement • Labor and employment/personnel • Ethics • FOIA • Sometimes: subject area/agency subdivision support (i.e. DHS)

  7. Legal Opportunities Outside of OGC • Enforcement arm (sometimes in OGC) • International Affairs • OIG • Legislative Affairs • Commissioners/Secretaries • ALJs • Subject matter divisions/components • Region/field/district offices

  8. DOJ • 80% litigation, 20% policy - all federal prosecutors • Over 50% of 9,500 attorneys are Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSAs) • Mission of Justice is…well, justice – no rule-making authority • Over 1,800 summer & academic year interns hired annually • Hiring info available at: http://www.usdoj.gov/oarm/ (Academic year info will be updated late November)

  9. Other federal agencies • Finance: SEC, CFTC, FRB, OCC, FDIC, OTS, IRS • Litigation: DOJ, all agencies • Internationalaffairs: State, Commerce, USTR, DOD, FCC, FTC • Antitrust: DOJ, FCC, FTC, FERC, NRC • Environment: EPA, Interior, FERC • Civil Rights: DOJ, HUD, HHS, EEOC

  10. The “Hill” • MOCs - Senators or Representatives • Committees/Subcommittees – issue specific • Offices of Legislative Counsel (both bodies) • Administrative Offices (both bodies) • Law Revision Counsel’s Office • Library of Congress – just like an agency • OGCs: Office of General Counsel of the HOR; Office of the Senate Legal Counsel

  11. State and local agencies • State AG’s offices • Other subject-matter specific state agencies • County government (sometimes prosecutor’s offices are there, e.g., DANY) • City government – planning commissions, other “constituent-level” services

  12. State and local agency links • http://www.loc.gov/rr/news/stategov/stategov.html • http://www.usa.gov/Agencies/Local.shtml • http://www.statelocalgov.net/ • http://www.govtjob.net/

  13. HOW? • Apply directly to agencies – even if there is no posting or internship information!! • Identify agencies you are interested in: • U.S. Government Manual 2007-08: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gmanual/browse-gm-07.html • List of agencies and commissions and their websites: http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/independent-agencies.html • FAQs about Agencies by USA.gov: http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Faq_by_Agency.shtml

  14. HOW? • Follow directions! • If none given (or if direct-writing): • Send in cover letter and resume • Address to senior person of particular division/office/component you want to intern with • Cc: administrative staff person • DO NOT MAIL – email, fax or express delivery only!

  15. HOW? • Cover Letter • Research MISSION of agency – check out website and note that mission of a particular division may different than overall mission of the agency • State interest in mission and • Highlight any experiences (volunteer or paid work, coursework, stud abroad, community service, thesis, etc.) that demonstrates that interest • Resume • In addition to standard legal experiences, highlight: • Writing • Leadership • Public service

  16. HOW? • SF, OF what? • Forms previously required for government applications • SF = standard form • OF = optional form • No longer required

  17. Security Clearance • Even unpaid interns usually have to undergo a background check • Potential issues • Credit: loan defaults, excessive consumer debt • Taxes: ANY IRS issues – non-filing, non-payment • Drug Use • Citizenship • False/misleading statements on pre-employment forms • If concerned, seek “advisory opinion”

  18. WHEN? • Fall 2008 – some opportunities still available • Spring 2008 • ASAP • Summer 2008 & entry-level • Depends on the agency – if no deadline specified, aim for late fall and follow up in January

  19. Can I afford it? • First summer and academic-year internships are usually “volunteer” (do it for credit!) • Second summer internships are usually paid at GS-7 (~$700/week) • Entry-level: GS-11 ~$58,000/year (GS scale tops out at $149,000 for DC area (GS-15 Step 10)) • SEC, USPS, banking regulators (OCC, FRB,OTS) and government corporations (MCC, FDIC) are on a different pay scale that starts as high as $110,000 • State and local government tend to pay less…

  20. GS? • GS = General Schedule, DC rates available at: http://www.opm.gov/oca/08tables/pdf/DCB.pdf • Some agencies experimenting with by “Pay for Performance” – already in place at DOD, FAA

  21. Loan Repayment • Federal Student Loan Repayment Program • Agencies may make payments to the loan holder of up to a maximum of $10,000 for an employee in a calendar year and a total of not more than $60,000 for any one employee • Varies by agency - average in 2007 was $6,377 • For information about specific agencies, please visit: http://www.opm.gov/oca/pay/studentloan/html/FY2007StudentLoanRepaymentReport.pdf

  22. Loan Forgiveness • College Cost Reduction & Access Act • If you work in a public service job (government included) for 10 years and make all payments on your federal loans during that time, remaining federal loans will be forgiven • More info available at: http://www.finaid.org/loans/publicservice.phtml

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