CEQ Legal Clerkship

The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) has a competitive Clerkship Program and recruits three to five law clerks each spring, summer, and fall. The dates and deadlines for these three sessions are as follows:  

Law clerks are supervised by CEQ's Office of General Counsel, and provide critical research and writing assistance to both legal and policy staff on a variety of matters pertinent to CEQ's functions, including oversight of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Through CEQ's participation in policy processes across the Federal Government, clerks have the opportunity to perform substantive legal work in a wide variety of areas, namely:

• Drafting legal memoranda on environment, energy, natural resources, and general law issues;

• Tracking Federal agency actions on environmental issues;

• Attending interagency working group meetings; and

• Assisting with responses to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and other document requests.

Law clerks also have the opportunity to help advise CEQ's policy teams on legal issues, and to analyze significant draft regulations through CEQ's participation in the interagency regulatory review process under E.O. 12866. 

Requirements: We are seeking law students and recent law school graduates who are highly motivated, willing to contribute where needed, and able to exercise professional judgment and maturity. In addition, applicants must be U.S. Citizens. There are no curricular requirements for selection as a law clerk; however, we prefer applicants who have completed environmental law and administrative law coursework, and whose work experience demonstrates a commitment to environment, energy, or natural resource issues. For the summer session, we strongly prefer candidates who are available to work full-time. For the fall and spring sessions, we require a minimum commitment of twenty (20) hours per week. Our office will work with students who seek school credit for their uncompensated, volunteer service to CEQ. 

Application: Please combine the materials listed below into a single PDF file. Name your file following our convention, Last Name, First Name – 2012 Spring/Summer/Fall (select one) Clerk Application; e.g., “Smith, Jane – 2012 Spring Clerkship Application.” Email to internships@ceq.eop.gov, indicating the session to which you are applying in the email subject line; e.g., “Spring 2012 Clerk Application.”

• Application form

• Cover letter (see instructions below)

• Resume

• References (including at least one current professor or supervising-attorney)

• Law school transcript (most recent)

• Writing sample (3-5 pages)

Your cover letter should address the following: (1) interest in/dedication to environment, energy, and/or natural resources issues; (2) relevant coursework; and (3) project management, leadership, and/or teamwork experience.