STUDENT TRAINEE (LAW) (LEGAL INTERN)

About the role

The DCSA Student Experience (DSE) '27 Cohort. Open to law students with a cumulative GPA of 3.0/4.0. Summer Cohort Start Date: 31 May 2027 (alternate: 14 June 2027); End Date: 20 August 2027.

Students must attend for a minimum of 10 weeks (400 hours). This position is selecting a student intern for the Office of the General Counsel.

What you will do

• This is a temporary position NTE 1 year from appointment.
• As a STUDENT TRAINEE (LAW) (LEGAL INTERN) you will be responsible for the following duties: We are looking for capable and eager law students interested in being part of a Federal legal office that provides support in all areas of legal practice for an agency with a national security mission.
• Interns will apply analytic and critical thinking skills to work on research projects, draft memos, and assist attorneys with various assignments and projects.
• A final or interim secret security clearance is required for appointment to the position, but applicants are not required to have a security clearance to apply for the position.
• Plan, organize and conduct studies of legal issues and cases generally encountered in the assigned area.
• Conduct research assignments given by agency counsel.
• Examine and evaluate procedural and legal sufficiency of agency actions, policies and practices.
• Provide support in analyzing issues and actions related to national security law, civilian personnel law, equal employment opportunity matters, government information practices, administrative law, fiscal law, ethics, and acquisition law.
• Use manual and automated legal research methods and other available resources to locate and apply relevant legal references, including Federal statutes, regulations and publications, DoW issuances, case law, articles and legal treatises.
• Assist with the research and preparation of legal opinions for attorneys on the full range of legal matters presented by agency operations and administration.
• Participate in defensive administrative litigation including depositions, mediation, negotiations, and hearings.
• Draft and edit legal and non-legal memoranda, research reports, and correspondence.
• Ensure proper processing of completed actions.
• Analyze facts and legal questions and organize and prepare research material for attorney review.
• Identify pertinent facts and issues for research and discussion, suggest legal interpretations of reference material, and prepare initial summary recommendations for attorneys.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Education

All applicants must submit college or university undergraduate transcripts (official or unofficial) AND law school transcripts (official or unofficial) that demonstrate the completion, or for 1st year law student applicants, the anticipated completion, of the 1st year of law school by the end of May 2027.

Official Transcripts and other required Official supporting documentation will be submitted by selected students prior to their start to continue in the program. Superior Academic Achievement does not apply to DCIPS positions.

Failure to provide transcripts will result in you being rated ineligible for this position.

Foreign Education: For further information, click on the following link: ***

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the SME Resume Panel review.

Application Questionnaire: Applicants must complete a screen out questionnaire as part of the application process. Applicants identified as meeting the basic education requirement and minimum qualifications for the position may move on to the HR/SME Resume Panel review.

HR/SME PANEL REVIEW: An SME Panel will review your resume to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the competencies stated below. Only the first 2 pages of your resume will be reviewed. Applicants that are found qualified will move on to the next phase of the hiring process.

Competencies: Communication, Interpersonal Skills, Teamwork, Problem Solving, Attention to Detail, and Ability to research, analyze and present information. You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process.

If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation. Top ranked candidates will be referred to the selecting official for further review and consideration. A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job.

If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified'. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

All eligibility and qualifications requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Documents you must provide

• The documents you are required to submit vary based on the authority you are using to apply (i.e., applying as a veteran, applying as a current permanent Federal employee, applying as a reinstatement, etc.).
• Your complete application includes your COMPLETE resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply.
• If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.
• The following documents are REQUIRED: 1.
• Your resume: IMPORTANT UPDATE: Your resume must not exceed two (2) pages.
• If your resume exceeds the two-page limit, you will be removed from consideration for this announcement.
• The resume and required supporting documentation should provide the minimum qualifications and relevant experience for the announced position.
• Must include the work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment, and duties performed.
• If multiple resumes are submitted by an applicant, only the last resume submitted will be reviewed for qualifications and referred for selection consideration, if eligible.
• The resume must not be more than 5MB and should be saved and uploaded as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages.
• We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX).
• We do not accept PDF portfolio files.
• Page margins should be 0.5 inches, and font styles must be legible.
• Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text.
• We recommend using a font like Lato, if available.
• Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans.
• Additional guidance on writing a federal resume can be found at: USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job?
• The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started.
• If you submit more than one copy of your resume, only the most recent version will be reviewed.
• The latest timestamp will be used to determine which version of your resume is "most recent." If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you will not be considered for this vacancy.
• Narrative responses in the assessment questionnaire do not replace content in your resume or vise a versa.
• Experience must be described in both places for qualification determinations.
• Resumes should NOT include: Classified information/SSN/Photo of yourself/personal information (gender, religion, affiliation etc., Encrypted digitally signed docs).
• Resumes with this prohibited information will be automatically ineligible for consideration.
• For qualifications determinations your resume must contain the dates of employment (i.e., Month/Year to present.
• If your resume does not clearly outline details for each position as noted, you may be deemed "not referred" for this position.
• Additional guidance on writing a federal resume can be found at: USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job?
• The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started.
• Transcripts: This position has a degree or education requirement so you are required to submit a copy of your transcript.
• We accept unofficial transcripts, as long as they contain your name, the name of the school, the date and degree that was awarded (if applicable), and the list of classes and credits earned.
• Unofficial transcripts may be obtained by your registrar's office and uploaded as a PDF document.
• NOTE: Do not provide links, screenshots, or pictures of your transcript.
• SF50 All current and former civilian Federal employees must submit a copy of your MOST RECENT SF50 (Notification of Personnel Action) showing your tenure, grade and step, salary, and type of position occupied (i.e., Excepted or Competitive); or similar Notification of Personnel Action documentation, i.e., Transcript of Service, Form 1150, etc. Failure to provide latest SF50 may result in you being rated ineligible for this position.
• Veteran's Documents: If applying using veteran's preference or under a Veteran's hiring authority you must submit the following documents: DD214 showing character of service, SF-15 Form and VA letter showing final percentage, or certification of expected discharge or release from active duty.
• NOTE: Active duty military members are not eligible for appointment unless currently on terminal leave.
• PLEASE REVIEW THE BELOW LINK FOR OTHER SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS needed for proof of eligibility: ***

What to expect next

Once you successfully complete the application process, you will receive a notification of receipt. Your application package will be reviewed to ensure you meet the basic eligibility and qualifications requirements, and you will receive a notification. A review will be made of your online questionnaire and the documentation you submitted to support your responses.

A list of qualified applicants will be created and sent to the selecting official. All applicants reviewed and/or referred will receive a notification letter.

The selecting official may choose to conduct interviews, and once the selection is made, you will receive a notification of the decision. *NOTE: If you submit a resume but no questionnaire, you cannot be considered for the position. If you submit a questionnaire but no resume, you cannot be considered for the position.

Your application will be appropriately documented and you will be removed from further competition against this announcement. REGARDING INTERVIEWS: Interviews may be required for this position. Accommodations may be made to conduct telephonic interviews to preclude travel hardships for applicants.

Note: Declining to be interviewed or failure to report for a scheduled interview will be considered as a declination for further consideration for employment against this vacancy. The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities.

If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the point of contact for this job announcement. Your requests for reasonable accommodation will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. This announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

Additional information

VETERANS PREFERENCE/CURRENT OR FORMER FEDERAL In accordance with DoD Instruction 1400.25, Volume 2005, veterans preference is not required to be applied when considering candidates with prior Federal competitive or excepted service who have completed a probationary or trial period and have not been separated for cause.

Therefore, veterans preference will not be applied to applicants with current federal service, or former federal civilian service meeting the above criteria. Re-employed Annuitant: This position does not meet criteria for re-employed annuitant.

The DoD criteria for hiring Re-employed Annuitants can be found at: *** Applicants selected from this announcement may be required to serve a two-year trial period.

If selected, Federal employees currently serving in the competitive service must acknowledge that they will voluntarily leave the competitive service by accepting an offer of employment for a DCIPS excepted service positions.

If selected, non-DCIPS candidates must acknowledge in writing that the position they have been selected for is in the excepted service and covered by DCIPS. All Defense Intelligence positions under the Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS) are in the excepted service by specific statue, 10 U.S.C. 1601.

This position is in the excepted service and does not confer competitive status. For more information on the DCIPS occupational structure click here. For more information about career advancement in DCIPS click here.

This position is subject to an initial drug screening, and random testing thereafter. A negative drug test result must be received by HR within 30 calendar days after the EOD (i.e., start date).

The selectee's inability successfully pass; or refusal to conduct the test may result in: 1) the tentative or FJO being withdrawn during the recruitment process; or 2) subsequently being removed from Federal service for failure to meet a condition of employment. You may be required to sign a "Drug Test Statement of Understanding" if you are selected for this position.

Housing/Relocation Relocation expenses or housing benefits are NOT offered for our student positions. This position does not offer remote work. If you are selected, you will have to report to the office throughout your internship and be living within commuting distance of the office during the summer program.

All current and former Federal employees must submit a copy of your latest SF50 (Notification of Personnel Action) showing your tenure, grade and step, and type of position occupied (i.e., Excepted or Competitive); or similar Notification of Personnel Action documentation, i.e., Transcript of Service, Form 1150, etc. Resumes should NOT include: Classified information/SSN/Photo of yourself/personal information (gender, religion, affiliation etc/Encrypted digitally signed docs).

Resumes with this prohibited information will be automatically ineligible for consideration.