The Natural Resources Section handles litigation arising under more than 80 natural resource, environmental, and cultural resource statutes, various treaties and international agreements, interstate compacts, and congressional referrals. The Section's cases involve the National Environmental Policy Act, the National Forest Management Act, the National Park Service Organic Act, the Coastal Zone Management Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, the Archaeological Resources Protection Act, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, and the National Trails System Act, among others. The Section's cases involve the stewardship of our national parks, forests, rangelands, wildlife refuges, and offshore resources; the Nation's trust relationship with Native Americans and Tribes; vital federal programs ranging from nuclear materials management to military preparedness to energy policy and resource extraction; and original actions in the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve boundary and water
allocation disputes. The Section is also responsible for the defense of real property claims brought in the United States Court of Federal Claims arising under the Just Compensation Clause of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. These inverse condemnation cases cover the full spectrum of governmental activity relating to land use and environmental regulation and involve issues such as military readiness, transportation infrastructure, and flood control.
The Section's cases are tried throughout the United States and its possessions and territories in both state and federal court, including the Court of Federal Claims. The Section represents virtually every major federal agency.
Our offices are conveniently located adjacent to the NoMA-Gallaudet University (Red Line) Metro Station, a short walk from Union Station. ENRD's building was constructed in 2019; offices and shared spaces in the building are new, clean, well-equipped, and packed with amenities. A wide variety of restaurants, coffee shops, stores, entertainment venues, and other attractions are easily accessible to employees in the neighborhood. The rich, culturally-diverse NoMA neighborhood is one of the most up-and-coming neighborhoods in DC!
JOB DESCRIPTION:
The Natural Resources Section seeks to hire an undergraduate student intern with interest in environmental policy and/or federal litigation.
Duties include:
• Research, analyze, and summarize a variety of legal information e.g. caselaw research, company history research, reviewing discovery for pertinent information and PII, redacting privileged information, summarizing transcripts;
• Proofread and cite-check documents for filing;
• Assemble materials for staff associated with briefings, conferences, meetings, and trial;
• Upload and export information from document review platforms, including discovery, exhibits, indices, and privilege logs;
• Attend trainings, meetings, depositions, and/or(mock)trial;
• Independently perform recurring administrative tasks.
Commitment:
• Applicant must be able to work a minimum 6-8 week commitment.
• Applicant must be able to work at least 3 days a week for at least 6 hours each day.
• Office hours equals 6-8 hours between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
• All internships are unpaid, and housing is not provided.
Due to COVID-19, if selected, you may be expected to telework for an undefined period under the Department’s evacuation authority, even if your home is located outside the local commuting area. Employees in this status may be notified of a requirement to report in person to the component workplace with an advance notice of not less than 30 days. Prior to a requirement to report to the workplace, employees may be eligible to request to continue to telework one or more days a pay period depending upon the terms of the component’s telework policy.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Applicants must be seeking a bachelor’s degree with a 3.0 GPA or above. Applicants must be registered for classes the semester before and after the internship period. Applicants must be a U.S. citizen or national. Applicants should have a strong interest in federal litigation and/or trial work and an exceptional academic background. Applicants must complete a background investigation.
APPLICATION PROCESS:
Applicants must submit an unofficial transcript, resume, cover letter, and two references to:
Alexus Garrett (she/her)
Supervisory Paralegal Specialist, Natural Resources Section
U.S. Department of Justice
Email applications to: Alexus.Garrett@usdoj.gov