Internship Program
The Office of the State Public Defender offers internship opportunities to current law students in person and hybrid work environments with excellent mentoring opportunities. Interns work closely with knowledgeable and accomplished public defenders to produce high-quality legal work as they gain experience and invaluable insight into the field of public defense.
Summer Appellate Law Clerks
The Office of the State Public Defender’s role as a Summer Appellate Law Clerk is a great opportunity for committed law students to receive extensive training on California appellate procedure and practice, with a focus on death penalty law. As a Summer Appellate Law Clerk, you will assist with preparing appeals and other client-focused work such as performing legal and factual research, investigating forensic claims, mental health and other issues, drafting memos and legal pleadings, and reviewing records for Racial Justice Act violations.
This is a paid 10-week summer internship from June – August. We start with a crash course in California capital procedure, feature a tour of San Quentin prison and multiple career panels and other trainings. When summer ends, you will have sharper research and writing skills, a better understanding of the career opportunities in criminal defense, and an excellent writing sample to share with prospective employers.
Registration as a graduate student in a college or university of recognized standing. (Persons appointed during the summer months must produce evidence of eligibility for such registration in the following enrollment period.)
OSPD generally hires for these positions in the fall. Please search on CalCareers, linked here, to check if we are recruiting. Please direct any questions to alexander.post@ospd.ca.gov
Rural Defender Internship
The Rural Defender Summer Internship is a unique opportunity to make a big difference in a small community. Incarceration rates are disproportionately high in rural areas and rural communities need lawyers committed to vigorous public defense to ensure that clients have equitable access to justice.
Students selected for this opportunity will be placed in a rural county public defender’s office in California to help represent clients. As a Rural Defender Summer Intern, you will gain experience, receive training and participate in mentorship facilitated by the Office of the State Public Defender.
This is an in-person internship and will require students to relocate to the county of placement for the summer. OSPD will match interns with county public defender offices, utilizing input from the applicant on preferred locations. Interns can utilize their law school’s public interest funding.
The internship is open to 1Ls and 2Ls who are looking for an exciting opportunity over the summer. 2Ls who are state bar certified law clerks will have the opportunity to make supervised appearances in court.
To apply, please provide a resume and cover letter stating why you are interested in working in a rural public defender’s office to Ashanti.mitchell@ospd.ca.gov