2023 Summer Honors Internship Program
The NYC Law Department selects approximately 50 Summer Honors Program interns from over 2,500 applications submitted each year. The Law Department is perhaps the only public sector/public interest employer in the country to make offers of permanent employment to its second-year summer interns based on their performance during the summer. In the past few years, about half of our entry class attorney positions have been filled with former participants of our Summer Honors Internship Program. The Law Department offers weekly stipends of $750 to our summer interns for our 9-week summer program. The office also offers housing concurrent with our summer program to our out-of-town law school summer interns.
The Law Department’s varied divisions offer summer interns hands-on practical experience. Summer interns regularly draft motion papers and briefs that are filed in court. Interns in our Tort Division take or defend depositions and take part in pre-trial court proceedings. Interns in the Special Federal Litigation Division are assigned to work on a trial with a trial team over the course of the summer. Interns in the Family Court Division regularly interview victims and witnesses and appear in court. Read more about our Program in our Frequently Asked Questions. In addition, you can reach out to Law Department attorneys who have volunteered to be contacted by applicants interested in learning more about our work on our Law Department Ambassadors page. Any other questions can be directed to the Law Department’s Legal Recruitment Office.
The majority of second year summer interns work in one of our litigating divisions. These divisions include, in order of numbers of placements each year, our Tort, Labor and Employment, Special Federal Litigation, Family Court, Administrative Law and Regulatory Litigation, General Litigation, Commercial and Real Estate Litigation, and Workers’ Compensation Divisions. On occasion, we have placed an second year intern in our Affirmative Litigation, Appeals, Environmental Law, Legal Counsel, and Tax and Bankruptcy Litigation Divisions. Generally, we do not place second year summer interns in our transactional divisions, which include our Economic Development, Contracts and Real Estate, and Municipal Finance Divisions. For more details about what interns do, please refer to descriptions of the Law Department’s individual legal divisions.
The Law Department looks for candidates who are committed to public service, pursuing justice and serving the common good. To best serve the City we represent, the Law Department seeks individuals from a variety of backgrounds who can bring different perspectives to contribute to the work of the office. The Law Department also seeks candidates who want to contribute to a work environment that values teamwork, inclusion and respect. Finally, for second year summer intern candidates, as many of our second year interns work in litigating divisions, the Law Department seeks candidates who have experience in moot court, trial advocacy, debate, public speaking, or litigation/mediation clinics or internships.
Second year law students may now submit an application for our 2023 summer honors internship program through our online portal. First year law students may apply through this same link after December 1, 2022.
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2023 Entry Level Attorney Class
Each year, the NYC Law Department typically hires an entry class of 40-80 recent law school graduates. These new attorneys receive unparalleled, hands-on legal experience in a supportive learning environment. New attorneys attend extensive orientation and training programs. They then take responsibility for their own matters, supervised closely by experienced attorneys.
A majority of new attorneys work in one of our litigating divisions where they engage in the day-to-day work of state and federal court litigation, including drafting motions, conducting depositions, exchanging discovery and appearing in court and at depositions. These divisions include, in order of numbers of placements each year, our Tort, Labor and Employment, Special Federal Litigation, Family Court, Administrative Law and Regulatory Litigation, General Litigation, Commercial and Real Estate Litigation, and Workers’ Compensation Divisions. On occasion, we have placed an entry-level attorney in our Affirmative Litigation, Appeals, Environmental Law, Legal Counsel, and Tax and Bankruptcy Litigation Divisions. Generally, we do not place entry-level attorneys in our transactional divisions, which include our Economic Development, Contracts and Real Estate, and Municipal Finance Divisions. Read more about our entry level Assistant Corporation Counsel position and our application process in our Frequently Asked Questions. To learn more about the Law Department’s legal divisions, you can read the descriptions of the divisions. In addition, you can reach out to Law Department attorneys who have volunteered to be contacted by applicants interested in learning more about our work through our Law Department Ambassadors page.
The Law Department looks for candidates who are committed to public service, pursuing justice and serving the common good. To best serve the City we represent, the Law Department seeks individuals from a variety of backgrounds who can bring different perspectives to contribute to the work of the office. The Law Department also seeks candidates who want to contribute to a work environment that values teamwork, inclusion and respect. Finally, as many of our entry-level attorneys work in litigating divisions, the Law Department seeks candidates who have experience in moot court, trial advocacy, debate, public speaking, or litigation/mediation clinics or internships.
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2023-2024 Corporation Counsel Honors Fellowship
The New York City Law Department sponsors an annual Corporation Counsel Honors Fellowship Program for one or two recent graduates a year. The recipients of this paid, highly selective one-year Honors Fellowship enjoy a behind the scenes view into the operations and governance of the City of New York with a focus on the major legal issues facing the City during the course of their fellowship year.
Honors Fellows are welcome to express interest in working closely with specific division(s). Past Honors Fellows have gained significant counseling, legislative, transactional, trial court level litigation, and appellate experience. They may also request to work on projects in specific areas of the law such as employment, land use, tax certiorari, constitutional, administrative, environmental, and commercial law. Learn about the 16 legal divisions at the Law Department.
Applicants for the Corporation Counsel Honors Fellowship Program must have a record of academic excellence and a demonstrable interest in urban affairs and governance. Applicants must be graduating law school or be no more than three years out of law school. Applicants must also be either admitted to the New York State bar, in the process of becoming admitted or currently in law school. Successful candidates will be chosen by a committee of senior leadership at the Law Department. The fellowship term will be from fall 2023 to fall 2024. The fellowship stipend will be equal to the salary of a new attorney at the NYC Law Department plus City employee benefits.
Applications should include a cover letter discussing what legal issues and experiences they would be most interested in exploring through the Honors Fellowship, a resume, writing sample, law school transcript and a list of three references.
Applicants may apply for the 2023-2024 Corporation Counsel Honors Fellowship position through our online application portal. The deadline to apply is September 30, 2022.
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The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual’s sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.