Job Information
St. Joseph County Government Legal Intern - Paid in South Bend, Indiana
Position:Legal Intern
Department:Prosecutors Office
Location:County-City Building, Special Victims Unit or Juvenile Justice Center
Status:Paid
Description
The intern will work under the direction and supervision of a deputy prosecuting attorney and/or a paraprofessional. During the internship, the intern receives a general introduction to our court system and the organization of our office. Interns will observe the handling of various steps in criminal prosecution. We encourage our interns to attend court hearings, but as the internship will demonstrate, most of our work is done outside of the courtroom. Students are asked to perform most of the same tasks which our employees do daily. There will be an opportunity to assist in court proceedings.
The goal of the internship is to familiarize the intern with different aspects of the Prosecutors Office while affording the student the opportunity to assist the office staff. The internship is an educational experience for the intern, who is studying the work performed by our organization and our role in the justice system. Interns will share the work we perform to evaluate the demands we experience and to realize the skills needed in this work. We expect our supervising employee to provide sufficient directions so that the interns can understand and complete the assigned work. We also expect our interns to be problem solvers with sufficient initiative to manage their time and find ways to perform assigned work tasks without a need for constant supervision.
Essential Functions
Assist attorneys, paralegals, victim advocates and our pre-trial diversion teams with research and clerical work. Shadow Prosecutor's Office staff and observe court proceedings. Research projects may be assigned during the program. This is a (up to) 30 hours a week internship, which pays $16 per hour for eight weeks.
Qualifications
Successful applicants must be law students who have completed their first year or further of law school.
Students are required to sign a confidentiality agreement. Students may not speak or write about a specific case without the prior written permission of the Prosecuting Attorney. It is important that everyone understand that revealing the details of any case or making a comment about a case to any person (including roommates, friends, family, etc.) could jeopardize the entire prosecution. Each intern must understand that the mere fact that a person visited our office or was named in a report, whether as a defendant, victim, or witness, must be kept confidential. Violating this policy could create a serious risk of harm to that individual.
Apply
Please contact Brandi Miller atbmiller@stjoepros.orgwith questions or to submit a cover letter and resume.