What are the responsibilities and job description for the STUDENT TRAINEE (LAW) position at Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA)?
Summary
Interested in a career in national security? DCSA is offering a paid internship: the DCSA Student Experience (DSE) '26 Cohort. Open to law students with a 3.0 GPA, students must maintain full-time status through October 2026. The program runs 1 OR 15 June - 21 August 2026, requiring a minimum of 10 weeks of participation.
This announcement is selecting student interns for the Office of the General Counsel.
Duties
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This is a temporary position NTE 1 year from appointment.
As a STUDENT TRAINEE (LAW) 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.
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Conditions of employment
To qualify for this position, you must meet the criteria specified below:
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 2026 or earlier.
Specifically, You Will Be Evaluated On The Following Competencies
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 2026 or earlier.
Official Transcripts and other required Official supporting documentation will be submitted by selected students as soon as available by their institution to continue in 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:
https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/
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: https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/140025/1400.25-V300.pdf
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.
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.
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
Help
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
Interested in a career in national security? DCSA is offering a paid internship: the DCSA Student Experience (DSE) '26 Cohort. Open to law students with a 3.0 GPA, students must maintain full-time status through October 2026. The program runs 1 OR 15 June - 21 August 2026, requiring a minimum of 10 weeks of participation.
This announcement is selecting student interns for the Office of the General Counsel.
Duties
Help
This is a temporary position NTE 1 year from appointment.
As a STUDENT TRAINEE (LAW) 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 evaluates 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, DoD 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.
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Conditions of employment
- Must be a US citizen
- Selective Service Requirement: Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service. For more information http://www.sss.gov
- Resume and supporting documents received by 11:59PM EST will be considered
- This is a Drug Testing designated position
- Position is a (DCIPS) position in the Excepted Service under U.S.C. 1601
- Work Schedule: Full Time
- Overtime: Occasionally
- Tour of Duty: Flexible
- PCS (Permanent Change of Station): Not Authorized (Relocation expenses or housing will NOT be provided by the agency)
- Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Non-Exempt
- Financial Disclosure: Not Required
- Telework Eligibility: This position is telework eligible but is not a full time telework position. The incumbent will be required to report to the office on a routine basis.
- Supervisors may approve situational telework on a case-by-case, temporary basis for limited situations.
- If selected, the incumbent must obtain and maintain appropriate security clearance as indicated in job announcement.
- Incumbent must be adjudicated as suitable for federal employment, based on a background investigation.
- Incumbent must hold a bachelor's degree and be currently enrolled as a full-time law student in a program leading to award of the first professional law degree.
- Incumbent must have and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale.
- Students accepted into the internship program must send law school official transcript with Spring 2026 semester/quarter grade to the DCSA Student Programs Office prior to onboarding.
- Students who successfully complete the program may be eligible for non-competitive conversion to a permanent position after graduation if all requirements have been met. Funding availability, mission requirements, and other factors may apply.
To qualify for this position, you must meet the criteria specified below:
- You must hold a bachelor's degree;
- You must be currently enrolled as a full-time law student in a program leading to award of the first professional law degree; and
- You must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale.
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 2026 or earlier.
Specifically, You Will Be Evaluated On The Following Competencies
- Communication: Written and oral communication techniques sufficient to develop and deliver briefings, project papers, status/staff reports and correspondence to managers to foster understanding and acceptance of findings and recommendations.
- Interpersonal Skills: Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations.
- Teamwork: Encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust, and group identity; fosters commitment and team spirit; works with others to achieve goals.
- Problem Solving: Identifies and analyzes problems; uses sound reasoning to arrive at conclusions; finds alternative solutions to complex problems; distinguishes between relevant and irrelevant information to make logical judgements.
- Attention to Detail: Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.
- Ability to research, analyze and present information.
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 2026 or earlier.
Official Transcripts and other required Official supporting documentation will be submitted by selected students as soon as available by their institution to continue in 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:
https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/
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: https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/140025/1400.25-V300.pdf
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.
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.
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
Help
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
