2L SPA Summer Intern (District Attorney’s Office)

Eligibility
This internship position is for current 1L law student applicants who anticipate having completed one full year of law school prior to their internship start date for the Summer of 2026. If you are a current 2L and anticipate having completed two full years of law school prior to your internship start date for the Summer of 2026, please apply for the 3L SPA Summer Internship Program.

See our recruiting webpage: Employment - Colorado District Attorney 23rd Judicial District
 
Our Jurisdiction - Explore All Colorado Has to Offer
The 23rd is the newest DA’s Office in the state, representing three counties and over 400,000 Coloradoans.

We are perfectly situated to the east of the mountains and between Colorado’s two largest cities. To the north is Denver, offering nightlife, performing arts venues, and all 5 major professional sports teams. Directly to the west are the Rocky Mountains, home to world class ski resorts, hiking, mountain biking, and rafting. Directly to the south is Colorado Springs, home to the Garden of the Gods, the Air Force Academy, Olympic Training Center, and Pikes Peak. 

Douglas County is recognized as offering a quality of life unmatched elsewhere in the state. In 2024, Douglas County was named the 3rd Healthiest Community in America according to the U.S. News and World Report, which measures health and wellness across 10 categories (population health, equity, education, economy, housing, food & nutrition, environment, public safety, community vitality, and infrastructure).

Our 3 counties (Douglas, Elbert, and Lincoln) are home to hundreds of miles of trails, countless city parks and open space. We have more than 146,000 acres of Pike National Forest, Roxborough State Park, Castlewood Canyon State Park, and a boating reservoir at Chatfield State Park. Our large jurisdiction spans urban, suburban, and rural areas, offering a variety of communities to fit your individual or family needs.

We Provide Practical Experience
Our 2L internship program offers law students a unique opportunity to conduct meaningful work on real criminal cases. Working alongside our experienced prosecutors, interns can expect to become involved in all aspects of criminal prosecution from the investigative stage through trial.  This will include cases involving murder, sexual assault, aggravated robbery, and other violent crime.  Interns will have opportunities to research novel and interesting legal issues, assist in drafting corresponding pleadings, observe courtroom proceedings where those issues are litigated, review new felony filings for potential evidentiary challenges, and preparing exhibits for trial.

We Train for the Future
Our 2L internship program is designed for law students contemplating a career in criminal prosecution.  We train and mentor our 2L interns with the goal of preparing them to return as 3L interns working and trying cases under the Student Practice Act.  Our 3L interns are trained and mentored with the goal of returning to our office as deputy district attorneys. 

Office Benefits and Culture – More Than Just a Workplace
Earn pay, law school credit, or both. We pay interns an hourly wage of $21. But our office is more than just a place to work: it’s a place you want to work. Just some of our office events are a yearly chili cook-off challenge, a cornhole tournament, and wildlife photo contest. We have an office softball and golf team. We hold an annual winter holiday party, trick-or-treat street, and frequent summer BBQs on our office grill.

Skills and Expertise – Learn from Experience
To be the best, you should learn from the best. Our office is staffed with experienced prosecutors who have tried some of the highest profile and most complex cases in Colorado history. You’ll find our prosecutors teaching at both statewide and national conferences, law schools, and authoring statewide manuals on prosecution. Prosecutors working at our office have been two-time winners of the Colorado Trial Team of the Year, Colorado Prosecutor of the Year, Colorado Prosecutor Trainer of the Year, and a host of other individual awards.

Our office strives to be at the forefront of prosecution. From leading the state in giving the public an unprecedented level of insight into our office with our data dashboards, solving decades old cold case murders through DNA analysis from our dedicated forensic crime lab, to solving crimes through digital data analysis of cellphones and geo-location analysis.

Our Interns Are Part of Our Team
Our interns are not an afterthought, using shared computers, and excluded from opportunities afforded deputy district attorneys. Our interns are an integral part our team and we treat them as such. They join in with deputy district attorneys for meetings, trainings, and gatherings.

Education: Candidates are required to currently be attending law school and must have completed their first year.

Experience: None

Hours: : During the Summer semester, interns work 8 hours a day, 5 days week. Accommodations to this schedule can be made. Please list and discuss any accommodations required during your interview.  

This Summer Student Practice Act Internship Program is for the Douglas County Office, located at 4000 Justice Way, Castle Rock, CO. 

Applications for this position will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The position may be filled prior to the listed closing date. Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible to ensure consideration.

For more information, please contact District Court Chief Deputy District Attorney Jake Adkins at jadkins@coda23.gov

Salary : $21