Undergraduate Internship - King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office

An undergraduate internship at the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office introduces students to the criminal legal field and provides meaningful exposure to the many career paths that support the mission of our office: To do Justice. Interns will have a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience, develop professional skills, and learn alongside a wide range of dedicated public servants, including legal administrative professionals, paralegals, victim advocates, legal services supervisors, and deputy prosecuting attorneys.

We are committed to building equitable pathways into public service, creating internship opportunities that are designed to introduce students from a wide range of backgrounds to the criminal legal system, and helping students explore careers where they can make a meaningful impact in King County.

This recruitment is being used to fill internships in our Mainstream Criminal Division, Victim Services, and our Criminal Practice Training team. 
 
About the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office
Our mission is to do Justice:

• We exercise the power given to us by the people with fairness and humility.
• We serve our diverse community, support victims and families, and hold individuals accountable.
• We develop innovative and collaborative solutions for King County and the State of Washington.

We are guided by our core values of Integrity, Compassion, Professionalism, and Leadership. Our office is comprised of six divisions that are further organized into specialized units: 

Job duties may vary based on assigned unit needs:

• Receive calls by telephone and provide information to the public in accordance with PAO policy
• Work within PbK MyView/Reminders to manage daily requests; verify all documents have been received; scan and upload into PbK
• Manage closed disc electronic evidence
• Monitor and distribute faxes
• Assisting Paralegals in managing projects
• Help maintain inventory and order office supplies
• Help request repair services for copy machine and printers
• Interact with the Courts, the Clerk's office, law enforcement, defense attorneys, and the rest of the PAO
• Retrieve information from several record keeping systems: PbK, DISCIS, SCOMIS, ECR, etc.
• Provide assistance to the Legal Service Supervisor
• Assist with special projects as they arise
• Provide support for the Race, Equity and Social Justice policy and principles, work with PAO colleagues and management to identify opportunities for improvement
• Other job duties as assigned by unit

Interns in the Appellate Unit will provide support to the paralegal and supervisor by uploading trial exhibits for appellate review, opening and scanning unit mail, organizing the unit’s supplies, and other general office tasks.  
 
Interns in the Post-Sentencing Unit will provide support to the paralegal and morning matters staff by scanning documents, opening and scanning unit mail, and other tasks to provide back up for a very busy workload.

Interns in the Records Unit will assist with the reorganization of closed discs, matching dummy files, digitizing hard copies, restocking closed files, gathering and sending Most Dangerous Offender Project (homicide) files to Seattle and assisting legal records professionals by completing other duties as assigned.

Interns in the Criminal Training Team will adjust and upload materials to a digital training library through SharePoint, assist in the creation of training materials, program-test new training materials, attend and assist in training events and additional training projects. 

Interns in the Protection Order Advocacy Program (PAOP) may also work closely with our Legal Navigator to support our admin and triage work as well as have opportunities to learn more about protection order advocacy. Common duties include: Utilize case management system to create new case files; develop daily court calendars; assist navigator and queue advocate in daily triage through covering front desk to assist walk ins, answering phone calls, responding to email inquiries; assist Project Manager with special projects often revolving around maintaining and creating new workflows, updating and developing new resources for survivors, aiding in improving existing handouts/resource information to be more accessible; providing back-up coverage in court to document trends and case outcomes; participate in weekly staffing meetings, monthly all-staff meetings, and other meetings/events as schedule allows; learning about the criminal legal system and having the opportunity to observe court interactions and shadow other PAO employees is an additional component of an internship with our office.

• Interest in a career in criminal prosecution, the legal field, victim advocacy, as a paralegal and/or in public service
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including active listening and the ability to communicate information succinctly and clearly.
• Ability to file alphabetically, numerically, and chronologically
• Ability to establish and maintain positive, professional, and effective working relationships with management, co-workers, attorneys, law enforcement, and the general public
• Strong time management skills, including the ability to manage and prioritize multiple tasks simultaneously
• Customer service skills in-person and via telephone (discretion, patience, etiquette, professionalism)
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team, using initiative, attention to detail, and follow through with work assignments
• Ability to maintain security, confidentiality, and discretion involving highly sensitive matters at all times
• Competent in Microsoft Office programs including Outlook and Word. Knowledge of Excel and PowerPoint is a plus
• Ability to demonstrate reliable and predictable attendance
• Ability to accept feedback, coaching, and supervision
• Ability to effectively contribute to a work environment that embraces and encourages diversity in its workforce and where differences are valued
• Commitment to Race, Equity and Social Justice work, including ongoing cultural competence development
• Must submit to a criminal background check, which will include being fingerprinted

Work Location: Internships with our office are fully in-person at the King County Courthouse 516 Third Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104 and/or Maleng Regional Justice Center  401 Fourth Avenue N, Kent, WA 98032

Work Schedule: Our office is open Monday – Friday from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm. Interns may work up to 12 hours per week during the school year and up to 20 hours per week during the summer break.

Who May Apply: 
Currently enrolled Bachelors/Associates level studies at an accredited university/college through Spring quarter of 2027. Proof of enrollment status is required upon hire, and interns must commit to working for six months.

Union Representation: This position is not represented by a labor union.

Application Process: 
Interested individuals must complete the three application components below. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process, please contact Attorney-HR.Prosecuting@kingcounty.gov 

1.   Submit a resume
2.  Respond to the supplemental questions
3.  Fully complete King County application. **

**Applications and/or supplemental questionnaires that state "see my resume" or are blank are considered incomplete and will not be considered competitive. 

For more information regarding this recruitment, please contact: 
Karla Avila Vargas - KVargas@kingcounty.gov

Selection Process:
Materials will be reviewed for qualifications, and the most competitive candidates may be invited to participate in a panel interview process. 

Please note this position is not eligible for King County leave, holiday, health benefits, or other benefits. However, administrative interns accrue sick leave at the rate of 0.025 hours for each hour in pay status. Please contact the recruiter on the posting for any additional questions regarding associated benefits.
 
King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer
No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.