Academic Semester Internships/Externships and Summer Honors Law Clerk Program with EPA's Environmental Appeals Board

The Environmental Appeals Board (EAB) is an appellate tribunal established by regulation to hear administrative appeals under all major environmental statutes that EPA administers. Located in Washington, DC, the EAB’s caseload consists primarily of appeals from permit decisions and administrative civil penalty decisions, as well as petitions for reimbursement of costs incurred in complying with cleanup orders issued under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). Non-EPA parties may appeal an EAB decision to federal court. Experienced attorneys, a Clerk of the Board, and an Administrative Specialist provide support to the judges. Learn more about the EAB.

Who Should Apply?

The EAB seeks legal interns to assist both the Environmental Appeals Judges and Counsel to the Board to conduct legal research, analyze applicable law and the administrative record, draft legal memoranda, and prepare final decisions. In addition to excellent legal research, writing, and analytical skills, the EAB considers, among other things, an applicant’s interest in environmental law, administrative law, public interest law, or appellate litigation. The EAB will consider applications from first- and second-year law students for the summer program; second-year and third-year students are eligible to work in the fall and winter/spring semesters. Students must have U.S. citizenship.

Are the Positions Paid/Unpaid? Are there Benefits?

The EAB offers unpaid positions during the Summer, Fall, and Winter/Spring semesters. For these positions, students may work as academic (for credit) externs, under a variety of public service or law-school-sponsored fellowships, or as unpaid law clerks or interns.

A Metro transit subsidy is available for unpaid in-person positions.

What Dates Would I Work?

Fall and Winter/Spring positions may be full-time/semester-in-practice (40 hours per week) or part-time (at least 15 hours per week) and require a commitment of at least ten weeks.

How Do I Apply?

Email the following documents to EAB_interns@epa.gov as one PDF file by the appropriate deadline. Please include the applicant’s full name in the subject line of the email.

• Cover letter,
• Resume,
• A legal writing sample not-to-exceed 10 pages (for which the applicant was the primary author - with minor (if any) edits by others). The writing sample should include a legal analysis section,
• Law school transcript, and
• Three references whom the EAB may contact upon receipt of the application. At least one reference must be a current or former supervisor (or someone familiar with the quality, complexity and scope of the applicant’s work).paid Summer positions must apply to both positions separately (for Pathways, through USAJobs, and for unpaid positions, through submission of application materials to the EAB_interns mailbox).

Deadlines

For Academic Semester (Fall or Winter/Spring) and unpaid Summer positions:

• April 15 for Fall positions,
• October 15 for Winter/Spring positions, and
• January 15 for Summer unpaid positions.

Contact

EAB_Interns@epa.gov for all email inquiries.
(202) 233-0122 for all telephone inquiries.