Legal Internships and Externships with EPA’s Environmental Appeals Board
(SYMPLICITY JOB ID# 21306)
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). Private parties may appeal an EAB decision in federal court. The Judges on the EAB sit in panels of three and make decisions by majority vote.
Eight counsel and two administrative professionals provide support to the Judges. Learn more about the EAB.
Who Should Apply?
The Board 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 Board considers, among other things, an applicant’s interest in environmental law, administrative law, public interest law, or appellate litigation. The Board will consider applications from first- and second-year law students for the summer; 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? Are there Benefits?
Summer positions are paid. Please see the instructions below for applying to the paid internship program through the USAjobs website.
Fall and winter/spring semester positions are unpaid. 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 both paid and unpaid in-person positions.
What Dates Would I Work?
Start and end dates are negotiable. See the USAjobs announcement for more details on summer positions. 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?
For Summer applications, applications must be submitted through the USAjobs portal. See the Summer 2022 announcement here, or follow the steps below:
Visit the USAJobs.gov Pathways for Students page
Scroll down to select “search internship jobs”
At the next page, enter Environmental Protection Agency in the keyword search bar find the “Student Trainee (Legal)” position for the EAB in the search results Select “apply,” and follow the instructions to complete the application
In addition to answering the questions in the portal, applicants must upload a resume, law school transcripts, and proof of enrollment.
The EAB will contact finalists to schedule interviews and request writing samples for academic year (Fall or Winter/Spring) applications, 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, Writing sample, 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).
Deadlines are:
• June 15 for Fall positions,
• October 15 for Winter/Spring positions, and
• January 24 for Summer 2022 positions (see the announcement for more details).
Contact
EAB_Interns@EPA.gov for all email inquiries
Nivea Berrios-Colon
Counsel to the Board
(202) 233-0122
Catherine Malinin Dunn
Counsel to the Board
(202) 564-2555
Corin James
Counsel to the Board
(202) 564-1754
NOTE: All Environmental Appeals Board personnel, including interns and externs, are currently working remotely due to federal guidance concerning COVID-19. Once offices re-open at EPA Headquarters in Washington D.C., in-person internships and externships may again be possible.