Legal Interns

CISA's Office of the Chief Counsel (OCC) is excited to offer internship opportunities for law students with an interest in cybersecurity and/or infrastructure security! The primary purpose of these unpaid internships is to provide students the opportunity to obtain professional experience in a federal legal office in support of CISA's mission to understand, manage and reduce risk to our cyber and physical infrastructure. 

• The application cycle is currently open!
• Applications for Summer 2025 will be accepted through December 13, 2024.
• Applications for Fall 2025 will be accepted from December 14, 2024, through February 28, 2025.

What Our Interns Do

OCC provides legal advice to all operational offices, divisions and regional field offices within CISA. OCC also works closely with other DHS components and collaborates with other federal agencies, state/local governments, international governments, and private sector entities in support of the agency's cybersecurity and infrastructure security missions. OCC advises on issues including, but not limited to: cybersecurity program and operational support, infrastructure security program and operational support, ethics, budget/appropriations/fiscal law, legislative affairs, acquisition/procurement/Inter-Agency Agreements, grants and financial assistance, general administrative law, rulemaking, regulatory enforcement, information law, privacy, public-private partnerships, risk assessment, risk management, government intellectual property, intelligence law, employment law, and federal litigation. OCC interns will get a chance to learn about different agency programs and work with program clients and staff attorneys to solve real world problems. 

Volunteer interns will support OCC attorneys in providing legal and policy advice to CISA staff through one or more of the following OCC Legal Divisions: Cybersecurity, General Law, Ethics, Infrastructure Security and Regulatory Programs, Litigation and Investigations, and/or Operations, Engagement, and Risk. 

Interns will assist CISA attorneys by providing written advice on the application of federal laws to CISA and DHS programs and policies. Other assignments may include legal research and analysis, client engagement and consultations as necessary. 

Interns may also be required to participate in conferences and meetings with representatives of other executive departments representatives and agencies, industry representatives and the public regarding legal matters of interest.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. citizen. The Department of Homeland Security uses E-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.
• Must attend or have attended an ABA accredited law school and successfully completed first semester of law school.
• Must successfully pass a public trust/suitability background screening. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs.
• Must submit to a drug test and receive a negative test result prior to onboarding.
• If you receive a conditional offer for this internship, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application as part of the background investigation process.
• If admitted to a state bar as a student attorney, applicants will need to be in good standing.