Summer 2013 Internship, Office of Vaccine Litigation, U.S. Dept. of Justice - For Undergraduates -- applications due 5/10/13

 

                                               Volunteer/Unpaid Legal Intern, Summer 2013

U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division, Torts Branch

Office of Constitutional and Specialized Torts

Office of Vaccine Litigation

Washington, DC

 

About the Office:  The Vaccine Litigation Group represents the interests of the Secretary of Health and Human Services in all cases filed in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act.  The cases involve claims of injury as a result of the receipt of certain vaccines.  

 

Responsibilities and Opportunity Offered: The Vaccine Litigation Group is currently seeking undergraduate students for a limited number of Summer 2013 volunteer (unpaid) internships.   

 

Interns work closely with attorneys and paralegals on substantive matters in all stages of litigation.  Indeed, the position offers a unique experience in public service.  The legal and medical issues at stake in each case vary greatly.  Attorneys and staff in the group handle heavy case loads, and while streamlined procedures are utilized, cases frequently involve complex liability and damages issues.  The Group is obliged to ensure that the Vaccine Trust Fund, from which damage awards are paid, is protected and, where eligibility criteria are met, that fair compensation is distributed to those whom Congress has intended.  Attorneys appear frequently before the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which affords interns the opportunity to gain experience in trial and appellate practice.   

 

More information about the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program can be found at http://www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation/.

                      

Students should be able to start on or about June 4, 2013, or sooner, and be able to commit 40 hours a week, for approximately 9 weeks, to the office. 

 

Qualifications:  Applicants should have excellent academic credentials, writing, and interpersonal skills, exhibit good judgment, and have an interest in health care litigation.  Experience with Word, Excel, and Powerpoint is required, and experience with Westlaw/Nexis is strongly preferred.  Experience in law/legal courses and medicine/science is also strongly preferred.  Undergraduate juniors and seniors are eligible for the positions.  Unfortunately, graduates are ineligible for the positions. 

 

Salary: The positions are unpaid.  

 

Location: Washington, DC.

 

Application Process and Deadline Date:

 

Application materials must be e-mailed by the deadline date of May 10, 2013.   Please reference Vacancy Announcement #2-VIN-S13 in your cover letter.  Applicants should send a (1) cover letter, (2) resume, (3) transcript, (4) writing sample, and (5) a list of three references by e-mail (in PDF format) to:

 

Chrysovalantis P. Kefalas, Esq.

Co-Director, Law Clerk Program

Office of Vaccine Litigation

Torts Branch, Civil Division

U.S. Department of Justice

P.O. Box 146

Washington, D.C. 20044

vaccine.interns@usdoj.gov

 

Any e-mail attachments should be sent as .pdf files.  No telephone calls please.