The Office of Vaccine Litigation

The Office of Vaccine Litigation U.S. Department of Justice The Office of Vaccine Litigation, U.S. Department of Justice continues to seek undergraduate students for a limited number of part-time Winter/Spring volunteer (unpaid) internship positions. Please feel free to forward this announcement to interested students or post the announcement in your job posting database (simplicity, etc.). Due to effort to reach out to as many universities – and interested students – as possible, we unfortunately do not have the resources to individually post to each simplicity site. Any questions regarding these opportunities should be directed to Debra Begley at Vaccine.interns@usdoj.gov. Volunteer/Unpaid Legal Interns, Winter/Spring 2014 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 part-time Winter/Spring 2014 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/. Interns should be able to start on or about January 7, 2014, or sooner, and be able to commit 12-20 hours a week, for approximately 12 weeks, to the office. Interested candidates may be offered the opportunity to continue their service into the summer. 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 postmarked or e-mailed by the deadline date ofNovember 1, 2013. The Office will begin interviews once qualified candidates apply, so early applications are encouraged. Please reference Vacancy Announcement #2-VIN-WS13 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, preferably by e-mail (in PDF format), to: Debra A. Filteu Begley, 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