Semester requirement: 1
Credits: 3

SITE DESCRIPTION

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) carries out the Federal highway programs in partnership with the State and local agencies to meet the nation’s transportation needs. Southern Legal Services, a field office of FHWA’s Office of Chief Counsel, provides advice and legal representation to fourteen division offices throughout the Southeast on a wide range of issues including environmental matters, employment law, requests for reasonable accommodations, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, Federal Tort claims, ethics questions, federal land transfers and programmatic applications of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

The Agency’s environmental work revolves primarily around issues related to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act. The office’s litigation case load varies but almost always includes 1) environmental lawsuits in U.S. District Courts throughout the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, Tenth, and Eleventh Circuits; and 2) employment suits constituting either Title VII discrimination or retaliation claims before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or appeals to the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board.

Typical intern assignments range from researching, analyzing and providing recommendations regarding discrete legal issues to drafting dispositive pretrial motions. Interns participate in meetings with clients, conferences with opposing counsel, mediation and settlement discussions, and conferences with the Assistant U.S. Attorneys assigned to the Agency’s environmental cases. The resulting experience provides exposure to a broad range of legal issues and a better understanding of the work performed by FHWA attorneys. Student preference for either environmental or employment law is considered in assigning projects, but the office case load at the time of the externship ultimately determines the range of available assignments.

STUDENT QUALIFICATIONS

Prerequisites: None

Preferences:

• Classes in Administrative Law, Environmental Law, and/or Employment Discrimination are helpful.
• Second or third-year students with excellent writing and analytic skills are encouraged to apply.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Externs must be U.S. citizens.

Semester requirement: 1
Credits: 3

SITE DESCRIPTION

This externship has been designed for, and is only open to, students enrolled in the part-time program while taking this externship.  Special arrangements have been made with this site to accommodate part-time students who are not otherwise able to participate in the externship program because of on-gong commitments unrelated to law school.

SELC has six program areas: Global Warming, Clean Energy & Air, Land & Community, Coast & Wetlands, Clean Water, and Southern Forests.  Externs have the opportunity to choose some of their assignments from one of the SELC's six program areas.

Externs will conduct research and writing on various environmental and administrative law issues and may participate in meetings with attorneys, clients, partner groups, and/or state and federal officials. Externs do primarily research and writing though they also have opportunities to join in teleconferences, meetings and site visits with our attorneys.

STUDENT QUALIFICATIONS

Prerequisites: Part-Time Student

Preferences:

• Environmental Law and/or Administrative Law
• Land Use courses
• Background or demonstrated interest in environmental issues

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

At the time of application, include three references and your GPA on your resume and include a one-page summary that briefly explains your interest in the placement as it relates to your professional development goals and highlights relevant coursework and/or experience.