Internship

U.S. Department of Justice Summer Law Intern Program 2027: Paid Federal Legal Internship The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Summer Law Intern Program, usually called the SLIP, is a competitive recruitment route for law students who want a paid summer placement in federal legal work. The program is designed mainly for students who will work between their second and third years of law school, while a separate SLIP-Law Clerk track can serve eligible graduating students before they begin a qualifying clerkship, fellowship, or graduate law program. The 2027 summer application is scheduled to open on August 28, 2026 , and close on September 8, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time . As of August 20, the window is announced but not yet open. The Department says late applications are not accepted, so applicants should prepare their information before the application system opens and submit well before the final evening. Detail Information Opportunity DOJ Summer Law Intern Program (SLIP), summer 2027 Provider U.S. Department of Justice Support Compensated federal legal internship; salary is set through the General Schedule and locality rules 2026 pay reference $16.67–$30.57 per hour in base salary, or $22.33–$40.94 per hour in Washington, D.C., depending on qualification level 2027 application opens August 28, 2026 Main applicant group Current law students who have completed at least one full semester of legal study Application route DOJ online application system Hiring-office choices Applicants may apply to up to four participating hiring offices Work locations DOJ offices and participating U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in Washington, D.C., Virginia, California, Florida, Rhode Island, and other listed locations The 2026 pay figures are a planning reference, not a promise of the 2027 rate. DOJ states that the Office of Personnel Management is expected to publish the 2027 salary tables in January. Locality pay depends on the duty station, and the final offer should control the actual compensation. What the DOJ program offers SLIP is not the same as an unpaid volunteer legal internship. DOJ describes it as a compensated excepted-service hiring program. The program gives selected students an opportunity to work inside the Department on matters connected to federal enforcement, litigation, legal policy, administration, immigration, civil rights, or other assigned office work. The exact experience depends on the hiring component and position. The #J-18808-Ljbffr