The Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Washington, in both its Seattle and Tacoma offices, is seeking undergraduate volunteers to work closely with our agency personnel in providing assistance and support to the indigent clients we represent.
These are unpaid positions, but would offer the volunteer an opportunity to be part of the inner-workings of a public defender agency. Duties would include organization of records, record review and summary, and working on case-specific projects as needed. Maintaining client confidentiality and a professional code of conduct are important requirements of our work. Students must be fingerprinted prior to the start of their internship for an employment suitability background check and provide proof of citizenship. A prior record is not necessarily disqualifying. The Federal Defender reviews the results and has discretion in making the suitability determination.
We are seeking individuals who can offer a two quarter commitment of 12-15 hours a week. It is important to note that we are not hiring new employees, thus interested candidates should be mindful there are no current employment opportunities within our agency. It is our intent to provide volunteers with a meaningful experience where they can gain a skill set not otherwise available to them within the academic confines of a classroom.
We are no longer accepting applications for the Fall quarter. We will update this page with information about how to apply once we have positions open. Thank you.