GENERAL INFORMATION

Internships are offered throughout the year and are broken up into 3 sessions – Spring, Summer, and Fall. All internships are unpaid.

Interns may receive academic credit if an agreement is made between the Public Defender’s Office and the intern’s college or university. Work-study is offered only if the Office’s portion is covered by the school.

Upon acceptance, interns will attend an Orientation prior to their start date.

Interns are assigned to a supervising attorney and assist with a wide range of projects.

DEADLINES & REQUIREMENTS

We are currently accepting applications for the Spring session, which will begin in January 2019.

Although interns are not considered staff members of the Public Defender’s office, interns must comply with all rules and policies applied to staff. Interns must keep confidential any information obtained during the course of the internship program. This obligation continues beyond the period of the internship.

At the end of the internship, the intern is expected to complete an evaluation questionnaire on his or her experience and submit it to the Chief District Public Defender.

Caddo Parish District Public Defender’s Office is an equal employment opportunity employer. Discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, sexual orientation or national origin is prohibited.

APPLICATION

To apply, please submit a resume and cover letter to employment@caddopdo.org with the subject line of “internship” and specify within the email if you are a high school, college, or law student. Qualified candidates will be contacted for in-person interviews.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR LAW STUDENTS

LAW STUDENT INTERNS

Current law students who have successfully completed at least one (1) year of law school are encouraged to apply to our legal intern positions. The Office’s newly instated program is designed to give students an understanding of the criminal justice system and hands-on experience with representing clients. Interns are assigned to work with a staff attorney in writing motions, meeting clients, attending case conferences, reviewing files, and observing court proceedings. We are looking for students with a passion for working for the underprivileged, the marginalized, and are committed to indigent defense. We want students with strong written and oral communication skills – who are willing to think like advocates and fight for our clients.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS

Undergraduate interns will learn first-hand the inner workings of the criminal justice system. The experience gained by undergraduate students who volunteer at Caddo Parish Public Defender's Office will provide them with an advantage when applying for jobs within the criminal justice system and when applying to graduate school or law school.

Undergraduate student volunteers may assist attorneys with special projects, deliver pleadings and discovery to the District Attorney's Office and court, and attend court proceedings with attorneys. Based on the student’s preference, students may be placed in the investigations unit or social work.

INVESTIGATIONS UNIT INTERN

Do you like to be the first person to know the rest of the story? If you like talking to people and getting the facts, the Investigations Unit may be your dream intern assignment.

Public Defender Investigators do a variety of things including: reviewing police reports, witness statements and pictures taken by the police, interviewing witnesses, taking photographs, measuring distances, and reviewing and retrieving documents.

If you’re smart, curious, a good listener and a quick learner please apply to be a Public Defender Investigator intern.

SOCIAL WORKER INTERN

Are you studying social work?

Duties of the social work intern may include conducting in-custody interviews with clients; phone interviews with client’s circle of support; advocating for post-release services; collaborating & communicating with Probation & Parole; requesting and reviewing client’s criminal, educational, and treatment records; developing discharge plans; and writing detailed social histories. Interning as an adult social worker is an opportunity to help give second chances to our clients by looking at the whole person and can make a real difference to our community.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

High school students work in various capacities with our support staff. If you are a high school student, you or your parent may send an email to employment@caddopdo.org.