As part of the City of Austin Law Department’s Internship Program, law students and recent law school graduations can gain exposure and hands-on practical experience in a dynamic municipal law practice. The City of Austin Law Department provides legal advice and representation to the Mayor, City Council, City Officers, City Manager, city departments, and boards and commissions of the City. To maintain the balance of meeting the City's wide-range of legal needs, the Law Department is organized into several divisions that specialize in different areas of the law. Clerks and Fellows provide legal assistance to all Law Department Divisions by performing a variety of tasks, including research, writing memos, attending meetings with other City departments, observing City Council meetings, and assisting with legal proceedings. The goal of our internship program is to assist students and recent law graduates in meeting education and professional goals while assisting the City with important legal issues that directly impact the local community
Available Internships
- Summer Clerkships- Available to students who have completed their second year of law school and are entering their third year. This is a full-time, 10-week, paid temporary position. Positions are available at City Hall and at the Municipal Court with the Municipal Prosecution Division. We recruit throughout the year for these positions and make final decisions on a rolling basis.
- Spring and Fall Course Credit Clerkships- Available to students after they have completed their first year of law school. Students must be eligible to gain course credit for this clerkship. This is an unpaid position. This program takes place in accordance with the timelines and requirements provided by the participating law school. Candidates must comply with any registration deadlines imposed by the law school when applying.
- Post-Graduate Fellowships- Available to individuals who have graduated from an ABA-accredited law school in the past 24 months. Individuals who apply for this position must have acquired funding from an outside source such as a law school or a grant. Positions are available at City Hall and at the Municipal Court with the Municipal Prosecution Division. This is a temporary position. The length of the position and associated deadlines are dependent on the requirements of the funding source. Individuals must comply with any requirements imposed by the funding source.
Application procedures
The City of Austin Law Department recruits widely for its internship program and attends most on-campus interviews hosted by all law schools in Texas, as well as various consortium interview programs nationwide. These events are our primary means of generating a pool of qualified law clerk applicants from a breadth of law schools for our program. Other interested candidates may submit an application for consideration by emailing a cover letter, resume, and writing sample (under 10 pages) to lawclerk@austintexas.gov. Review of application materials occur on a rolling basis until positions are filled.