Ohio EPA's Legal Internship Program
Participants in the Ohio EPA's Office of Legal Services Legal Internship Program in Columbus, Ohio work approximately 10 hours per week (up to 40 hours per week during summer programs) and have the opportunity to draft enforcement documents and memoranda on environmental issues. Preference will be given to second- and third-year law students with environmental law, environmental policy, and/or environmental science experience. These are paid positions.
The goal of Ohio EPA's legal internship program is to involve participating law students in Ohio EPA's multimedia programs. The Ohio EPA implements, regulates, and enforces Ohio's laws and regulations regarding air and water quality standards; solid, hazardous and infectious waste management and disposal standards; water quality planning and the supervision of sewage treatment and public drinking water supplies; and the cleanup of unregulated hazardous waste sites. To help accomplish these tasks, Ohio EPA employs a staff of over twenty attorneys, whose primary functions include: providing legal or “general counsel opinions” to the director and various divisions; drafting orders to and conducting settlement negotiations with the regulated community; and drafting rules to be adopted by Ohio EPA.
Students participating in Ohio EPA's legal internship program will have the opportunity to develop lawyering skills, learn substantive areas of law, and witness first hand how a large and active government agency operates. Students are assigned projects ranging from legal research to the actual development and preparation of enforcement cases. Students also have the opportunity to witness negotiation sessions; attend public meetings (where Agency personnel brief and answer questions of the regulated community and concerned citizens about proposed actions of the Director); attend proceedings before the Environmental Review Appeals Commission and Ohio EPA Hearing Examiners; attend hearings before the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review; and finally, students may have the opportunity to visit regulated facilities and sites where clean ups are being performed.
Law students may intern during either the summer or the academic year. Staff Attorneys volunteer to serve as mentors to participating students. Mentors help students choose projects, provide constructive feedback on work performed, and coordinate with the student's law school to ensure that requirements for any available academic credit are met. Throughout the duration of the internship, the mentor and student will meet to discuss the student's work and any questions or issues that may arise.
A legal internship with Ohio EPA offers students an opportunity to learn more about a growing area of law and work closely with individuals responsible for enforcing the law. The work is exciting, interesting, and professionally challenging. Additionally, work with Ohio EPA will provide important experience for any future legal positions in the environmental field.
Students who are interested in the legal intern program can view any current postings for a legal intern position at the state of Ohio Job Search page. NOTE: even though the position is a legal internship, any postings for a legal intern will be listed as a “College Internship” for the Office of Legal Services due to administrative requirements. For a state job application, go to: http://das.ohio.gov/hrd/jobapp.html. For any further questions or information regarding this program, please contact Ohio EPA’s Legal Office at (614) 644-3037 and ask to speak to an intern coordinator.