CEQ Legal Internship Program

The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) is responsible for advising the President and Vice President on national and international environmental policy matters and ensuring that federal agencies operate efficiently in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Detailed information about CEQ's various roles and responsibilities can be found at our website at: www.whitehouse.gov/CEQ. Information on our legal internship program, including an application which can be downloaded, also can be found on the website.

THE PROGRAM: CEQ has a very competitive legal internship program. We receive approximately 20 applications per session from both law students and recent law school graduates from across the country. However, we typically accept only 2 to 3 law students per session. CEQ's limited number of staff, coupled with its important responsibilities, makes our legal internship program critical to the success of our office. We have unpaid internship opportunities available year round and are currently seeking legal interns for the Spring, Summer, and Fall sessions.

The CEQ staff consists of our Acting Chairman, George T. Frampton, Jr., three Special Assistants, and fifteen Associate Directors who are responsible for various environmental policy areas including:

  • Natural Resources
  • International Trade and Development
  • Sustainable Development
  • Environmental Justice
  • Air, Energy and Transportation
  • Environmental Technologies
  • Global Environment
  • NEPA Oversight
  • Toxics and Solid Waste
  • Correspondence and Special Events
  • Environmental Education
  • Communications/Outreach Strategy

Legal interns work for CEQ's General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel who are charged with handling a variety of matters concerning oversight of NEPA and other legal matters pertinent to CEQ's functions. Additionally, legal interns have the opportunity to work closely with the General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel in a variety of ways, including:

  • Attending interagency working group meetings
  • Responding to Freedom of Information Act requests
  • Writing legal memoranda
  • Compiling legal research on specific environmental issues
  • Tracking federal agency actions on certain environmental issues
  • Monitoring press and public interest on environmental issues
  • Attending Congressional hearings

REQUIREMENTS: We are seeking law students and recent law school graduates who are committed to the preservation of our environment. Applicants must be highly motivated, willing to contribute where needed, and able to handle the pressures that come with working in an Executive Branch office. While there are no prerequisites for internships other than relevant classroom or work experience, we strongly prefer candidates who are available to work full time (four to five days per week). Our office can arrange for credit from colleges, universities and other institutions.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE: Please include with your application a resume with two professional references, a brief writing sample, an unofficial transcript and a cover letter with your availability and interests to: David Spielfogel, Special Assistant for Policy and Administration, Council on Environmental Quality, Room 360, Old Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 20502. Phone (202) 456-6224, Fax (202) 456-2710.

Download an Application PDF Information (115 kb)


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