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Jobs & Internships
Internships for Undergraduate Students
The Iowa Attorney General’s Office values the contributions made by interns and works hard to give interns the best experience possible. The office benefits substantially from the work done by these interns and from the contributions interns make to the vitality of the office.
A number of positions for undergraduate student interns are available during the school year and over the summer months. These positions are traditionally unpaid, but they do offer important experience. Colleges usually offer academic credit for this kind of work and the Attorney General’s Office will cooperate with colleges to arrange for appropriate academic credit.
The internship program provides many benefits and opportunities. Interns can:
- Learn about careers in law, public service, law enforcement, public relations and public policy. Past interns say the experience has helped them judge whether their planned career path is a good fit for their interests.
- Experience a professional work environment.
- Develop a professional relationship with staff of the Iowa Attorney General’s Office.
- Develop skills outside of an academic setting.
Interns are expected to:
- Fulfill all work commitments made.
- Respect confidentiality.
- Project professional conduct, attitude and dress.
Interns can expect to:
- Work in a supportive, friendly environment.
- Be treated with respect by office employees.
- Have adequate supervision.
Internships are available in three areas of the office:
Consumer Protection Division Internship
(This is an unpaid position, but it may be used for college credit, depending upon the requirements of your school.)
Description: The intern in this position handles individual consumer complaints and assists attorneys and investigators on projects of broader application. The intern works under the supervision of our Executive Officer. The intern is assigned consumer complaints and follows them through the process to attempt to assist in resolving the complaint where possible. Projects of broader application might include assisting with investigations, litigation support such as witness interviews, document organization and review, and other tasks, as assigned. Interns can expect to work with division staff in a team-oriented office dedicated to serving the people of Iowa. To the greatest extent possible, interns will learn of opportunities to attend trials, court hearings, or oral arguments involving Attorney General legal staff. The internship is located in Des Moines and involves from 10-20 hours per week during the 8-4:30 Monday-Friday work week.
Duties include: collecting, reviewing, analyzing and summarizing materials obtained from various information sources; assembling investigative files; reproducing documents; and drafting case summaries under staff supervision.
Requirements: The intern holding this position must: be able to take and accurately apply general instructions; be well organized; be detail oriented; be self motivating and successful in following assignments to completion; be proficient in computer skills; be able to efficiently and accurately review and organize documentation; and be capable of working independently and meeting established deadlines. The selected person must have excellent writing, speaking and interpersonal skills, convey a professional presence, and have good analytical abilities. This position requires confidentiality and discretion. The Department of Justice will require the selected person to sign a confidentiality agreement. Interested persons may be in an associated undergraduate program or graduate level program of study, i.e., pre-law, political science, criminology, communications, or consumer and family sciences programs.
"I really appreciated the level of responsibility that was entrusted in us.....(Going to trials) was probably my favorite experience to see how the process works in the court system. We got to do such a wide variety of things that I felt the internship was really well-rounded."
Kim Opatz, former intern from Simpson College
"This internship has been very rewarding to me because there is a good feeling when one is able to help get back money in any amount for consumers. The cases that I worked on really opened my eyes to how to be ‘consumer savvy’ and I learned a lot about different scams and problems consumers can have and will have with businesses. Another thing I enjoyed was the people that I met and worked with. Everyone was eager to help one another and it seems that everyone wants the same thing, to be able to help out the consumers and businesses, to find the truth in the matters at hand.”
Melinda Kuehl, former intern from Grand View College
To apply, or if you have questions, contact:
Debra A. Moore, Executive Officer
Iowa Attorney General’s Office
Hoover State Office Building, 2nd Floor
1305 East Walnut St.
Des Moines, Iowa 50319
(515) 281-8770
dmoore@ag.state.ia.us
Area Prosecutions Division Internship
(This is an unpaid position but it may be used for college credit, depending upon the requirements of your school.)
Position Title: Intern- Sexually Violent Predator Program.
Description: The intern holding this position assists in the assessment of persons referred to the Iowa Department of Justice for prosecution as sexually violent predators. The intern works under the supervision of the Attorney General’s Office Investigator and interacts with other staff members, prosecutors, law enforcement personnel and other professionals to create detailed, accurate assessments of the alleged predator. The assessments are used to inform the Attorney General's Prosecution Review Committee regarding prosecutorial decisions. The internship is located in Des Moines and involves up to 20 hours per week, Monday through Friday, during traditional business hours.
Duties: Assisting staff members in collecting, reviewing, analyzing and summarizing materials obtained from various information sources; assembling investigative files; reproducing documents; and drafting case summaries under staff supervision.
Requirements: An intern holding this position must: be able to take and accurately apply general instructions; be highly organized; be highly detail-oriented; be self-motivating and successful in following assignments to completion; be proficient in computer Windows environment; be able to efficiently and accurately review and organize large volumes of documentation and prepare reports according to an established format; and be capable of working independently and meeting established deadlines.
The selected person must have excellent writing, speaking and interpersonal skills, convey a professional presence, and have superior analytical abilities. This position requires absolute confidentiality and discretion. The Department of Justice will require the selected person to sign a confidentiality agreement. Interested persons should be in an associated undergraduate program or graduate level program of study, i.e., psychology, sociology, criminology or pre-law programs.
To apply, or if you have questions, contact:
Michael J. Ferjak, Investigator
Iowa Department of Justice
Hoover State Office Building, Second Floor
Des Moines, Iowa 50319
(515) 281-6566
mfejak@ag.state.ia.us
Child Support Awareness / Public Policy Internship
(This is an unpaid position, but it may be used for college credit, depending upon the requirements of your school.)
Description: Each summer, the Iowa Attorney General's Office has a position open for a Child Support Awareness / Public Policy intern. This internship begins in May and continues through August. The office is unable to provide a salary for this position but good work experience, support and supervision is provided. Twenty to thirty hours per week are required. The work location is in the Iowa Attorney General's Office in Des Moines. The position involves little or no travel.
Duties include:
- Primary responsibility for coordination of several public events with Iowa minor league baseball teams to raise awareness of the importance of the payment of child support. Activities to support these events include: event planning, scheduling, mailing coordination and news media contact.
- Assistance with the Iowa State Fair booth maintained by the Iowa Attorney General, including responsibility for child support awareness activities at the booth.
- Development of public policy research-related materials and researching and writing issue briefs, memoranda, and other office materials.
- Other duties can be discussed consistent with the needs of the office and the interests of the intern.
The position is a good opportunity to engage in public relations and public policy work in a friendly and supportive office environment. It is particularly appropriate for students pursuing a career in a public relations or communications-related field.
"Doing an internship at the Iowa Attorney General's Office was one of the most valuable experiences of my college career. Not only did everyone welcome me and treat me like I was one of the full-time staff, I was also able to manage my own projects while knowing that I always had my supervisor to go to for guidance. The public relations and event planning experience I gained helped me land my first full-time job after graduation."
Former Intern, Kearstin Habhab
"While working at the Attorney General's Office, I gained valuable hands-on experience. I was
given full responsibility for my projects: working with vendors, writing promotional pieces,
managing multiple tasks and deadlines. It was a great opportunity to experience workplace events that are not easily taught in a classroom!"
Former Intern, Jessica McDonald
For more information contact:
Bill Roach
Executive Officer
Iowa Attorney General's Office
Hoover State Office Building
1305 East Walnut Street Des Moines, Iowa 50319515-281-5536 (voice) 515-281-4209 (fax) broach@ag.state.ia.us
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