U.S. Department of Justice’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Civil Division – Washington, D.C.
I spent the final six weeks of my summer as a SLIP intern with the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Commercial Litigation Branch. During my internship, I assisted attorneys in the Civil Frauds, National Courts, Corporate / Financial, and Foreign Litigation sections of the Commercial Litigation Branch with various assignments in support of the Justice Department’s mission. As a student interested in both litigation and public service work, this internship was an unparalleled opportunity to gain experience in these areas.
My time with the Commercial Litigation Branch exposed me to numerous areas of law that I had not previously studied. This included bankruptcy law, statutory requirements for civil fraud liability, and the imposition of moral damages by foreign states. At the same time, I was able to utilize various doctrines I reviewed during my coursework at Duke Law to contribute to the Branch’s efforts, including rules for preclusion and for state sovereign immunity. This work resulted in an excellent mix of assignments that required me to both hone my previous understanding of certain areas of law while also learning new legal rules in subjects I have not yet studied.
Additionally, the assignments in my portfolio required that I both research and provide summaries of discrete issues and cases for ongoing litigation matters and also generate research memoranda addressing areas of law with long-term impacts for the Branch’s work. This gave me experience in focusing on individual issues in present matters while also providing research for the future benefit of the Department.
Further, the Commercial Litigation Branch offered an enjoyable environment to meet government attorneys practicing various areas of the law. I was provided four dedicated mentors, each from a different section within the Commercial Litigation Branch, and the Branch also held a number of events to meet and socialize with current attorneys. These included events outside of the office and also events during the lunch hour where attorneys would share their past experiences prior to working for the Commercial Litigation Branch.
The Justice Department as a whole also offered numerous events for its interns. I took advantage of a guided tour of the U.S. Supreme Court, and I also attended a career fair the Department held that allowed its interns to speak with attorneys working throughout the Department. I also attended a very informative event led by members of the Department’s recruiting team that provided insight into applying for and working in the Justice Department as an Honors Attorney that will be useful when I seek to apply to the Department following my post-graduate clerkship.
Submitted August 13, 2018
