Public Interest Law Center

Prosecution Job Search Timelines by Class Year

1L Year   2L Year   3L Year

Students interested in government opportunities outside of state and local prosecution should review the Government Job Search Timelines by Class Year.


1L Year


Resource: 1L Government & Prosecution Internship Opportunities & Deadlines 

1L Fall
  • Update your resume
  • Make a list of offices you want to apply to and their application deadlines.
  • Meet with PILC’s Government Counselor after attending the annual program hosted by PILC on 1L Opportunities in Government and Prosecutor Offices, which is held in mid-October each year. Check the Docket for dates.
  • Check the Docket for brown bag lunches and any pertinent programs.
  • Check to see if particular DA’s offices or USAOs are permitting 1Ls to apply before December 1. Keep in mind that for some prosecution offices, you must apply no later than mid-December.
  • Be sure to check the webpage of each prosecutor’s office you want to apply to for application instructions. Sign up for PILC Summer Funding no later than December1.
  • Sign up for NYU Law’s Public Interest Legal Career Fair (a separate registration process from summer funding) after November 15 [RV2] and before the January date posted on the PILC Fair webpage.
  • Attend brown bag lunches and other programming hosted by PILC with prosecutors to learn more about their work and the priorities of individual offices.
1L Spring
  • Attend NYU Law’s Public Interest Legal Career Fair on the February 6 and 7, 2025 (even if you are not scheduled to interview at the Fair). Only local prosecutors’ offices and a couple of attorney generals’ offices hire through the Fair. Some federal prosecutors’ offices may participate in Table Talk, but they do not hire through the Fair.
  • Attend the PILC information session on prosecution summer internship and post-grad opportunities for rising 2Ls and rising 3Ls, which is usually held in March or April. Check the Docket for updates.
  •  As you plan for your 2L year, start thinking about choosing classes (e.g., evidence and criminal procedure) and participating in clinics.
Rising 2L Summer
See 2L Year Below

2L Year


Rising 2L Summer
  • If you are interested in the US Department of Justice (DOJ), DOJ typically hosts 2-3 webinars on their 2L paid internship program in late spring, and offers students an opportunity to learn more about participating components through webinars with them over the summer.
  • Beginning on or about July 1, check each employer’s website for the latest deadline information.
  • Beginning on or about July 15, check the University of Arizona’s Government Honors & Internship Handbook (the “Arizona Handbook,” password: chocolatecake
  • Beginning as early as the first week of August, check the Arizona Handbook for early 2L deadlines for internships the following summer. 
  • Check weekly towards the end of August to see who is participating in virtual fall On Campus Interviewing (OCI) as several local prosecutor offices interview 2Ls during the fall semester.
2L Fall
  • Continue checking weekly to see who is participating in virtual fall OCI as a couple of local prosecutor offices interview 2Ls during the fall semester.
  • Sign up for Summer Funding if you plan to spend at least 35 hours for 8 weeks of your summer working for a government employer -- no later than December 1. If you will work at a law firm next summer but would like to keep options for prosecution employment open for the future, do something that signals interest in prosecution, such as a clinic or term-time internship, ideally during your 2L year.
  • Sign up for NYU Law’s Public Interest Legal Career Fair (a separate registration process from summer funding) after November 15 and before the January date posted on the PILC Fair webpage.
2L Spring
  • Consider attending NYU Law’s Public Interest Legal Career Fair on February  and 7, 2025. Only a few local prosecutors’ offices and a limited number of attorney generals’ offices hire through the Fair. Some federal prosecutors’ offices may participate in Table Talk, but they do not hire through the Fair.
Rising 3L Summer
  • See 3L Year Below

3L Year


Rising 3L Summer
  • If you are interested in the US Department of Justice (DOJ), DOJ typically hosts 2-3 webinars on their Honors Program in late spring, and offers students an opportunity to learn more about participanting components through webinars with them over the summer.
  • Beginning on or about July 15, check the University of Arizona’s Government Honors & Internship Handbook (the “Arizona Handbook,” password: chocolatecake) and the websites of District Attorney’s offices that interest you for the latest deadline information. Some prosecutors’ offices have early deadlines. In the past, the DOJ’s Attorneys Honors Program application was due by 11:59pm on the Tuesday after Labor Day.
  • Beginning in mid August, check weekly to see who is participating in fall  OCI as several prosecutors’ offices interview 3Ls during the fall semester.
3L Fall
  • Continue checking the University of Arizona’s Government Honors & Internship Handbook (password: chocolatecake) for the latest deadline information.
  • Continue checking weekly to see which prosecutor offices are interviewing at fall OCI.
  • Participate in a mock panel interview in September to be arranged by PILC at the student’s request.
  • Check individual prosecutors’ offices websites. Some offices will have an occasional opening for entry-level attorneys that is posted “off-cycle”.
3L Spring
  • Check individual prosecutors’ offices websites. Some offices will have an occasional opening for entry-level attorneys that is posted “off-cycle”.