This might be of interest to some CMNS students that are contemplating
legal careers.
 
 

Volunteer/Unpaid Legal Interns, Winter/Spring 2013
U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division, Torts Branch
Office of Constitutional and Specialized Torts
Office of Vaccine Litigation
Washington, DC
 
About the Office:  The Vaccine Litigation Group represents the interests
of the Secretary of Health and Human Services in all cases filed in the
U.S. Court of Federal Claims under the National
 Childhood Vaccine Injury Act.  The cases involve claims of injury as a
result of the receipt of certain vaccines.

 
Responsibilities and Opportunity Offered: The Vaccine Litigation Group is
currently seeking undergraduate students for a limited number of part-time
Winter/Spring 2013 volunteer (unpaid)
 internships.   We will be accepting applications for full-time summer
volunteer internships beginning November 7, 2012.
 
Interns work closely with attorneys and paralegals on substantive matters
in all stages of litigation.  Indeed, the position offers a unique
experience in public service.  The legal and medical
 issues at stake in each case vary greatly.  Attorneys and staff in the
group handle heavy case loads, and while streamlined procedures are
utilized, cases frequently involve complex liability and damages issues.
The Group is obliged to ensure that the Vaccine
 Trust Fund, from which damage awards are paid, is protected and, where
eligibility criteria are met, that fair compensation is distributed to
those whom Congress has intended.  Attorneys appear frequently before the
U.S. Court of Federal Claims and before
 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which affords interns
the opportunity to gain experience in trial and appellate practice.

 
More information about the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program
can be found at http://www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation/.
                   

Interns should be able to start on or about January 8, 2013, or sooner,
and be able to commit 12-20 hours a week, for approximately 12 weeks, to
the office.  Interested candidates may be
 offered the opportunity to continue their service into the summer.
 
Qualifications:  Applicants should have excellent academic credentials,
writing, and interpersonal skills, exhibit good judgment, and have an
interest in health care litigation.  Experience
 with Word, Excel, and Powerpoint is required, and experience with
Westlaw/Nexis is strongly preferred.  Experience in law/legal courses and
medicine/science is also strongly preferred.  Undergraduate juniors and
seniors are eligible for the positions.  Unfortunately,
 graduates are ineligible for the positions.
 
Salary: The positions are unpaid.

 
Location: Washington, DC.

 
Application Process and Deadline Date:

 
Application materials must be postmarked or e-mailed by the deadline date
of November 16, 2012.  The Office will begin interviews in October, so
early applications are encouraged.  Please
 reference Vacancy Announcement #2-VIN-WS13 in your cover letter.
Applicants should send a (1) cover letter, (2) resume, (3) transcript, (4)
writing sample, and (5) a list of three references, preferably by e-mail
(in PDF format), to:
 
Chrysovalantis P. Kefalas, Esq.
Co-Director, Law Clerk Program
Office of Vaccine Litigation
Torts Branch, Civil Division
U.S. Department of Justice
P.O. Box 146
Washington, D.C. 20044
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Any e-mail attachments should be sent as .pdf files.  No telephone calls
please.