County

Internship Opportunities

The Polk County Attorney's Office offers internships for undergrads, law students, and paralegal students. 

 

Unpaid Internships for Undergraduate Students (For class credit):

Polk County offers unpaid internships for those that need to complete required hours for an educational purpose. This internship offers a professional learning experience that provides meaningful, practical work related to a student's field of study or career interest. This gives a student the opportunity for career exploration and development, and to learn new skills. 

For information, please contact Lynn Hicks at Lynn.Hicks@polkcountyiowa.gov

 

Summer Paid Internships for Undergraduate Students:

Clerical Office Assistant: Will assist with a variety of duties, such as scanning, entering case data, listening to jail calls, assisting with payment plans, garnishments and general office work.

To apply, please watch for postings in March at the Polk County jobs website.  

 

Summer Paid Internships for Law Students:

  • Law Clerk: Required to have completed at least one year of law school. Law Clerks will assist legal assistants and/or attorneys with legal research, writing, assisting in the courtroom, gather data as assigned. Assignment can be in Civil or Criminal Division
  • Dates are set each year, generally from last week of May to first week of August.

To apply, please watch for postings in March at the Polk County jobs website.  

For additional information please contact Justin Allen at Justin.Allen@polkcountyiowa.gov

 

Prosecuting Law Student Internship:

Spring, Summer, and Fall Semester (unpaid and for credit):

    • Criminal: This internship familiarizes students with the prosecutorial system. It provides an opportunity to develop general and criminal prosecution litigation skills.  Student Attorney Interns participate in pretrial and post-trial hearings, witness interviews and preparation, misdemeanor trials, and a range of court proceedings.
      • Students seeking a position with Criminal prosecution division must have completed Evidence (LAW 113) and Criminal Procedure I (LAW 236). Trial Advocacy is listed as a preferred credential but is not absolutely necessary.
    • Civil: This internship familiarizes students with the range of civil issues covered by the County Attorney’s Office. Students are provided the opportunity to work with Civil Attorneys are they research issues, prepare for trials and hearings, or work in collaboration with the many offices the Civil docket advises.
      • Students seeking a position in the Civil division must have completed Evidence.
    • Juvenile: This internship familiarizes students with the Juvenile court system. Students are provided the opportunity to develop general skills in prosecution and advocacy in child custody hearings, juvenile criminal matters, family interviews, and a range of other court proceedings.
      • Students seeking a position in the Juvenile division must have completed a Family Law course.
    • Students with each practice area of the office are given a copy of the internship policies and procedures, which contain the expectations and objectives for the internship, at the beginning of the semester.
  • Prerequisites
    • Students must qualify under Iowa Supreme Court Rule 31.15 for in-court student practice before participating in the program. Rule 31.15 requires students to be part of a law school approved program and have completed one-half of their law school credits.

 For additional information or to apply please contact: Riley Noble at Riley.Noble@polkcountyiowa.gov

 

Polk County Law Student Advanced Internship:

  • Educational Objectives

    • This internship builds upon the students’ experiences in a prior prosecutor internship.  Students are provided opportunities to further develop their general and criminal prosecution litigation skills.  Our Student Attorney Interns actively participate in more complex pretrial and post-trial hearings, witness interviews and preparation, misdemeanor/felony trials, and juvenile court proceedings.
    • Students are given a copy of the internship policies and procedures, which contain the expectations and objectives for the internship, at the beginning of the semester. The supervising professor communicates this information to field-placement supervisors through face-to-face, telephone, and email contacts.
  • Prerequisites
    • Students must qualify under Iowa Supreme Court Rule 31.15 for in-court student practice before participating in the program. Rule 31.15 requires students to be part of a law school approved program and have completed one-half of their law school credits.
    • Because Evidence and Criminal Procedure are required courses in students' second year, virtually all participating students have completed these before embarking on an internship. Trial Advocacy is listed as a preferred credential but is not absolutely necessary.
    • Students must also have taken either the Polk County Prosecutor Internship or the Prosecutor Internship (outside Polk County) in order to be eligible to take the Advanced Prosecutor Internship.

 

For additional information or to apply please contact:  Riley Noble at Riley.Noble@polkcountyiowa.gov