Each summer, the Office of the General Counsel ("OGC") accepts four to six law students into its competitive Summer Law Clerk program. Law Clerks work on campaign finance and administrative law issues in this ten-week, paid summer program.
Divisional Placement: Each Law Clerk is placed within one of the four divisions within OGC:
The divisional placement of each Law Clerk is based on a variety of factors, including the size of the summer class, the preferences of the Law Clerks, and the workload and staffing needs of each division.
Work Assignments: Law Clerks are frequently given responsibility for their own cases or matters, under the supervision of an Assistant General Counsel. For example, a Law Clerk in the Enforcement Division may be given primary responsibility for generating the first report and analysis of an enforcement matter, while a Law Clerk in the Policy Division may be given primary responsibility for drafting a response to an advisory opinion request. For matters that entail greater staffing, Law Clerks work closely with the OGC attorneys and Assistant General Counsels on the matters to which they are assigned. In all cases, Law Clerks perform substantive legal work, including legal research, factual development, and written and oral presentation of results.
Feedback and Mentoring: Law Clerks receive formal and informal feedback and mentoring throughout the summer. Because each division within OGC is comprised of teams of five to six attorneys, Law Clerks become well acquainted with the other members of their team, all of whom can provide guidance and support on an ongoing basis. Law Clerks also receive regular feedback from at least one Assistant General Counsel, as well as from the attorneys who coordinate the summer program.
OGC interviews at many law schools and job fairs; please check with your career services office to find out if OGC is interviewing at your law school or in your area. If OGC is not interviewing at your law school or in your area, you may submit electronically a resume, cover letter, and law school transcript to OGCRecruitingProgram@fec.gov.
Please note that OGC hires only those law students who will be graduating the following year, i.e., second-year summers (or the equivalent in a part-time program). OGC does not hire first-year or third-year students.
Q: Does the FEC allow split summers?
A: The Summer Law Clerk program constitutes full-time employment for the entire summer, so our Law Clerks do not split their summers.
Q: Do Law Clerks rotate among the OGC divisions?
A: For work-assignment purposes, each Law Clerk works in one division only. But OGC ensures that all Law Clerks gain significant exposure to the work of the other divisions in a variety of settings, including formal Commission meetings (both public and closed sessions), lunches with the Associate General Counsels who head each division, and other social programs.
Q: Are Law Clerks hired into permanent positions after graduation?
A: We invite many of our Law Clerks to join OGC in permanent positions after graduation, and a substantial number of current OGC staff were once Law Clerks. However, because OGC (like most government agencies) can hire permanent employees only when vacancies arise, and because OGC also fills some attorney positions with lateral hires, it is unlikely that every Summer Law Clerk will receive a permanent offer upon graduation.
Because staffing needs change, a Law Clerk may receive a full-time offer from a different division than the one in which s/he worked during the summer.
