Summer Judicial Internship Program

AEF is launching its annual Judicial Internship Program for Summer 2026. This is an unpaid 10-week internship open to first-year and second-year law students. Students may be placed in the following courts in the Greater Washington, D.C. area:  U.S. Courts of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and the Federal Circuit; U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia; and D.C. Superior Court..

Instructions: Given the competitiveness of the applications, submissions that fail to follow the instructions below are likely to be disqualified from consideration.

Application Materials: Please submit the following materials to applications@aefdc.org:

  • (1) Application Package

    • (a) Resume;

    • (b) Cover Letter(s);

      • For those who wish to be considered for an internship in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, please indicate any interest or experience in patent law in a supplemental cover letter.

    • (c) Law School Transcript (an unofficial transcript is acceptable);

    • (d) Legal writing sample (5-10 pages); and

    • (e) On a separate sheet, please list each of the courts for which you are interested in being considered for an internship, in order of preference.

Format: Materials (1)-(4) must be submitted in one single PDF, labeled as “First and last name, 2026 SJIP Application,” and organized in the order listed above. The sheet with a ranking of courts should be a separate PDF file. If fall semester grades are not available when you submit your application, please indicate that in your cover letter and submit your transcript immediately once grades are available..

Deadline: We review applications on a rolling basis, so we strongly encourage you to apply early. We will begin reviewing applications and extending invitations to interview on January 2, 2026. Application materials must be received no later than 11:59 PM ET, on January 16, 2026 to be considered..

Interview and Selection Process: A limited number of applicants will undergo a screening interview with an AEF Board Director to further determine student qualifications. Qualified students will be connected with participating chambers for an interview.

Questions? Visit our website at aefdc.org, or contact us at applications@aefdc.org.