Hennepin County Attorney's Office

Summer and Academic Law Clerk Program

The Hennepin County Attorney's Office is one of the Upper Midwest's premier public law firms with the largest criminal practice in Minnesota. Our attorneys come from a variety of backgrounds and bring a high level of diverse experiences to our team.

Each year, the office sponsors compensated summer and academic year law clerk programs that offer a hands-on, challenging work experience to students from local and national law schools. The program is highly competitive due to the quality of the experiences it offers, as well as a salaried program.

At this time we staff approximately 25 law clerks in the summer & academic programs. Availability varies by turnover.

We accept applications year-round and call people in for interviews as vacancies occur. We also post opportunities with the local law schools periodically and generally participate in On Campus Interviews.

While the current economic climate has been a challenge, we are committed to hiring at least one clerk to a permanent attorney position upon graduation from law school. In the past few years we have hired more than fifteen students who had just graduated or completed a judicial clerkship.

First, second and third year law students who have demonstrated academic excellence and a commitment to public service are eligible to apply to the program. Applicants should be in the top half of their class. Moot court, legal journal or clinical experience is desirable, but not required.

In addition to research and legal writing, clerks will have the opportunity to work in depth with prosecutors on specific cases, interview witnesses and appear in court. Clerks will be assigned to work in one or more of nine divisions:

1. The Adult Prosecution Division is divided into two sections: Violent Crimes, and the Gang Unit. The division prosecutes all serious felony crimes against person (murder, sexual assault, crimes committed with a weapon.)
2. The Community Prosecution Division includes the Drug and Property. This division handles all felony-level drug crimes and nuisance property cases.
3. The Juvenile Prosecution Division prosecutes all crimes committed by juveniles from traffic offenses to crimes committed for the benefit of a gang to 1st degree murder. This division also prosecutes adult felons who are co-defendants of juveniles, as well as adults who are charged with contributing to the delinquency of their children.
4. The Civil Division is composed of four sections: Property Taxation and Environment, Employment, Tort Litigation, Contract Management and Forfeiture Units. The division provides legal advice, training and representation to the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners, County Administration and county departments on such civil matters as tax forfeiture, employment practices, civil rights and the data practices act.
5. The Special Litigation Unit is divided into two areas: Appeals and White Collar Prosecution Teams. This division handles all felony and juvenile appeals, post-conviction petitions and felony-level property and white collar crimes.
6. The Child Protection Division intervenes in child protection cases where there is an imminent threat that a child may be harmed. The division works on cases where parental rights are terminated in order to protect children.
7. The Child Support Division establishes parentage and child support orders, as well as enforcement of such orders.
8. The Adult Services Division handles civil petitions, such as psychopathic personality and involuntary commitments.
9. The Domestic Abuse Service Center (DASC) serves any person who is a victim of domestic violence or harassment. This includes anyone who has been the victim of actual or threatened violence by a person with whom they have had a romantic or sexual relationship or parties have lived together. DASC serves persons who are victims of violence from a family or household member as well as persons who have been harassed.