The United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of South Carolina is seeking applicants for a one-year term student internship in our Columbia office. The position offers an excellent opportunity to gain exposure to the federal court system and begin a career in federal service. The court offers a stable, friendly, and professional work environment.
Position Overview:
The internship is part of the Model Intern Program (MIP) offered through the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. This program is built on a foundation of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). DEI describes policies and programs that promote the representation and participation of all segments of society to ensure equal opportunity. The MIP seeks to provide talented, underserved college students with an appreciation for DEI to compete for paid internships with federal courts throughout the country, preparing them for future employment opportunities within the federal judiciary. More information about the MIP can be found here.
This unique, year-long internship is offered to rising junior and senior undergraduate students and will be headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina. The intern will work full-time (no more than 40 hours/week) during the Summer semester and part-time (no more than 20 hours/week) during the Fall and Spring semesters. The intern will gain exposure to the core functions of the court by working with the operations, administrative, and IT teams. The intern will work directly with federal judges, court unit executives, and other court-system professionals, performing or assisting in the performance of a variety of judicial, legal, and/or administrative functions within the federal judiciary.
Position Duties & Responsibilities:
The intern will function as a student trainee and his/her duties will include:
• Observing a wide variety of court proceedings in bankruptcy and related matters to develop familiarity with the judicial process;
• Shadowing judicial officers, judicial chambers personnel, Clerk’s Office personnel, and other court-system professionals to develop an understanding of the federal judiciary;
• Working cooperatively with members of judicial chambers to effectively support judges in fulfilling their judicial responsibilities;
• Assisting judicial and/or administrative staff as needed in handling special events, such as investitures and community outreach events;
• Assisting judicial and/or administrative staff in collecting, maintaining, and processing case information;
• Performing basic legal, social science, historical, statistical, and other research to support judicial and/or administrative staff;
• Collecting, organizing, and summarizing statistical, accounting, or mathematical data on case processing, budgetary, workload, and other court-related issues for judicial and/or administrative staff;
• Organizing legal pleadings, briefs, motions, and letters for judicial and/or administrative staff;
• Sorting, classifying, copying, distributing, and filing court records to assist judicial and/or administrative staff;
• Performing basic technical support and troubleshooting, including responding to help desk calls and emails, logging computer problems, and assisting with routine
issues (issues that are not quickly resolved are escalated to the next level);
• Installing or assisting in the installation of upgrades or new or revised off-the-shelf/desktop releases; and
• Performing other duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications:
• Currently enrolled full-time and in good standing at an accredited college or university.
• Junior or senior during the 2024-2025 academic year and working toward an undergraduate degree.
• Skill in multi-tasking and prioritizing duties.
• Ability to interact effectively with others, provide customer service, and resolve difficulties while complying with regulations, rules, and procedures.
Preferred Qualifications:
• Minimum 3.0 grade point average.
• Working toward an undergraduate degree with a concentration in pre-law, business administration, finance, computer science, or related disciplines.
Conditions of Employment:
Must be a U.S. citizen or eligible to work in the United States. Judiciary employees serve under excepted appointments, are considered “at will” appointments, and can be terminated with or without cause by the Court. Employees are hired provisionally pending results of a criminal background check and fingerprinting and are subject to a probation period. This position is subject to mandatory electronic funds transfer (direct deposit) for payment of salary. The U.S. Courts require employees to adhere to the Code of Conduct for Judiciary Employees, which is available to applicants for review on the Court’s webpage here.
Application Procedure:
• ALL qualification requirements must be met when application is filed.
• Qualified applicants must submit ALL of the following documents (please submit only requested documents):
o a cover letter. In your cover letter please answer the following question: Why are you interested in this internship and what experience do you hope to gain?
o a resume.
o at least one (1) character reference from a college professor.
o the Judicial Branch Federal Employment Application (Form AO-78), available here.
• Qualified applicants must submit their application packets as one PDF to scbc_employment@scb.sucourts.gov. All required documents must be submitted to be considered for this opportunity; incomplete packets will not be considered.
Due to the volume of applications received, the Court will only communicate with those applicants who will be interviewed. Applicants selected for interviews must travel at their expense and relocation expenses will not be reimbursed. Funding for housing will not be provided and will be the responsibility of the intern throughout the internship. The Court reserves the right to modify the conditions of this vacancy announcement, withdraw the announcement, or fill the position at any time, any of which may occur without prior written or other notice.
