Internships
Ever thought about having a great career dedicated to:
- Improving the health and well-being of the public?
- Conserving wildlife, wilderness and places to recreate in nature?
- Working on solutions to climate change?
- Ensuring that we have clean air, pure water and better-protected land?
DEC internships provide a great introduction to our work, giving you a sense of whether DEC might be the right place for you. Students who do internships may be considered more marketable by prospective employers, giving them an advantage over the competition. Internships are available at our Albany headquarters and in our nine regional offices.
Internships give college students on-the-job training that enhances and supplements their course work. Internships are unpaid. Students benefit by the experience they gain and the ability to earn college credits or fulfill class/graduation requirements. "For credit" internships require an understanding between the intern's college and DEC. The intern is responsible for arranging that understanding, as well as fulfilling all the requirements agreed upon.
Applying for a DEC Internship
DEC internship opportunities are posted on the New New York Leaders Program portal (leaves DEC website), where you will find all the information you need in order to apply. Students of all backgrounds including race, gender, sexual orientation, people with disabilities, and military affiliations are encouraged to apply. When applying:
- Be sure to review all eligibility requirements
- Let us know when you will be available (spring, summer, fall or winter)
- Indicate your preference for a specific internship proposal
Your application will be judged based on how well your preferred location, occupational areas of interest, academic standing and degree concentrations match specified internships.
Office of General Counsel Internship Program for Law Students
Who should consider this internship?
This internship is for law students currently enrolled in a J.D. program. We do give preference to students entering their third year, students with a demonstrated interest in environmental law, and students with a technical or scientific background. However, all applications will be reviewed and considered.
What is the Internship Program?
- The number of legal internships varies depending on funding, space available, potential workload and other factors.
- For the summer, legal interns are usually assigned to a particular bureau; however, due to the varying needs of the bureaus, sometimes interns are assigned to more than one bureau.
- Legal internships are available for 37.5 hours per week during the summer for a 10-week program. Semester internships are available for 12-15 hours per week.
- Summer legal internships are generally volunteer but may be paid, based on availability from various sources.
- Our internship program has been approved for pro bono credit for the New York State bar.
Legal interns provide important support to DEC attorneys in many different ways:
- Organize discovery documents for enforcement cases and permit hearings;
- Draft legal papers such as orders on consent;
- Draft administrative pleadings and motions;
- Attend Pre-Hearing Conferences in enforcement cases;
- Assist with negotiations;
- Attend internal meetings and meetings with external entities;
- Generate letters to respondents and draft memoranda of law; and
- Conduct extensive legal research using on-line resources and assorted treatises.
Legal interns receive feedback from their assigned attorney on a continuing basis.
During the summer:
- We hold roundtable discussions with the legal interns every other week to provide them with the opportunity to discuss their current assignments and learn from each other's experiences.
- We also coordinate presentations for the legal interns regarding emerging topics in the law, and specifically environmental law, as well as legal practice skills.
- We provide interns an opportunity to create a writing sample during their internship experience.
- Additionally, we arrange educational field trips during the summer for the legal interns to demonstrate the application of the assignments.
- All legal interns are also encouraged to attend continuing legal education courses offered for OGC attorneys.
When to Apply:
- For the summer 2023 - The application period will open on November 1, 2022 and close January 16, 2023.
- Applicants are encouraged to submit applications early in that timeframe as internship opportunities may be offered on a rolling basis.
How to Apply:
- Applications will be accepted by mail and e-mail.
- Please send a cover letter, resume, unofficial transcript, and a writing sample (Five pages or less, double-spaced and an excerpt from a longer document is acceptable). Please submit all materials as a single PDF file.
- A list of references may also be requested upon further inquiry.
- If the legal intern is participating in a for-credit program through their law school, please also provide information regarding the program requirements.
Please also be aware that the internship does not provide transportation, parking or housing.
If you have any questions, please e-mail us.
If you are interested in an internship in one of DEC's regional offices, please contact that region directly.
More about Internships :
- AmeriCorps Members in DEC - AmeriCorps positions within DEC: SCA Hudson Valley Program and the SCA Adirondacks Program.
