Public Defense Legal Intern, Summer ; Rule Licensed

Public Defense Legal Intern, 10 Week Summer 2027, (Rule 9 Licensed) | King County Careers page has loaded.

This posting will remain open until vacancies are filled and may close at any time without prior notice. We encourage interested candidates to apply as soon as possible. Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis. Applications submitted by 11:59 p.m. on September 3, 2026, will be given priority consideration.

This posting will remain open until vacancies are filled and may close at any time without prior notice. We encourage interested candidates to apply as soon as possible. Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis. Applications submitted by 11:59 p.m. on September 3, 2026, will be given priority consideration. The Department of Public Defense (DPD) is actively recruiting 2nd year law students to participate in a 10-week internship beginning in June 2027.

This is an excellent opportunity for students considering a career in public defense. Students with a Rule 9 license can appear on the record, under supervision. DPD’s internship program gives students meaningful opportunities to engage directly with clients and to appear in court with the support of experienced public defenders. DPD represents indigent clients in several practice areas: criminal defense (felonies and misdemeanors), juvenile defense, family defense, involuntary civil commitment, sex offender commitments, and contempt of court.

Most students will be offered an internship in a single practice area and should express any preference in their cover letter. This is a rolling application – internship positions will remain open until filled. Interns are paid bi-weekly. These positions are subject to approved funding. This is a non-benefit eligible position. We anticipate filling approximately 20 internship positions. WHY JOIN DPD?

DPD is a well-resourced public defense agency in a state that was the first to adopt new caseload standards grounded in the National Public Defense Workload Study (RAND). In July 2025, we began implementing a novel case-weight credit model designed to promote sustainable workloads and ensure that every client receives the time and attention their case requires. Felony pretrial cases are assigned between 1 and 8 credits based on the seriousness of the alleged offense and misdemeanor pretrial cases are assigned either 1 or 1.5 credits per case.

In 2027, DPD expects to assign no more than 89.4 felony credits or 244 misdemeanor credits per lawyer. We are making significant progress on a a multi-year phased reduction process aimed at helping public defenders meet their constitutional and ethical obligations to each client by systematically reducing caseloads each year. DPD uses real-time data analytics to monitor caseloads to ensure lawyers caseloads comply with caseload limits.

Our credit model is based on the Washington State Bar Association’s Standards for Indigent Defense Services (revised September 2024), which apply to both criminal and family defense. The goal is to create conditions where public defenders can consistently provide the level of representation the Constitution demands—while building sustainable and fulfilling careers serving underserved communities. DPD provides high-quality legal representation to indigent clients facing felony or misdemeanor charges in adult or juvenile court, loss of family integrity in dependency and termination cases, and petitions for involuntary commitment because of alleged mental illness or substance abuse.

We also advocate to reduce the harm and reach of the criminal and civil legal systems that restrict our clients’ liberty and disproportionately impact marginalized communities. Internally, we strive to foster a flexible…