Master's of Social Work; MSW Intern

About the Office

The Palm Beach County Public Defender's Office, 15th Judicial Circuit, is a client‑centered, dynamic advocacy office providing representation to people whose lives and liberty are  office handles close to 30,000 cases per year and staffs approximately 200 employees, including lawyers, investigators, social workers, and support staff.

PD‑15’s unpaid/volunteer social work interns are typically local university MSW students who work with the office during the academic year to establish and maintain relationships with clients. Interns receive academic credit where applicable.

Interns learn case‑management, interviewing, and assessment skills by shadowing one of PD‑15’s mental‑health social workers. They also work with juvenile probation cases to motivate offenders to complete probation requirements and ideally achieve early termination.

• Two first‑year MSW students are accepted throughout the year.
• MOUs exist with FAU, LSU, and Tulane University; prior approval from the school is required.
• Students may receive academic credit.
• Interns are unpaid/volunteer.
• Students from any other College or University may apply, with prior approval from the school.
• A minimum of 16 hours per week is mandatory.
• Volunteers may be accepted if the program is not filled by students; no college credit is earned.