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The Clackamas County DA's office is looking for up to 4 Certified Law Students (CLS) to join our team for a year-long experience.
In 2004, the Clackamas County District Attorney's office started hiring certified law students to work on misdemeanor prosecutions. Over the years, it has evolved into an annual program that begins in February with the hiring of 6 law students right after the Lewis and Clark Public Law job fair. We also present our program to Willamette Law School and have hired from as far away as Wake Forest University, North Carolina.
Of the 6 law students, 4 will be rising third-year law students (i.e., those who are currently in their second year of law school) and eligible to obtain their certification to appear in court. Certified Law Students (CLS) begin with a two-week training camp followed by a transition to making daily court appearances in a busy and fast-paced environment. Each CLS is teamed up with a misdemeanor prosecutor and assigned up to 75 criminal cases. CLSs are responsible for reviewing new cases, consulting with their mentor, making charging decisions and plea offers, responding to and filing motions, and negotiating every case assigned to them. Cases not resolved by guilty plea are set for trial and handled by the CLS. Each CLS receives trial advocacy training, and their first trial is conducted with their trial mentor. CLSs are also responsible for handling weekly civil commitment hearings in conjunction with mental health professionals at regional hospitals.
Law clerks in our office are exposed to many unique experiences, including going on jail and prison tours, and participating in a wet lab scenario.
This position can be an externship for school credit or qualify for work study. Candidates must be certified to make court appearances in the summer before their third year of law school.
In addition to on campus interviews we are recruiting and interviewing at our office in Oregon City. If you are interested in "job shadowing" one of our prosecutors and checking out our office, please email Bill Golden at bgolden@clackamas.us to set up a tour.
