Legal Internships in the Office of Regional Counsel in Chicago (EPA Region 5)
Legal Internships
Are you a highly motivated and high-performing law student interested in environmental protection/environmental law? Are you looking for an internship for the summer in a diverse and friendly professional legal office? Look no further – the EPA Region 5 Office of Regional Counsel (ORC) is the place for you.
An ORC intern typically gets a first-hand view of what an ORC attorney does through shadowing on important meetings, negotiations, and proceedings. This is invaluable as you determine your future career goals and options! An ORC intern also typically conducts legal research and writes legal memoranda to support the cases in the office. This is invaluable to us!
You will learn about and research matters under the federal environmental laws and regulations that EPA Region 5 enforces and administers including the:
- Comprehensive Environmental Remediation, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA, also known as “Superfund”),
- Clean Air Act (CAA),
- Clean Water Act (CWA),
- Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)
- Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA),
- Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA),
- Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), and
- Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA).
The experience may vary depending upon the projects assigned to the intern. In addition to legal research and writing, it is typical for interns to:
- attend negotiations and public meetings,
- draft dispositive motions (such as motions for accelerated decision in cases before an administrative law judge), or
- draft requests for information or subpoenas pursuant to statutory authority.
You should expect to get feedback on your writing from experienced staff and supervisory attorneys and to leave EPA with a writing sample suitable for future job searches.
Application Information
Summer 2025 Paid Internships
EPA Region 5 Office of Regional Counsel is hiring several paid legal interns for the summer of 2025!
Summer interns start in the second half of May and generally work through early August, though we can be flexible with schedule to accommodate your school’s academic calendar. Positions are located in Chicago, Illinois, and while some limited telework may be possible, full time remote work is not approved. Interns are law students that have completed one or two years of law school before the summer of their internship. These positions are part of EPA’s Pathways program and are posted on USAJobs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I work for U.S. EPA Region 5?
Region 5 serves the upper midwest states. It has the largest number of employees – and the largest legal office – of all ten U.S. EPA regions. The Office of Regional Council has nearly 90 attorneys which means exposure to a variety of work and cases and plenty of substantive assignments. These cases are typically brought pursuant to the federal environmental statutes, including the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, Superfund, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act. These are the same statutes often covered in the basic environmental law course, so the internship is a chance to put into practice what the intern has already learned (or is learning as the internship proceeds). In addition, an intern can expect to work on or be exposed to significant enforcement cases that focus on addressing impacts or potential impacts to human health or the environment.
What is the typical internship with ORC like?
Interns perform primarily legal research and writing to support the counseling and enforcement work of the attorneys in the ORC. ORC attorneys handle cases under all media (land, air, water), so an intern should expect to get a wide variety of assignments, and not be limited to one subject matter. Legal research will usually concentrate on case-specific issues. Legal writing may include drafting:
- legal memos,
- information requests,
- complaints,
- settlement documents,
- letters to opposing counsel,
- lien-related documents,
- inquiries to attorneys at EPA Headquarters or other regional offices,
- dispositive motions, such as motions for accelerated decision, and
- litigation referrals to the Department of Justice.
Interns may also:
- attend negotiations with regulated entities and/or state partners,
- attend internal briefings and strategy meetings,
- attend oral arguments, and
- review agency documents in preparation for litigation.
Summer interns will receive comprehensive training from experienced ORC attorneys on the major environmental statutes and authorities. During the summer, interns work 40 hours per week.
Will an internship lead to an attorney position in ORC?
An internship – even a highly successful one – does not necessarily lead to an attorney position in ORC. Interns may apply for an attorney position when advertised, and the ORC hiring committee will consider them. Relevant experience, including internship experience, is helpful, but many factors are considered in making hiring decisions. That said, ORC is proud to count a number of former interns among its attorneys.
Does U.S. EPA have a non-discrimination policy?
U.S. EPA is an equal opportunity employer.
Is the program worthwhile?
Yes! We are very conscious of the fact that many students are receiving academic credit for the internship, and we therefore try to ensure that the experience here is a beneficial one for all students. Our past interns speak highly of the program.