Cleveland Field Office-Enforcement Internships and Judicial Internships

The EEOC is the federal agency charged with enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination, including the Equal Pay Act of 1963, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA).

The Enforcement Unit investigates charges of discrimination filed against private employers. The Hearings Unit adjudicates claims of employment discrimination involving federal agencies. The Hearings Unit seeks law students as interns.

Internships are unpaid volunteer positions, but we will assist students with their applications for academic credit, externships, or external stipends.

Internships may be done remotely.

Enforcement Unit Internship

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Cleveland Field Office has internship opportunities for undergraduate students (who have completed their sophomore year of college), law students, and graduate students.

Internship duties and assignments may include: reviewing correspondence to see if it alleges a claim under our laws; inputting data into our information management system; assisting in screening and interviewing individuals who seek to file a charge of employment discrimination; drafting charges of discrimination and creating charge files after interviewing parties and reviewing correspondence; responding to inquiries regarding potential charges; corresponding with charging parties or employers regarding charges of discrimination; reviewing and analyzing documents, records and evidence; contacting witnesses; and drafting interview questions.

Enforcement interns will work primarily in the Charge Receipt/Technical Information Unit (CRTIU), but may have the opportunity to observe settlement conferences, mediation conferences, and fact-finding conferences.

The complexity of the work assigned may depend on workload demands and/or the student’s demonstrated abilities during the internship. While there may be some clerical work relating to the charge investigations, we are committed to giving students assignments to develop further their research, analytical or writing skills during their internships.

Applicants should have strong analytical, communication, research and writing skills.

During a semester, we prefer students who can commit a minimum of 10 hours per week. During the summer, we prefer students who can commit a minimum of 30 hours per week.

To Apply for an Enforcement Internship: Interested students should email a letter of interest (stating why you want to intern with the EEOC and why you think we should select you), resume, and transcript (unofficial transcript is fine. Please redact your social security number), and writing sample, preferably in a single .pdf, to: clevelandinternships@eeoc.gov

Applications for a fall semester internship should be received by July 29 of that year. Applications for a spring semester should be received by October 16 of that year. And, applications for a fall summer internship should be received by March 29 of that year. Still, positions may be filled as needed so students are encouraged to apply earlier and throughout the year.

Hearings Unit Judicial Clerkship

In the Federal Sector, formal EEO Complaints filed against a Federal Government agency after the agency's investigation are adjudicated by an EEOC Administrative Judge upon a Complainant’s Request for a Hearing. The Administrative Judge develops the record and adjudicates the case through settlement, dispositive motion or hearing. 

The EEOC Cleveland Field Office Hearings Unit offers opportunities for law students to participate in the administrative hearing process working closely with EEOC Administrative Judges. The student will have extensive exposure to civil rights litigation. The student will prepare legal memoranda, draft notices and orders, respond to motions (including motions for summary judgment), draft findings of fact and conclusions of law, and/or conduct research for use by the Administrative Judge in rendering decisions in Federal Sector employment discrimination cases.

The student will have a rare and extensive opportunity to hone legal writing skills in real life situations by drafting actual decisions. This office is committed to ensuring that law students receive an opportunity to develop legal skills.

Specific cases will be identified for the intern that present legal issues, including disability law, retaliation, sexual harassment and other areas of employment discrimination. The student will be assigned progressively more complex casework throughout the summer or semester and work with increasing independence, but always under the direct supervision of an Administrative Judge. The student will meet often with his/her assigned Administrative Judge(s) and there will be frequent interim review of written documents. In addition, the student will have opportunities to discuss general legal matters with the Administrative Judges and may attend oral case presentations and other office discussions.

Our office has multiple vacancies available throughout the year. During a semester, we prefer students who can commit a minimum of 16 hours per week. For the summer term, we prefer students who can commit a minimum of 32 hours per week.

To Apply for Judicial Clerkship: Interested students should email a letter of interest (stating why you want to intern with the EEOC and why you think we should select you), resume, transcript (unofficial transcript is fine. Please redact your social security number), and writing sample, preferably in a single .pdf, to: clevelandinternships@eeoc.gov

Applications for the summer 2021 internship should be received by March 19, 2021. Applications for the fall 2021 internship should be received by May 29, 2021. Applications for the spring 2022 semester should be received by October 16, 2021. However, positions may be filled as needed so students are encouraged to apply earlier.

The EEOC is an equal opportunity employer. For additional information about the EEOC Internship Program, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/careers/internship-positions.