Navigating Health Care Law Internships: Requirements and Opportunities

The field of health care law is constantly evolving, making internships invaluable for law students seeking to specialize in this area. These internships offer practical experience, skill development, and exposure to various facets of health law. This article outlines the requirements and opportunities available in health care law internships, drawing upon information from different organizations and programs.

Exploring Internship Avenues

Several avenues exist for law students interested in health care law internships. These include opportunities with governmental bodies like the Department of Labor (DOL), non-profit organizations such as the American Health Law Association (AHLA), and specialized institutes like the O’Neill Institute.

Governmental Opportunities: The Department of Labor (DOL)

The DOL's Office of the Solicitor (SOL) provides legal advice and enforces labor laws to protect the nation's workers. SOL offers internships and externships to law students, providing them with opportunities to engage in legal research and writing related to advice, litigation, and rule-making projects. Interns may also attend meetings with DOL client agencies and analyze the legal impact of legislative developments.

SOL National Divisions: These divisions, located in Washington, D.C., focus on areas such as Black Lung and Longshore Legal Services, Civil Rights and Labor Management, Employment and Training Legal Services, Mine Safety and Health, and Occupational Safety and Health.
SOL Regional Offices: Located across the country, these offices engage in litigation in federal district courts and before administrative law judges.

Interested applicants should contact the individual SOL Division or Regional Offices for information about available opportunities. Opportunities under the Pathways Program or other hiring authorities are posted on USAJOBS.

Non-Profit Opportunities: The American Health Law Association (AHLA)

The American Health Law Association (AHLA) offers externships to law students interested in health law issues. AHLA’s mission is to enable its members to serve their clients more effectively, produce the highest quality educational programs, products, and services concerning health law issues, and serve as a public resource on selected health care legal issues.

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Remote Externship: AHLA’s externship is conducted on a fully remote basis. Students must be a 3L at an ABA-accredited law school.
Summer Internship: AHLA provides a summer-long internship for talented law students who bring a unique perspective to the field.

Specialized Institutes: The O’Neill Institute

The O’Neill Institute welcomes law students from the United States and around the world to undertake paid internships. Interns work under leading health law experts, gain valuable expertise and professional skills, and contribute to cutting-edge work. Past interns have worked on areas such as health and human rights, noncommunicable diseases, infectious diseases, and comparative health law and policy, such as responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Application Timelines and Deadlines

Many organizations operate on a rolling basis for accepting applications, encouraging interested candidates to apply as promptly as possible. However, specific deadlines exist for certain programs:

Summer Internships: Some organizations accept applications on a rolling basis for Summer 2026 until February 23 or until filled. Accepting applications and extending offers on a rolling basis between January 1 and February 14 of each year, for the upcoming summer program.
Spring Internships: Applications for Spring 2026 must be received by October 1, 2025, and applications for Summer 2026 must be received by January 31, 2026. The final deadline for Summer 2026 is February 20, 2026.
DOL Internships: Applications for Summer 2025 with the Division of Black Lung and Longshore Legal Services are due Friday, January 31, 2025. The Division of Employment and Training Legal Services accepts applications for summer internships from December 1 - January 31 and extends offers by mid-March. They accept applications for fall-semester internships until the June 30 preceding the semester, and applications for spring-semester internships until the September 30 preceding the semester. AHLA begins accepting applications in January for the summer internship. The application deadline is the first Monday in March. AHLA starts accepting applications in September for the Spring Semester.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligibility requirements vary depending on the specific internship program. Common requirements include:

Academic Standing: Students must be in good academic standing.
Year of Study: Many programs require completion of the first year of law school (1L) for judicial externships. The AHLA requires students to be a 3L at an ABA-accredited law school.

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GPA: For undergraduate students, a minimum GPA of 2.5 overall and 2.75 in their major may be required. For graduate students, a minimum GPA of 3.0 or 3.25 may be required.

Application Process

The application process generally involves submitting required documents, undergoing interviews, and potentially completing prescreening tests.

Document Submission:
- Cover Letter and Resume: A well-crafted cover letter and resume highlighting relevant skills and experiences are essential.
- Transcripts: Official undergraduate and graduate transcripts may be required.
  
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- Writing Sample: A writing sample is often required to evaluate writing skills.
- Letters of Recommendation: Two letters of recommendation, one from an academic source and one from an employer/supervisor, are typically required.
Interviews: Interviews may be conducted by telephone or in person.
Prescreening Tests: Some positions require prescreening tests, including background checks and drug tests.

Time Commitments

Time commitments vary depending on the program:

Judicial Externships: Time commitments are determined by the supervising judge or legal staff and can range from 2-5 days a week. The Summer Program has a 6-week minimum and up to a 12-week maximum commitment. During the school year, externs are expected to commit at least 2 days per week for at least 15 hours per week. Summer judicial externships are a full-time, 40-hour / week commitment for a minimum of 10 weeks.
Adult Probation Department Internships: Interns must attend a four-day orientation program and work a minimum of two full days per week, completing a minimum of 200 hours or meeting their school's internship requirement.
Social Service Internship Program: Interns are required to attend a 5-6-day orientation and commit to working a minimum of two full days per week, completing a minimum of 300 hours or meeting their school’s internship requirements.
AHLA Summer Internship: Requires 25 hours per week for eight weeks.

Types of Work and Responsibilities

Interns and externs in health care law can expect to perform a variety of tasks, including:

Legal Research and Writing: Conducting legal research, drafting memoranda, analyses, and briefs. Interns may also assist in the research and writing of legal briefs to be filed with the US Court of Appeals and the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Case Management: Assisting with file evaluation and preparation of court documents.
Client Interaction: Attending meetings with client agencies and providing legal advice.
Policy Analysis: Analyzing the legal impact of legislative developments and administrative decisions. Reviewing rulemaking and guidance documents before they are published.
Court Observations: Observing trials and other court proceedings.

Skills and Benefits Gained

Participating in health care law internships offers numerous benefits:

Practical Experience: Gaining first-hand courtroom and case management experience.
Skill Development: Developing legal research, writing, and analytical skills.
Networking: Interacting with experienced attorneys and other professionals in the field.
Exposure to Different Areas of Law: Working on diverse projects related to health and human rights, noncommunicable diseases, infectious diseases, and comparative health law and policy.
Career Advancement: Enhancing career prospects in the public sector and health care industry.

Specific Internship Opportunities: A Closer Look

Adult Probation Department Internship Programs

The Adult Probation Department offers two internship programs:

General Internship Program: This program is for undergraduate students who have completed two years of studies. Interns observe and perform job duties such as interviewing probationers, scoring risks and needs assessments, and attending court hearings.
Mental Health Unit Internship Program: This program is for advanced master’s students of social work, psychology, and related fields. Interns conduct mental health screenings, assessments, and treatment plans for probationers with severe mental illness.

Social Service Internship Program

The Social Service Department offers an internship for bachelor’s and/or master’s degree students interested in learning about working in the criminal justice system. Interns gain an understanding of the role and responsibilities of caseworkers, complete assessments, develop casework plans, and prepare court documents.

Office of the Cook County Public Guardian Internship Program

The intern program at the Office of the Cook County Public Guardian is designed to provide students with practical experience. Law clerks work one-on-one under the supervision of experienced attorneys as they develop their lawyer skills and incorporate the values of our Divisions. Upon request, a law clerk could be placed in the Juvenile Division, Appeals Unit, Adult Guardianship Division or the Domestic Relations Division.

Judicial Externships

Current J.D. Judicial Extern Opportunity Program Judicial externs are law school students who work in chambers for a judge in exchange for school credit, a stipend from an outside agency or to gain experience working in the court system. Each extern will be assigned a Domestic Relations Division judge to work with during their externship. Under the direct supervision of their assigned judge, judicial externs are expected to conduct legal research, draft research memos, draft orders, provide basic procedural information to self-represented litigants, and complete other tasks as assigned to facilitate the efficient day-to-day administration of the judge’s courtroom. Externs will also have the chance to observe trials and other court proceedings.

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