San Francisco District Attorney

SF District Attorney

Careers

Volunteer/Loaner Attorney Program

The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office offers a Volunteer/Loaner Attorney Program for attorneys licensed by the State Bar of California who would like to gain courtroom experience while developing an expertise in criminal law and the rules of evidence. Volunteer/Loaner Attorneys will be assigned as full-time prosecutors in one of several units within the District Attorney’s Office, including Misdemeanor Trials, Felony Preliminary hearings, and General Felony Trials. In addition to conducting legal research, writing, responding to motions, and preparing cases for trial, Volunteer/Loaner Attorney’s will also be given frequent opportunities to appear in court to argue motions, arraign defendants, conduct preliminary hearings and occasionally jury trials.

Application Process

  1. Graduated from an ABA-accredited law school.
  2. Good standing with the State Bar of California.
  3. Available to work full-time (40 hours per week) for a minimum commitment of three (3) months.

To apply, please submit a General Intern Application

All interested applicants should be prepared to submit the following materials:

    1. Cover Letter—Please address to Donald du Bain, Chief of Organizational Management & Training, and indicate the specific program(s) that you are interested in applying for. 
    2. Resume
    3. Adult Background Investigation Form
    4. A copy of government issued photo identification.
    5. Writing Sample – No longer than 10 pages in length
Please note that all candidates are required to complete a Criminal Record Check Information Form with the submission of their application packet. These forms are thoroughly reviewed by our Bureau of Investigations, and applicants are encouraged to be candid. Acceptance into the Program is conditional upon the candidate passing a background check.
 

Email any questions to: SFDAInternship@sfgov.org

Volunteer/Loaner Attorney applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Applicant materials are processed and reviewed as they are received.

Recruitment will stay open until we have reached capacity.

Outside Employment Disclosure

California Government Code §§1125 through 1127 prohibits local agency officers and employees from engaging in activities that are incompatible, inconsistent, in conflict, or inimical with their agency employment. As a volunteer intern with our office, interns are bound by these sections of the Government Code. Students selected for any of the intern programs are advised that they may not perform any work (paid or unpaid) for any criminal defense attorney during the pendency of their internship with this office. This applies even if the criminal defense work is in a different county. Students who have other outside employment/incompatible activity during the pendency of their internship must disclose this to our office for review prior to accepting the internship.

Should an intern engage in outside employment/incompatible activity after commencing the internship, the intern must immediately advise the Internship Program Manager. If the outside employment/incompatible activity is deemed to fall within the prohibitions of California Government Code §1125 through 1127, the intern will not be able to remain in our program. If an intern has any questions concerning other employment/incompatible activity, they should contact the Program Director.

SF District Attorney