San Francisco District Attorney

SF District Attorney

Careers

Graduate Law Clerks

The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office offers a Graduate Law Clerk internship program for law students who have taken the July Bar Exam and are awaiting Bar results.  Graduate Law Clerks (also known as “GLCs”) will work full-time and receive a small stipend.  They will assist attorneys with legal research, motion writing, and general case preparation.  Graduate Law Clerks will also be given opportunities to appear in court, argue motions, conduct arraignments, and handle preliminary hearings and bench trials. They must also be certified by the California State Bar.

At the conclusion of the Graduate Law Clerk Program, the GLCs who successfully complete the internship program and who pass the Bar Exam will be eligible to apply for a permanent Assistant District Attorney position with our office. 

Application Process

  1. Graduated from an ABA-accredited law school
  2. Take the July 2025 California Bar Exam
  3. Available to work full-time (40 hours per week)
  4. Certified by the California State Bar for the duration of the internship

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 Julius De Guia, Chief of the Criminal Division – Specialized Units, 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

Program Dates: Mon. August 4, 2025 – Thu. November 6, 2025

  1. Application Period: Tue. October 1, 2024 – Thu. November 7, 2024
  2. Interviews: Tue. November 12, 2024 – Thu. November 14, 2024
  3. SFDA’s Notification of Offers into the GLC Program: Mon. November 18, 2024
  4. Candidate’s Acceptance Deadline: Mon. November 25, 2024

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