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The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is now accepting applications from 2L, 3L, and 4L law students for its 2021 Fall Legal Externship (Unpaid) Program in our Washington DC office. The externships start in August 2021 and end in November 2021, the start and end dates may be flexible.
See our tips on the application process and printable checklist to ensure each step of the application is completed.
03/09/2021 to 04/08/2021
$0 - $0 without compensation
CN 00
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Not required
No
Internships - Volunteer
Part-time - Externs may work between 15-40 hours per week.
Excepted
00
No
No
21-CFPB-141-X
594523200
This opportunity is open to US citizens or US Nationals who are an enrolled 2L, 3L, or 4L law student.
Externs will work in one program area during the externship. Positions are available in the following program areas:
Please see qualification section for a more detailed description of each office.
Legal externs will be assigned to work with attorneys on projects and assignments that cover a broad range of the Bureau’s legal and regulatory work. That work depends upon the division or office where the student works.
These are unpaid positions. Externs may earn academic credit with permission of the extern’s law school. Externs must sign the Bureau’s Student Volunteer Agreement and will be responsible for obtaining their school representative’s signature.
Externship opportunities are full time and/or part time with a minimum 15 hours requirement per week. This is determined and agreed upon based on the volunteer student's academic course load schedule and division/office needs. You will have the opportunity to discuss schedule, hours, etc. upon selection and acceptance into the program.
Applicants should have excellent research and writing skills, solid academic credentials and a demonstrated commitment to the mission of the Bureau. Must be a U.S. Citizen.
Externs may work between 15-40 hours per week.
To be eligible for this volunteer internship all of the following requirements must be met.
If you do not submit sufficient academic documentation necessary to demonstrate that you meet the eligibility requirements described in this announcement, your application will be deemed incomplete and you will be ineligible.
Applicants should have excellent research and writing skills, solid academic credentials and a demonstrated commitment to the mission of the Bureau.
Externs will work in one program area during the externship. Positions are available in the following program areas:
Legal Division
The Bureau’s Legal Division (LD) serves as counsel to the Bureau, advising the Director on all legal matters. In this capacity, LD develops and advances Bureau legal strategy in collaboration with other stakeholders on mission-critical issues and provides timely legal support and advice on all issues before the Bureau. LD consists of three program offices: Litigation & Oversight, which represents the Bureau in all appellate and defensive litigation, manages the Bureau’s responses to oversight requests, and advises the Director and Bureau components on issues presenting legal and other risks.
Externs in LD will have the opportunity to work on projects for each of the three offices. Projects generally consist of (1) conducting substantive legal research on complex questions of law, (2) drafting memoranda, correspondence, and motions, (3) assisting attorneys with matters in active litigation or active Congressional investigations, and (4) assisting LD attorneys in the Bureau-wide review process for policy and rulemaking initiatives. Externs are also invited to attend weekly staff meetings, moots, court proceedings, and other exciting events throughout the term.
Office of Regulations
The Bureau’s Office of Regulations develops, writes, and implements Federal consumer financial regulations. Our mission is to advance policy that fosters an accessible, fair, transparent, and competitive financial services market for both consumers and providers by: developing and amending rules and guidance to protect consumers, reduce unwarranted regulatory burden, and lower barriers to consumer-friendly innovation; facilitating consistent compliance with federal consumer financial law by providing implementation support and ongoing interpretive guidance; and serving within the Bureau as the authority on the interpretation of Bureau rules.
Externs will be placed with a rulemaking or regulatory implementation team for the duration of their semester-long externship. An extern’s duties may include researching and analyzing complex factual, legal, and policy issues; preparing memos addressing these issues; and presenting their work to team members and others.
Office of Enforcement:
The Office of Enforcement is the primary litigating arm of the Bureau and enforces federal consumer financial laws by investigating cases of potential wrongdoing and taking legal action where appropriate. Enforcement attorneys conduct factual investigation of companies to determine whether they are violating the law, research legal issues, and handle all stages of enforcement litigation at the trial court level. Externs in the Office of Enforcement support cases in active litigation and matters in the investigation stage. We try to give our externs exposure to many different aspects of our investigation and litigation process. Externs are assigned to a case team that is in active litigation and also receive assignments in support of other investigations and cases.
In addition to learning about substantive consumer protection laws, the enforcement of those laws, and the general administrative policies and procedures of a federal agency, this is an excellent opportunity to learn about the investigative process and the nuts and bolts of trial-level civil litigation. An extern’s duties may include: conducting legal research and drafting internal memoranda; drafting filings for enforcement actions litigating in both federal court and administrative courts; and assisting in preparation for depositions, hearings, and negotiations with outside counsel. When possible, externs are provided with the opportunity to observe hearings, depositions, and other proceedings.
Office of Supervision Policy
The Office of Supervision Policy (OSP) develops supervision strategy and provides subject-matter expertise to the Bureau’s examination staff on legal and policy issues. OSP’s work is varied, spanning the consumer financial marketplace under the Bureau’s supervisory authority, including mortgages, student loans, auto loans, payday lending, and international money transfers. We work closely with other offices in the Bureau, including the offices of Enforcement, Fair Lending, Regulations, Markets, and Legal, as well as with other regulators (both state and federal). .
OSP externs can expect assignments such as: (1) drafting legal memos to analyze whether citations of Federal consumer financial law are appropriate in examinations in a variety of areas, (2) updating examination procedures, job aids, and training materials used by regional staff to ensure they remain up-to-date and easy to use, and (3) reviewing examination reports, supervisory letters, and other OSP documents, such as Supervisory Highlights, a public report that shares anonymized findings of the supervision program. Externs are also invited to join calls with examiners, OSP subject matter team meetings and bi-weekly staff meetings, and meetings with other regulators.
Office of Civil Rights
The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) enforces civil rights laws and works to prevent and correct any unlawful discrimination in the workplace for employees and applicants for employment. OCR processes EEO complaints filed by employees and applicants in accordance with timeframes and guidelines set forth by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and issues mandated reports. OCR also educates the workforce on EEO policies and procedures and through data analyses, identifies whether barriers to equal employment opportunities exist and develops recommendations for corrective actions, as needed, and conducts alternative dispute resolution, usually in the form of mediation.
Legal externs in the OCR will have the opportunity to (1) observe the complete EEO adjudication process and assist in reviewing affidavits, Reports of Investigations, final agency decisions, and accept/dismiss letters for legal accuracy before issuance, (2) conduct targeted legal research in civil rights laws, employment laws, and EEOC federal regulations and write clear and concise legal memorandum on issues that arise within the EEO Complaint Process, and (3) work on special projects within OCR to support its mission, including assistance in research and drafting reports and policy, assisting with creating and presenting webinars on EEO topics, and supporting monthly educational events for the workforce.
Office of Innovation
The mission of the Office of Innovation (OI) is to promote innovation, competition, and consumer access within financial services. We are responsible for the development, coordination, and implementation of Bureau efforts to spur consumer-friendly innovation. This includes implementation of our innovation policies: No-Action Letter Policy, Compliance Assistance Sandbox Policy, and Trial Disclosure Program Policy. It also includes coordinating with other regulators, both on a one-off basis and through participation in the American Consumer Financial Network (ACFIN) and the Global Financial Innovation Network (GFIN). An extern’s duties are expected to include: conducting diligence on applicants under the three innovation policies, researching and analyzing factual and legal issues raised by applications, engaging with applicants, participating in internal Bureau meetings, and interacting with external stakeholders, such as consumer advocacy groups, industry trade associations, individual companies, and government regulators. OI is particularly interested in candidates with a strong background and/or interest in FinTech.
You must be an enrolled 2L, 3L, or 4L law student.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is seeking non-paid volunteers to encourage interest in public service careers and provide valuable work experience. As a non-paid volunteer, students will gain first-hand experience performing a variety of tasks related to supporting the activities of the Bureau.
Student Volunteers may work during the school year and/or during summer or school vacation periods. The nature of the volunteer assignment as well as the work schedule will be established once on-board.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your application includes your:
Please note - If you do not submit sufficient academic documentation necessary to demonstrate that you meet the eligibility requirements described in this announcement, your application will be deemed incomplete and you will be ineligible. You will also be deemed ineligible if you fail to submit a cover letter.
FOR ELIGIBILITY:
You MUST submit a cover letter including program areas ranked in order of interest
You MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of courses showing title, number of credits, and grade (if applicable) from an accredited college or university verifying proof of enrollment.
Both official AND unofficial transcripts are acceptable as part of the application process. However, if you are selected, you will be required to provide an official transcript before you report to work.
You must be attending a school than is an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which these criteria, please refer to www.ed.gov.
If you are eligible based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency; more information may be found http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/SEC-II/s2-e4.asp#e4a.
We recommend you get this process started as soon as possible to avoid delays in appointment if selected.
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has partnered with the Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service to provide certain personnel services to its organization. Fiscal Service's responsibilities include advertising vacancies, accepting and handling applications, and extending job offers.
The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon ET on the announcement's closing date.
The Bureau provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.
To begin, either click the “Create a New Account” button and follow the prompts to register or if you previously registered, click the "Apply Online" button and follow the prompts.
You will be re-directed to the Bureau'sCareerConnector system to complete your application process; answer the online questions, and submit all required documents. (To submit supporting documents, click one of the available options; Upload; Fax; or Reuse existing documents. To protect your privacy, we suggest you first remove your SSN). Also, go to “My Account” to view and update your information, as necessary.
To complete, you must click the “Finish” button located at the bottom of the “Application Review” page.
To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, below the Application Status, you will select the Track this application link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
If you are experiencing system issues with your application, please contact the CareerConnector Help Desk at careerconnectorhelp@treasury.gov and/or the USAJOBS Help Desk.
For additional information on how to apply, please visit the Partnership for Public Service’s Go Government website.
To check the status of your application for this position, please follow these steps:
1. Login to your USAJOBS account, select the "Applications" section and click on the vacancy you would like to view and have already applied for.
2. Under "application status," click "Track this application" and you will be taken to the CareerConnector website where you can check your application status.
For more information regarding the job and applicant status, please refer to https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/
If you wish to make changes/updates to your application and the vacancy is still open, you can click on the job announcement and "Update Application" to be taken back to the CareerConnector portion of the application. No updates can be made once the announcement has closed.
Please notify us at CFPBINQUIRIES@FISCAL.TREASURY.GOV if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement. Also, note that if you provide an email address that is inaccurate or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/594523200. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
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The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was established by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010. Our mission is to make markets for consumer financial products and services work for all consumers. Join us! We offer exciting, innovative, challenging, and rewarding opportunities.
