Internships & Pro Bono

Join a team of highly skilled professionals and contribute to the high-quality representation provided to our clients. Through internship and pro bono programs, aspiring assistant public defenders and private attorneys alike can sharpen their skills and advance their professional development while working in one of the nation's most challenging criminal justice systems.

The application deadline for Summer internships (CLIs and non-CLIs) is March 15; for Fall, it is July 15; for Spring, it is November 1. No applications will be accepted late.

Want to gain real-life litigation experience that is not a mock trial or other simulation? Want to advocate in court on behalf of an individual who cannot afford to hire an attorney but needs legal assistance? Want to learn in a supportive environment under the supervision of an experienced attorney?

You will first need to fulfill your law school’s and the Florida Supreme Court’s requirements to become a Certified Legal Intern: Certified Legal Intern Program - Supreme Court (flcourts.gov). Then you can apply to join our team of highly skilled professionals to contribute to providing high-quality representation for our clients. The CLI Internship Program is highly competitive and there are only 10 paid CLI slot per semester and 10 unpaid slots.

You will be learning and working in a supportive environment that focuses on competence, diligence and client communication that unequivocally rejects "meet them and plead them" practices. Through our Certified Legal Internship (CLI) program, aspiring Assistant Public Defenders (APDs) can sharpen their skills and advance their professional development while working on cases at a nationally renowned Public Defender's office. During our internship, the CLI receives litigation training and professional development opportunities that exceed what is offered at other public sector and private law firm internships. For further information regarding Certification by the Supreme Court of Florida, see Chapter 11 of the Rules Governing the Law School Practice Program and consult with your law school's externship office.

Responsibilities

• Preparing and investigating each case efficiently and diligently
• Advising and counseling each client
• Establishing and maintaining a professional relationship with each client
• Thorough and timely documentation
• Effective and efficient use of AI (CoCounsel), Westlaw, investigators, mitigation and placement specialists and other support staff
• Seeking assistance from experts appropriate to the case
• Demonstrating a professional demeanor
• Exercising sound judgment to achieve desired results after thorough preparation

The CLI program is limited to students who meet the certification requirements set by the Supreme Court of Florida. CLIs are certified by Florida's Supreme Court to represent our clients under the direct supervision of a Florida attorney (an APD). We pay up to 10 CLIs per semester $26 an hour only if their school permits the student to get paid while earning credits toward graduation. The student may also be paid when that law school prohibition ends after completing the for-credit internship. We also have unpaid CLI positions available. If subsequently hired for a post-graduate APD position, the CLI (Legal Trainee) will earn $28 an hour pending admission to The Florida Bar.

Pay and benefits for CLIs working a minimum of 20 hours a week, up to 80 hours a month

• $26 an hour in a state position
• Extensive onboarding, ongoing training and supervision
• Handle your own (limited) caseload
• Litigate and speak on the record in court proceedings
• Paid holidays
• Sick leave
• Earn incentive paid leave credit for bar study if hired for a post-graduate APD position
• Earn $28 an hour while law school after being hired for post-graduation position

Pay for CLIs working less than 20 hours a week or 80 hours a month

• $26 an hour, in OPS position
• Extensive onboarding, ongoing training and supervision
• Handle your own (limited) caseload
• Litigate and speak on the record in court proceedings
• OPS employees do not earn incentive leave for Florida Bar exam study
• The State of Florida does not authorize payment for holidays, annual or sick leave for OPS employees

Law students interested in having a superior CLI experience or pursuing a career in public defense after graduation should get certified as early as possible. To be considered for a CLI position, you must first be approved by the Supreme Court of Florida as a CLI. Ideally, to give our office a solid opportunity to see the CLI in action before making a job offer, the CLI completes the certified internship in the summer after the 2L year of law school or the fall semester of the 3L year. The application deadline for Summer CLIs is March 15; for fall, it is July 15; and Nov. 1 for spring CLIs.

The Public Defender’s Office offers select volunteering opportunities for law students. Due to workload demands, the inability to closely supervise or for interns to assist with legal support, and the sensitive nature of the work, we are seldom able to offer volunteering opportunities to undergraduate or high school students. Volunteer law students (i.e., non-certified interns) are afforded invaluable experience working alongside skilled and dedicated assistant public defenders in one of the nation’s most challenging criminal justice systems. The law student intern selection process is highly competitive. When we have appropriate, time-limited, projects, the Public Defender occasionally invites one or more law or college students to volunteer on a project. Regrettably, due to the high demand for internships from law students, and lack of adequate supervisory resources and space, we do not offer internships to high school students, nor do we provide "shadowing" opportunities.

Candidates for a graduate degree in social work or mental health counseling can participate in our Mitigation and Placement Internship Program. We are always looking for inquisitive, insightful, empathetic persons with superior written- and oral-communications skills to work in our Mitigation and Placement Services Unit. Our mitigation specialists assist assistant public defenders in all divisions by assessing clients’ individual needs and strengths and then developing rehabilitative treatment and sentencing plans, when appropriate. Interns receive formal supervision under which they may interview clients and their families. They also assist with preparation of psycho-social histories, access services for clients and learn about community resources.

The Initiative is a community partnership established by Public Defender Carlos J. Martinez with civil firms, private attorneys, law schools, colleges and community groups.

As part of his community outreach, Public Defender Martinez turned to the private firms with his vision for a project that could enhance indigent clients’ access to justice, help the office better comply with constitutional, ethical and professional obligations, and provide valuable information to the community at large.

The initiative builds on the office’s tradition of receiving pro bono legal assistance from private firms for excessive caseload litigation, representation of individual APDs faced with contempt, and client representation on issues of statewide importance (litigating on behalf of a child whose arrest record was released to the public).

Pro bono does not substitute or make up for lack of funding. Even if every criminal defense attorney in Miami Dade County accepted one case pro bono, it would still be a drop in the bucket because the office handles approximately 75,000 cases each year. Participating in the pro bono program serves as a unique opportunity for the private bar to show support for the constitutional right to counsel, the indigent and the rule of law.