Legal Internships in EPA’s New York City Office (Region 2)
Office of Regional Counsel (ORC)’s Volunteer Legal Internship Program
ORC has a robust volunteer legal internship program, both during the school year and the summer months.
What do interns hired under this program do?
Our interns obtain excellent experience in the review, analysis, and discussion of legal issues arising in various environmental matters, including air, water, hazardous wastes and toxic substances, and criminal enforcement. Interns work directly with staff attorneys on their cases and may be tasked with assignments such as legal and corporate research, drafting memoranda and pleadings, indexing and digesting trial and deposition testimony, and interpreting statutory and regulatory provisions. Interns are encouraged to attend settlement conferences, negotiations, administrative and judicial hearings and trials, and public meetings, when possible. ORC’s summer internships include a range of organized work-related events, such as Continuing Legal Education courses, Brown Bag lunch seminars, and site visits, and provide networking and social opportunities within the Region 2 office and the larger New York City environmental community.
Who is eligible?
Applicants must be current law students or LLM students. Generally, EPA internships are limited to U.S. citizens only.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values at EPA. Our excellence can only be fully realized by staff who share our commitment to these values. Successful interns are committed to advancing equity and inclusion in the Agency’s workplace and mission. We encourage applications from candidates with a variety of personal experiences, values, and worldviews that arise from differences of culture and circumstance.
What is the typical length of employment?
ORC’s internship program typically runs 3 calendar months: fall (September through November), spring (February through April), and summer (May through July). Interns are expected to work a total of approximately 10–12 weeks.
ORC typically hires 11 interns for summer and semester internships. Interns may work full-time or part-time during the semesters but are expected to work a minimum of 12–15 hours per week. During the summer, we generally only hire interns who can work a full-time schedule of 40 hours per week. Interns are expected to report to EPA Region 2’s offices, located at 290 Broadway in Manhattan, at least one day per week.
Are the positions paid? What are the benefits?
Our office is not able to provide financial compensation to interns participating in the volunteer program, although students are sometimes able to find stipends or grants from outside sources or obtain course credits from their law school.
Interns can apply for a transit subsidy for the cost of public transportation during the internship. Interns are also eligible to utilize Region 2’s fitness center for a prorated charge.
How and when do I apply?
Applications will be accepted from mid-August until the end of September for spring semester internships, from mid-August until early November for summer internships, and from mid-February until the end of March for fall semester internships. Applicants are encouraged to apply early within these timeframes, as applications may be considered on a rolling basis.
To be considered for an internship, applicants should submit a cover letter and resume, preferably as a single Word or PDF file with the applicant’s name as the filename, by email to Margo Ludmer and Krista Yacovone, Assistant Regional Counsels/ORC Internship Coordinators, at [email protected] and [email protected]. Please do not send writing samples, references, or transcripts.
Questions regarding ORC’s internship program may be directed to Ms. Ludmer and Ms. Yacovone. Their contact information is listed below.
Margo B. Ludmer
Krista E. Yacovone
Assistant Regional Counsels
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region 2
Office of Regional Counsel
290 Broadway, 17th Floor
New York, NY 10007
212-637-3187 (Ms. Ludmer)
212-637-3095 (Ms. Yacovone)
[email protected]
[email protected]
Overview of ORC
ORC provides a full range of legal services to Region 2, including enforcement of the major federal environmental statutes and counsel to our program clients. ORC has around 80 lawyers and is headed by the Regional Counsel. ORC’s five Branches are:
Air Branch: This Branch is responsible for legal aspects of enforcement of the federal Clean Air Act. The Branch provides legal advice and support to the Region’s air program offices, including the review of new regulations and state delegation efforts.
Water & General Law Branch: This Branch is responsible for legal aspects of enforcement of the federal Clean Water Act, the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act, and the Safe Drinking Water Act. The Branch provides legal advice and support to the Region’s water program offices. In addition, the Branch’s General Law Team handles legal issues related to various EPA financial assistance programs, including matters such as bid protests and assistance appeals, and all general legal matters, such as contracting, ethics, personnel, procurement, and federal labor relations questions.
Waste & Toxic Substances Branch: This Branch is responsible for legal aspects of enforcement of the federal Solid Waste Disposal Act, as amended by the Resource Conservation & Recovery Act (RCRA), the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), and portions of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). The Branch provides legal advice and support to the Region’s toxic substances program offices, including the review of state delegation efforts and permitting of hazardous and toxic waste management facilities.
New Jersey Superfund Branch: This Branch is responsible for all legal matters arising in New Jersey under the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA, commonly known as Superfund) and EPCRA. The Branch provides legal advice and support to the Region’s Superfund program office, including the initiation of enforcement and cost recovery actions and the review of agreements for joint federal/state funding of hazardous waste site cleanups and other contractual agreements.
New York/Caribbean Superfund Branch: This Branch has similar responsibilities with respect to CERCLA and EPCRA activities in New York, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Additionally, EPA has a robust Criminal Enforcement Program. The Regional Criminal Enforcement Counsels (RCECs) coordinate the legal aspects of the Region’s criminal enforcement program in all media. The RCECs serve as the principal advisors to the Regional Counsel, Regional program managers, and the Criminal Investigation Division on criminal enforcement efforts.
- Learn about EPA Region 2 and some of the key issues we are dealing with.
- Questions regarding ORC’s current attorney staffing needs may be directed to Patricia Hick, Deputy Regional Counsel, at [email protected].