Summer 2024 Undergraduate Internship | Fairfax County General District Court

Summer 2024 Undergraduate Internship
Location: Fairfax, VA
Closing Date: March 15, 2024

The Fairfax County General District Court is a trial court with limited jurisdiction.  The court has six divisions: Civil/Small Claims, Criminal, Traffic, Payments, Court Operations and Administration.  The criminal and traffic divisions only adjudicate matters with adult defendants.  General district courts have exclusive authority to hear civil cases with claims of $4,500 or less and share authority with the circuit courts to hear cases with claims between $4,500 and $25,000, and up to $50,000 in civil cases for personal injury and wrongful death. The Civil Division has exclusive jurisdiction in small claims of $5,000 or less.  The Criminal Division decides all criminal offenses involving ordinances, laws, and by-laws of the county or city where it is located and all criminal misdemeanors under state law.  The Traffic Division hears traffic misdemeanor and infraction cases.
 
The Fairfax County General District Court’s Internship Program offers an unparalleled in-house experience.  Interns will have direct exposure to the innerworkings of a busy urban court.  They gain diverse, hands-on work experience and the chance to make direct contributions to the judicial process.
 
The interns gain experience through:

• Observing court proceedings
• Gaining exposure to court processes.
• Training on case processing, scanning and other clerical tasks and duties.
• Presentations and/or shadowing other justice system stakeholder.

 
Other typical benefits of judicial internships include:

• Work experience
• Resume building
• Networking and professional relationships
• May be approved for course credit

 
Qualifications needed:

• Attention to detail
• Ability to work independently – seeking disciplined self-motivators
• Ethical conduct – interns will have access to confidential and sensitive documents
• High level of communication skills- both oral and written
• Must pass a criminal background check. 

 
Application Submission Periods:

• Fall Semester Internships:           March 15th – April 15th
• Spring Semester Internships:      September 15th – October 15th
• Summer Internships:                    February 15th – March 15th

 
Materials Required for Consideration:

• Fairfax County General District Court Intern Application
• Most recent transcript (Official or unofficial)
• Cover letter and resume (Optional)

 
Application Submission Procedure:

• Submit to:                         ATTN: Internship Application Coordinator
• Submission Address:      GDCMail@fairfaxcounty.gov
• Subject Title:                    Internship, Cycle, Name

 
For additional information, please visit:
https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/generaldistrict/career-volunteer-opportunities