Summary
Legal Intern Program for Summer 2026
The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office is looking for highly motivated rising 2L law students to join our office as Rule 9 Interns in the Summer of 2026. This is a 13-week program for students during the summer between their second and third year of law school. We will have Rule 9 positions in our Mainstream Criminal Practice Division, Juvenile Division, and Civil Division for Summer 2026. The legal intern program is permitted under Admission and Practice Rule 9-A limited license to practice in Washington State. Interns are paid $1,240 per week with no benefits.
About the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office
Guided by our core values of Integrity, Compassion, Professionalism, and Leadership, our mission is to do Justice:
- We exercise the power given to us by the people with fairness and humility.
- We serve our diverse community, support victims and families, and hold individuals accountable.
- We develop innovative and collaborative solutions for King County and the State of Washington.
Our office includes six divisions that are further organized into specialized units:
To learn more about the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (PAO), please visit our website.
We value diversity and strive to hire a workforce that reflects the community that we serve. It is essential to our mission that we create and maintain an office that is diverse and inclusive. All PAO employees are expected to participate in PAO equity work and attend equity trainings and discussions. PAO employees are expected to comply with equity and social justice principles, and to work with PAO colleagues and management to identify opportunities for improvement.Job Duties
Rule 9 Interns will be assigned to a supervising attorney and assigned to a specialized unit in our Mainstream Criminal Division, Civil Division, or Juvenile Division. Candidates may be assigned to work at any one of our three locations (Seattle, Kent, Redmond). A preference for a certain location may be specified, but assignment will ultimately be determined by business needs. Offers will be made for specific locations. These are full-time positions working 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for 13 weeks.
Mainstream Criminal Division - District Court Unit
Rule 9 Interns assigned to the District Court Unit practice in the Mainstream Criminal Division of our office and are assigned to King County District Courts, which are located throughout the County. District Court locations include Kent (Maleng Regional Justice Center), Redmond, and Seattle. Interns assigned to these courts handle every stage of the prosecution of misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor offenses from arraignment to jury trial. Each intern is responsible for providing their own transportation to the district court where assigned. In some courts, interns represent the State in contested traffic infraction hearings. Misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor statutes cover a myriad of offenses; for example, Driving Under the Influence and other criminal traffic violations, Assault, Theft, Criminal Trespass, and Indecent Exposure.An intern in the District Court Unit is assigned to a specific court location for the duration of the internship, and will work with current deputy prosecuting attorneys, paralegals and other Legal Service Professionals. Supervision is provided by the district court Vice Chair for the assigned location , who is a deputy prosecuting attorney with trial experience, and by current deputy prosecuting attorneys assigned to the specific court location. The District Court Unit Chair, the Filing Unit and an Appellate deputy are all available for consultation. The entire District Court Unit meets periodically, and each location has regular team meetings. Rule 9s have access to an online resource center that includes stock briefs on many of the recurring issues, templates, and training videos.
After two weeks of intensive training and observation, interns will be responsible for every aspect of criminal prosecution at the district court level. This includes case investigation, witness interviews, negotiations, brief writing, arraignments, pretrial motions, trial preparation, bench trials, jury trials, sentencing, and probation reviews. Interns will cover regular calendars that are set by the court and spend time outside of court preparing upcoming cases. The constitutional and evidentiary issues are many, the caseloads are substantial, the calendars are heavy, and the trial work is intense.
An internship on the District Court Unit is an excellent opportunity for exposure to criminal trial practice. The intern works closely with the Prosecutor's Office Legal Service Professionals and law enforcement, and is in regular contact with judges, the defense bar, and the general public. The position is demanding, but provides in-court practice, educational experience and rewards rarely duplicated by other internship programs.
Civil Division
The Civil Division is organized into eight specialized sections that provide comprehensive legal services to King County government, including all County elected and appointed officials, department heads, and with the managers of numerous county agencies and departments. Our attorneys work closely with our clients to solve a wide range of legal problems by providing legal advice and representing King County in lawsuits filed in state and federal courts. Our office also collaborates with client agencies to develop, fund, deliver, manage, and defend public projects, legislation, and initiatives that affect every aspect of civil society. Visit our website to learn more.
Typical day-to-day responsibilities for a Rule 9 intern in the Civil Division include a wide variety of challenging legal assignments that may include:
- Legal research and analysis.
- Drafting of legal briefs and memoranda.
- Participation in depositions, mediations, arbitrations, court hearings, trials, and other professional activities and events.
Juvenile Division
The Juvenile Division is a national model in innovative, effective responses to youthful offending that seeks to hold children responsible for their behavior, while affording them the chance to turn their lives around and be positive contributors to our community. In addition to prosecuting criminal cases through the traditional court system, our Juvenile Division has implemented groundbreaking Restorative Justice Initiatives, such as the CHOOSE 180 Program, Family Intervention and Restorative Services (FIRS), Restorative Community Pathways (RCP), and Truancy Drop-Out Prevention, where we seek to improve community safety and better address the interests of victims of crime. Visit our website to learn more.
Typical day-to-day responsibilities for a Rule 9 intern in the Juvenile Division include a wide variety of challenging legal assignments that may include:
- Legal research and analysis.
- Drafting of legal briefs and memoranda.
- Assisting in case preparation, including case investigation, reviewing evidence and discovery, and witness interviews.
- Attending court hearings and other proceedings, such as detention review hearings, plea and disposition hearings, and review hearings.
Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills
- Eligible for a Washington State Rule 9 License (Download PDF reader) and licensed at the time of start for summer 2026. This typically requires completion of second year in a three-year program. Part-time students and those in four-year programs are encouraged to check with their school and the WSBA before applying.
- Must pass a criminal background check, which will include fingerprinting.
- Must be a current 2L, who will be between their second and third years of law school during summer 2026.
Supplemental Information
To Apply:
All candidates should submit the following by August 1st, 2025:
- Cover letter
- Resume
- List of three references
- Unofficial transcript
- 5-10 page writing sample
Seattle University, University of Washington, or Gonzaga students are encouraged to apply via their school's job listing system in addition to the King County Career website. This is so your school can track its students' progress during OCI, and it also takes advantage of the interview slots the KCPAO has committed to your school during OCI.
If you are eligible to apply via a job fair that the KCPAO is attending, please do so. But be certain to submit your application and materials via the County’s website above.
Out of State Applicants:
Because of limited funds, out-of-state, on-campus recruiting is not anticipated and no funds are available to support candidates' trips to Seattle.
Interview Timeline & Process:
Materials will be reviewed and candidates will be notified if they are selected for an interview.
First-round interviews will happen at a combination of on-campus interviews, job fairs, and directly with our office by August 15.
Second-round interviews will occur on August 22nd and August 29th.
Offers will be made by September 12.
Interviews for those students in the greater Seattle area will be held in person at the King County Courthouse. Out-of-state candidates will interview via Microsoft Teams. If a local candidate requires a virtual platform, arrangements can be made by selecting the virtual option in the supplemental questions.
Consideration for Future Employment: 1L summer externs applying for a 2026 Rule 9 Internship will be evaluated carefully by their supervising attorney. There is no guarantee that an externship will lead to a Rule 9 Intern position or that a Rule 9 Intern position will lead to a future position with our office.
Cover letters and any questions related to the application process should be addressed to:
Hazel Johnson (she/her)
Deputy Director of Human Resources
King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office
516 3rd Avenue, Ste W400
Seattle, WA 98104
