Legal Recruiting Program

Attorney Hiring

Trial Attorney Hiring

We hire entry level and lateral¹ attorneys to join our trial practice on an annual basis through a fall recruitment model.

The trial application process opens in late summer and we accept resumes on a rolling basis until the application process closes in early fall.

Candidates are either selected to interview on campus during their third year of law school (check out the Legal Recruiting Program Blog for the list of schools we will be visiting this year) or are encouraged to submit materials through direct applications. Successful candidates are then invited to meet and interview with the full hiring committee.

Candidates who make the final round are interviewed by the PDS executive staff in December, and offers are made in December or January for the class that will start with PDS the following October.

[1] Lateral attorneys with significant solo jury trial experience in serious felony cases are sometimes hired off cycle after an observation period. If you are interested in being considered as a lateral trial candidate, please call Jennifer Thomas at (202) 824-2337.

Other Staff Attorney Hiring

Both entry level and lateral attorney hiring for divisions other than trial is on an as-needed basis. For both trial and specialized division hiring please check the PDS website, NLADA, or Brad Traverse Jobs.

To set a job alert and receive email notification for PDS hiring updates, set an alert on PSJD.

Law Clerk Hiring

PDS hires summer law clerks for all divisions on a traditional fall recruitment schedule (see the Legal Recruiting Program Blog for the list of schools we will be visiting this fall). Since we follow the National Association for Legal Professionals (NALP) Principles and Standards for Law Placement and Recruitment Activities, PDS does not accept applications from first year law students until December 1 of the 1L year.

For legal clerkships during the fall and spring semesters, PDS hires year round on a rolling basis until each division has filled its clerk requirement. See below to apply for the Legal Clerkship Program.

Law Clerkships for Law Students