​​NTSB Administrative Law Judges Externship Program

​​​​​​Overview

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is a dynamic, small, independent agency, which is offering an unpaid law externship assignment to expose law students to the Agency’s Office of Administrative Law Judges (ntsb.gov) (ALJ). This assignment helps students to gain valuable hands-on experience performing a variety of real-world legal duties in connection with aviation law. This will include assisting judges, attorneys, and paralegals in reviewing case materials, performing legal research, drafting research and legal opinion memoranda, preparing summaries of laws, regulations, and case authority, assisting in drafting orders and decisions, and assisting in the administration of adversarial hearings. Interns must become familiar with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Federal Rules of Evidence, and the National Transportation Safety Board’s Rules of Practice in Air Safety Proceedings (49 CFR 821, et seq.). In addition to research and writing, interns will observe conference calls with the judge and observe adversarial hearings. All work will be performed virtually.

Interns will be supervised under the authority of the ALJ Case Manager, while also working with and being mentored by staff Attorney Advisors and Administrative Law Judges.​​​​

​​Assignment

• ​​Utilizes and hones legal research skills with activities such as researching laws, regulations, case law, interpretations, and opinions relevant to cases heard before the Board’s ALJs and provides analysis on how the same apply to the facts of a specific case.
• Gains experience with the adversarial hearing process by assisting the Board’s ALJs in preparing cases, drafting decisions, preparing for a hearing on the merits, and conducting legal research.
• Exercises legal research and writing skills to complex aviation-related laws and alleged violations of the Federal Aviation Regulations.
• Provide thorough research and detailed analysis on substantive and/or procedural issues involved in fact-specific cases and anticipate legal and procedural issues that may conflict with precedent, establish new precedent, or impact future decisions. ​​
• Analyzes applications for attorney fees and expenses filed under the Equal Access to Justice Act of 1980 and, in selected cases, drafts written decisions after a full review of the hearing transcript, application and supporting documents, Administrator’s filing in opposition, and applicant’s reply thereto.
• Uses knowledge and skills gained in civil procedure courses to assist with case processing, including tracking regulatory and statutory deadlines, determining proper service, evaluating jurisdictional issues, and ensuring compliance with procedural requirements.
• Assists with additional assignments of the office, which may include matters in conjunction with the NTSB Office of General Counsel.

Supervision

The intern works under the direction of the ALJ Case Manager, mentored by ALJ Attorney Advisors, and may also receive instructions from the ALJs concerning work performed on their cases.

Sponsored Externships

The externship is unpaid and may be done remotely. That notwithstanding, we partner with educational institutions/programs which provide students with a stipend and/or college credit for their hours of work, and NTSB affords students with meaningful assignments.

Service Period

Fall semester, spring semester, or summer

Salary/Stipend

• ​This is an unpaid externship. The NTSB is not responsible for compensating the student nor the institution.
• For externships that are sponsored by educational institutions/programs, such organizations will compensate students with a stipend and/or college credit.
• The terms of compensation are between the student and the educational institution/program.

Student Selection

The educational institution/program administers its call for student applications for their externship program and students must submit their applications through the institution/program (i.e., the law school). The NTSB collaborates with the organization on the selection and placement of the students as no applications will be accepted directly from students.

Requirements

• Students are subject to personnel security background check and ethics clearances.

• Students, their law school representative, and the Office of ALJ director must sign the NTSB’s Student Volunteer Agreement, telework agreements and confidentiality and non-disclosure statements.

• Students will be issued a government laptop for their assignment.

• Interns must commit to working for a minimum of 6 or 8 weeks, and a minimum of thirty (30) hours per week during summer break and no more than fifteen (15) hours per week during the school term.​​​​​

Eligibility/Qualifications

Applications must include the following

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