Child Support Law Clerk Internship

Job Description

Child Support Law Clerk Internship | County of Sonoma

The Tone:
This is a legal internship at the County of Sonoma, located in Santa Rosa, CA. The County of Sonoma’s Department of Child Support Services is seeking motivated law students to support its mission. This role offers an opportunity to launch a legal career, gain valuable experience in family law litigation, and become familiar with child support statutes, regulations, and policies.

The TL;DR
• Role: Internship
• Type: Temporary
• Location: In-person, Santa Rosa, CA

• Team: Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) Staff Attorneys
• Mission: To provide direct legal support to staff attorneys, assisting in child support enforcement and family law litigation.

What You’ll Actually Do
• Prepare: Draft various motions, responsive pleadings, and court orders for legal proceedings.
• Negotiate: Negotiate terms and draft stipulations with parties involved in child support cases.
• Support: Provide courtroom assistance by meeting with parties to discuss income and time share, and make court appearances.
• Research: Conduct legal research, gather necessary information, and prepare thoroughly for court hearings.
• Verify: Participate in interviews with case participants, verify income, custody, and timeshare data, and run guideline support calculations.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Satisfactory completion of an appropriate number of academic years in an accredited law school and currently enrolled. Alternatively, graduated from an accredited school of law and eligible to take the California State Bar examination, or awaiting Bar exam results.
• Experience: No specific years required; this is an entry-level position designed for law students or recent graduates.
• Skills: Knowledge of legal principles, practices, legal research methods, and trial/hearing procedures, including rules of evidence. Ability to research, analyze, and apply legal principles, facts, and evidence to legal problems. Ability to present statements of law and fact clearly and logically in both written and oral forms, and to effectively obtain information through interviewing.
• Bonus: Ideal candidates will have completed, or be currently enrolled in, Civil Procedure and Evidence coursework.