Certified Legal Intern: ACADEMIC YR 2026-2027

The Palm Beach County Public Defender's Office, 15th Judicial Circuit, is a client-centered, dynamic advocacy office providing representation to people whose lives and liberty are at stake. 

The office handles close to 30,000 cases per year and has approximately 200 employees including lawyers, investigators, social workers, and support staff. The main office, housing the trial and appellate divisions, is in downtown West Palm Beach and there are four branch offices in other areas of the county. 

Divisions include: County Court; Felony; Mental Health; Major Crimes; Youth Defense; Appeals; and Investigative & Social Services’ Units.

Recruiting Academic Year 2026-2027 Certified Legal Intern Volunteers: Students enrolled in a credit-bearing law school practice program, or who have already participated as a CLI in such a program, may receive academic credit and are unpaid/volunteer. Internships run for 10 weeks over the summer and are full time.

Overview: Certified Legal Interns (CLIs) shadow a County Court attorney for a week (on average). Next, our Misdemeanor Division assigns the CLI a small County Court caseload, for which they possess responsibility as they would if they were a practicing attorney. 

Assigned to a single division, the attorney assigned to the misdemeanor division supervises and works closely with the CLIs. The Misdemeanor / County Court Chief reviews their cases with them. CLIs attend all court proceedings and act as the attorney of record for all of their assigned clients, with a supervising attorney present, and often try one or more cases as first chair attorney and multiple as second chair. 

To be a CLI in Florida as a law student, 

(a) file a Registrant Bar Application or Florida Bar Application with the Florida Board of Bar Examiners;
(b) pass a criminal fingerprint check conducted by the Florida Board of Bar Examiners or receive a letter of clearance as to character and fitness from the Florida Board of Bar Examiners;
(c) be enrolled in an American Bar Association approved law school in the United States and appear as part of a credit-bearing law school practice program;
(d) have completed legal studies amounting to at least 2 semesters or 3 quarters for which the student has received not less than 24 semester hours or 36 quarter hours of academic credit or the equivalent;
(e) be certified by the dean, or the dean’s designee, of the student’s law school as being of good character and competent legal ability and as adequately trained to perform as a legal intern in a law school practice program; and
(g) receive no compensation or remuneration of any kind.