The Federal Public Defender’s Office for the Central District of California was established in 1971 and is the largest organization in the federal defender program. The Central District of California covers seven counties (Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo) and a population of over 19 million people. We have offices in Los Angeles, Santa Ana and Riverside. Our Office has over 200 employees, including approximately 83 attorneys, 22 paralegals, 33 investigators and more than 70 supporting staff members.
Our office is appointed by the United States District Court to represent those persons charged with federal offenses who cannot afford to retain their own attorney. We represent over 60 percent of all persons charged with criminal offenses in this District. Our representation starts at the first bail hearing before the federal Magistrate Judge and continues through trial or plea, and sentencing in the district court. Even after sentencing, we continue to represent our clients on appeal before the Ninth Circuit and United States Supreme Court, and thereafter on matters concerning probation or supervised release.
Our Capital Habeas Unit represents persons who have been sentenced to death by state court juries from within this District, and whose convictions have proceeded through the state court appellate process and are now before the federal court on claims involving federal constitutional violations. Our Non-Capital Habeas Unit represents petitioners in non-capital habeas proceedings who allege that their state convictions are invalid due to federal constitutional violations. We are one of the few offices in the country with a specialized Social Support Unit.
Mission Statement
We are committed to the pursuit of justice by aggressively advocating in federal court for the constitutional rights and inherent dignity of individuals who are accused or convicted of crimes and cannot afford their own lawyer.
For more information, please visit our website: fpdcdca.org
TRIAL INVESTIGATOR INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
The Federal Public Defender (FPD) is accepting applications for its Trial Investigator Internship Program. The goal of the program is to provide college students and recent graduates with the opportunity to gain knowledge and experience in the field of criminal defense by working with investigators in the Trial Unit of the FPD. This internship position is unpaid. Exact assignments will depend on the needs of the office and the interns’ areas of interest. Skills that interns can expect to learn from this opportunity include:
o An investigator’s role in preparing a federal criminal case for trial.
o Preparing an investigation plan.
o Locating and interviewing witnesses.
o Interview report writing.
o Methods for obtaining, deciphering, and organizing records and discovery.
o Using Open Source Intelligence Techniques (OSINT)
o An investigator’s role in developing mitigation.
o Serving subpoenas
The FPD seeks applicants with an interest in providing passionate, high-quality defense advocacy to indigent individuals. Critical thinking skills and a creative approach to problem solving are essential to the internship. No legal knowledge or investigative experience is required. Interns will not be expected to conduct field work independently. We are strongly committed to diversity and encourage people of all backgrounds to apply.
This 10 week internship begins June 9, 2025 and ends August 15. A minimum of 10 hours per week at our Los Angeles office are required. Scheduling is flexible. We are willing to work with interns who would like to obtain college credits for their internship.
Applicants must submit a letter of interest, a resume, and unofficial transcripts to CAC_Applicants@fd.org with the subject “INVESTIGATOR INTERN APPLICATION” by January 17, 2025. Late applications may be reviewed but are not guaranteed consideration. Internship candidates will be contacted for an interview.
For more information tune into one of our INFORMATION SESSIONS via Zoom:
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13th, 2024 from 4:30pm to 5:15pm
THURSDAY, JANUARY 9th, 2025 from noon to 12:45pm
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83976886052?pwd=pq5Xbaww7dlvicYFFPv3iKm046a0OX.1