Students placed with the Office of General Counsel for the Continental District East of the Veterans Administration, can expect to work alongside General Counsel attorneys and staff in the areas of Employment, Labor, Health Law, Torts, Collections, Loan Guaranty, Contracts, Veterans Benefits and Government Ethics related to Drug Studies. The precise focus of each student’s work will depend upon the matters pending at the time of the placement and the student’s interests. However, in general, a student can expect to observe and participate in the day to day operations of a district government legal office, including among other matters management issues, time tracking, workload distribution and case assignment. The nature and subject of such matters vary, but may include release of information, employment, tort issues and legal issues involving litigation before the United States District Court. The extern is expected to assist with file and document preparation, follow up (including phone calls) and review in investigating tort claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) and the Americans with Disability Act and Amendments. The extern can also expect to assist with drafting training aids and assisting with training and outreach, prepare for, observe and assist with Equal Employment and U.S. Merit System Protection Board hearings, mediations and arbitrations, tort litigation, and other types of hearings, as well as undertake legal research on issues that come up through the course of the handling of such matters including interviewing witnesses and assisting with witness preparation, and in general draft, edit and write legal documents such as memoranda of law, motions, administrative investigative reports and briefs. In short, this placement offers a student the opportunity to work in a legal setting in one of our largest federal departments.
Academics
Veterans Administration
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