Address: 300 South Sixth Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55487
Phone: 612-348-5550
About the Hennepin County Attorney's Office
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office (HCAO) is one of the Upper Midwest’s premier public law firms with the largest civil/criminal practice in Minnesota.
Primary Area of Practice
Criminal Civil
Training Provided to Summer Associates
Robust summer training program on substantive law and overview of the divisions in the office.
Pro Bono/Community Involvement
We are the largest public law office in the state of Minnesota. Our Community Engagment Division identifies and promotes opportunities for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office to share, build, support, and learn from the community we serve through internal staff engagement; external engagement with criminal justice partners; and, with people who live and work in Hennepin County, including communities of color and businesses.
Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office is committed to creating and maintaining a diverse and inclusive workplace. Diversity is a core value in our organization and fundamental to achieving our mission of justice. We recognize and celebrate the diverse identities and perspectives of staff and citizens. Diversity and inclusion are a part of the fabric of our organization and essential to our success. It goes beyond numeric representation to building an organizational culture of respect and excellence. We are committed to making this a reality by increasing our cultural competence, developing our capacity to provide culturally competent services, and building strong partnerships with the diverse communities we serve. We recognize that this commitment is a journey that starts with leadership and leads to an organizational climate in which all employees are engaged, valued, and supported in developing their skills and contributing their best work. It is our goal to learn from our diversity and to leverage the multiple perspectives it provides to achieve excellence in public service.
The law clerk program is committed to our disparity reduction work plan. For the summer of 2022 within our staff of over 41 law clerks: 54% identified as BIPOC or LGBTQ+. In 2022, we had over seven law schools represented. Within the last two years we have also had students from: Georgetown, George Washington University, University of Iowa, Boston College, Notre Dame, Stanford, and the University of Tennessee. During our summer program we offer a Race and Equity series to provide education and safe conservation spaces to move forward with racial justice conversations.
Summer Associate/Clerkship Description
The attorneys in our office come from a variety of backgrounds and bring diverse experiences to our office. Each year, our office sponsors paid summer and academic-year law clerk programs that offer hands-on, challenging work experience to students from local and national law schools. The program is highly competitive due to the quality of the experiences offered.
In addition to research and legal writing, clerks will have the opportunity to work in-depth with prosecutors on specific cases, interview witnesses, attend depositions and appear in court. Law clerks will be assigned to work in one or more of ten divisions. One of the primary responsibilities of all law clerks is legal research and writing. The types of assignments vary by division. Law clerks are certified student attorneys who are encouraged to gain courtroom experience. Law clerks work 32-40 hours a week during the summer and 17-19 hours during the academic year.
Successful Candidate Qualities
Commitment and interest in public service
Strong research and writing skills
Sound reasoning, common sense and good judgment
Mature, confident
An ability to work well with others
Diverse background
Hardworking
Summer Clerkship and Benefits
$21.43 per hour. No benefits.