Student Experiences at the Hamilton County Public Defender
The Hamilton County Public Defender strives to host as many students as possible for experiential learning opportunities. Legal internships and externships are only available for current law students, but we do offer shadowing experiences and administrative internships for non-law students interested in public defense.
Undergraduate students who are interested in public defense can request to shadow a trial attorney, and we occasionally have supervisory capacity for undergraduate students to intern in an administrative role. If you would like to shadow a trial attorney or inquire about administrative internship opportunities please submit an inquiry along with your resume to students@hamiltoncountypd.org.
Law Students
Each year the Hamilton County Public Defender hosts 10-15 law students for a 10-week summer internship program. The 2027 program will run from June 1st through August 6th. Students who have completed their first year of law school are eligible to apply, but preference will be given to students who have completed their second year of law school and have completed both evidence and criminal procedure courses. The internship is unpaid, but it is typically eligible for public interest funding through the intern’s respective law school.
Interns spend the summer working on various assignments under the supervision of licensed attorneys. In Ohio, law students are eligible to receive their limited license after completion of their first year of law school, so many internship assignments involve advocating for clients in criminal court before judges and magistrates. Students also attend weekly Friday morning trainings focused exclusively on trial advocacy and public defense. The Training Director supervises our Summer Law Intern Program with the assistance of all department heads and individual trial attorneys in whose units the students work – Appellate, Felony, Youth Defense and Municipal Court.
We are currently hiring summer law student interns through the Equal Justice Works Career Fair. Applications are being accepted through September 11, 2026. You can register for the fair by visiting: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2026-equal-justice-works-career-fair-law-student-registration-tickets-1993836080389.
If you did not participate in the 2026 EJW Career Fair and would like to apply for a summer internship at HCPD, the application period will run from December 1, 2026, through February 11, 2027. Interviews will be conducted, and spots will be filled on a rolling basis. The internship application window will close early if all spots are filled prior to February 11, 2027. Please email your resume and cover letter to: students@hamiltoncountypd.org.
Occasionally, we are able to host current law students as externs during the fall and spring semesters. During the year externship opportunities are wholly dependent upon our ability to dedicate a supervising attorney to the extern. Externships are coordinated with your law school for class credit. If you are interested in pursuing an externship during the school year please submit an inquiry along with your resume and cover letter to students@hamiltoncountypd.org.
In recent years our office has seen an increase in students interested in spending a couple of weeks in our office over winter break. This is typically the first two weeks in January. Similar to the externship opportunities, these short-term placements are wholly dependent on our ability to dedicate a supervising attorney to the student. If your law school has a winter short term experiential learning credit program and you would like to spend it at HCPD, please submit an inquiry along with your resume and cover letter to students@hamiltoncountypd.org.
If you are a first-year law student trying to figure out your career path, or a law student looking to change career paths, shadowing a trial attorney in morning court provides excellent insight into the day-to-day of a public defender. If you are interested in shadowing a trial attorney, please submit an inquiry along with your resume to students@hamiltoncountypd.org.
Hamilton County Public Defender and University of Cincinnati College of Law partner to put on a year-long clinic for third-year law students at UC College of Law. The CDC provides students with the opportunity to represent real clients, on real cases, and in real court. If you are interested in the CDC, please speak with your UC advisor about how to plan to incorporate the Clinic into your future class schedule. Students can apply for the Clinic spring of their 2L year.
If you have additional questions about experiential learning opportunities at the Hamilton County Public Defender please contact:
Ruby Wilz
Training Director
Law Office of the Hamilton County Public Defender
230 East Ninth Street – Third Floor
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
RWilz@hamiltoncountypd.org
