Judicial Internships
Following completion of the first year of studies, law students at St. Mary’s University may participate in a wide range of pre-graduation judicial internships.

Benefits of an Internship
Internships provide students with:
- an excellent opportunity to enhance their understanding of the court system
- the ability to make valuable contributions to the administration of justice
- a good professional credential that adds depth to one’s resume
- a more sophisticated understanding of how cases are decided.
- The United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
- The United States Magistrate Court for the Western District of Texas
- The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Texas
- The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals – Chief Staff Attorney’s Office
- The Texas Court of Appeals for the Fourth Judicial District
All of the above internships are located in San Antonio.
Types of Judicial Internships
Appellate Court Interns
Interns for appellate courts often spend the majority of their time researching, writing, and editing drafts of opinions or orders that will be used to decide cases or motions pending before the court. In contrast, interns for trial courts may spend less time drafting dispositive court documents, and more time assisting the incidental tasks that accompany the trial process, such as composing jury instructions, researching evidentiary questions, or attending settlement conferences.
Appellate court interns are more likely to participate in the writing of opinions that may be published and become part of the body of legal precedent.
Trial Court Interns
Trial court interns often have a greater opportunity than appellate court interns to observe courtroom proceedings.
Federal Court Internships
Other Courts
- Texas Supreme Court
- First Court of Appeals (Houston)
- Thirteenth Court of Appeals (Corpus Christi)
- Fourteenth Court of Appeals (Houston)
- Fourth Court of Appeals (San Antonio) accepts applications from rising second and third year students interested in nonpaying judicial internships. Calls for applications are posted throughout the year on St. Mary’s 12Twenty (CORE) Job Bank. For specific questions, please contact the Office of Career Services at (210) 436-3511.