Internship Program
The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office is comprised of attorneys, investigators and support staff totaling approximately 170. This office has the primary prosecution authority for offenses committed in Mercer County and handles approximately 5,000 indictable offenses each year ranging from murder trials to municipal appeals and everything in between. The office is also responsible for non-indictable domestic violence matters, juvenile offenses, appeals, civil forfeiture, Megan’s Law notifications and serving as police legal advisor.
The internship program offers meaningful opportunities for law school and college students to participate in the operation of a busy and dynamic prosecutor’s office responsible for the detection, arrest, indictment and conviction of offenders against the laws.
Legal Internships
The legal internship program is open to law school students during the fall and spring semesters as well during the summer. Law students work alongside our assistant prosecutors and are assigned a variety of duties depending on the number of credits they have earned.
Law students who have completed their first year of law school handle a variety of legal research and writing assignments including appellate briefs, motions and municipal court appeals. These students will also be exposed to the grand jury process and prepare civil forfeiture complaints. Students are encouraged to attend court proceedings including bail hearings, sentencing hearings, suppression hearings and trials.
Students who have completed their second year of law school and law school graduates awaiting bar examination results are eligible to appear on behalf of the State, with a supervising attorney, at bail hearings, grand jury presentations, motion hearings, municipal appeals, arraignments and sentencing hearings. Additionally, these students will also handle select juvenile matters in the family court.
Several of our law students have argued before the Appellate Division of the Superior Court and prosecuted matters in municipal court.
The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office also offers training sessions for law students on a variety of topics such as arrest, search and seizure, narcotics identification, gang awareness and other current legal issues.
Our legal internship program is approved by the New Jersey Supreme Court under Rule 1:21-3.
College Internships
College students are assigned to units such as Grand Jury, Domestic Violence, Forfeiture, Child Abuse/Sexual Assault, Economic Crime and Major Crimes as well as the Office of Victim Witness Advocacy. Students will review police reports, review criminal case history reports, review forensic reports, analyze corrections information, prepare indictments, brief case files and interact with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. They will also have the opportunity to draft civil asset forfeiture complaints.
Typically, all of our interns will receive training on the grand jury system, criminal street gang awareness, narcotics identification and Fourth Amendment search and seizure issues. They will also tour the New Jersey State Police Regional Operations Center and Forensic Laboratory. Additionally, our presiding criminal judge, The Honorable Gerald J. Council, P.J.Cr., provides all of the interns with an overview of the New Jersey criminal justice system and the issues facing the judiciary. Further training opportunities are also offered by the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General.
Application Requirements and Deadlines
Individuals interested in applying for an intern position should forward a cover letter, resume and writing sample to:
Assistant Prosecutor Amy Devenny
Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office
209 South Broad Street
P.O. Box 8068
Trenton, NJ 08650-0068