Rule 9 Legal Intern — Summer
Puget Law Group • Paid • In-Person • Western Washington
Not a shadow-and-fetch-coffee internship. A real one.
Puget Law Group (PLG) is a highly rated criminal defense and personal injury firm serving the greater Puget Sound region, built by trial lawyers who’d rather hand you the wheel than watch you take notes. We’re looking for a sharp, self-directed law student who wants meaningful courtroom experience — not a summer of shadowing — and is ready to learn from attorneys with deep criminal defense and prosecution backgrounds.
We built PLG on hustle, and that’s exactly what we’re hiring for. If you want a checklist and step-by-step instructions, this isn’t your internship. If you want to be handed real responsibility, run with it, and come back asking for more — keep reading. We want people who’ve tested themselves outside a classroom: competitive athletes, people who’ve built a business, worked a brutal job, served, or clawed their way into a skill the hard way. Tell us about it. We will always take drive, judgment, and grit over class rank.
As a Rule 9 Legal Intern — a Licensed Legal Intern under Washington Supreme Court Admission and Practice Rule (APR) 9 — you will work alongside experienced litigators, participate in active criminal matters, and gain practical experience serving clients throughout Western Washington. This paid summer position is designed to bridge the gap between law school and legal practice. All intern work is directed, supervised, and reviewed by a qualifying supervising lawyer, who assumes professional responsibility for that work. Exceptional candidates may have the opportunity to continue with the firm during the academic year.
What You May Do (Under APR 9 Supervision)
This is where the checklist ends and the courtroom starts. Once your APR 9 limited license is issued, your responsibilities may include:
- Conducting legal research and drafting motions, briefs, sentencing memoranda, and other pleadings. Every document that provides legal advice or is filed with a court is reviewed and signed by your supervising lawyer; your own signature is followed by “Licensed Legal Intern” and your intern ID number.
- Advising and negotiating on behalf of clients referred to you by your supervising lawyer, after the client has been informed of your intern status.
- Appearing in courts of limited jurisdiction (district and municipal courts) for arraignments, pretrial hearings, probation-violation hearings, and motion argument. Independent appearances follow a short period of in-court supervision: participating with your supervising lawyer in at least one proceeding of that type before the same court, then handling one more while observed, before appearing without the supervising lawyer present.
- Participating in hearings, nonjury trials, and jury trials in courts of limited jurisdiction, once that supervised-practice threshold is met.
- Participating in Superior Court matters — including motions, hearings, trials, and depositions — in the presence of your supervising lawyer or another PLG lawyer.
- Gaining exposure to Department of Licensing and other administrative adjudicative proceedings, with any representation consistent with APR 9.
- Assisting with trial preparation and contributing to case-strategy discussions with attorneys and support staff.
- Supporting attorney-directed client-education and community-outreach efforts, consistent with the firm’s confidentiality and professional-conduct obligations.
- Developing practical litigation, advocacy, and client-communication skills in a fast-paced criminal defense environment.
Whenever you appear before a court or tribunal, you will identify yourself as a Licensed Legal Intern and name your supervising lawyer, as APR 9 requires.
Who Thrives Here
Legal skill can be taught. Drive can’t. We’re looking for someone who:
- Runs toward responsibility. Hand you a task, and you’re trusted to figure out how to nail it — not walked through every step.
- Moves before being asked. You spot what needs doing next and start on it, instead of waiting around for an assignment.
- Has been tested outside the classroom. Competitive sports, a physically or mentally demanding job, military or first-responder service, a side business, an unusual travel or work history — any background that shows grit, discipline, and the ability to perform under pressure.
- Has an entrepreneurial streak. You’ve built, sold, run, or hustled something — even something small — and you bring that same energy here.
- Communicates like a professional. You ask good questions, give straight updates, and own your work product — wins and mistakes alike.
We evaluate the whole person. Grades matter far less to us than judgment, work ethic, and how you’ve spent your time outside the classroom.
Qualifications
To serve as a Rule 9 Licensed Legal Intern, you must:
- Be enrolled and in good academic standing in a J.D. program at an ABA-approved law school, having completed at least two-thirds of a three-year program (roughly 60 semester credits) or five-eighths of a four-year program. Finishing your second year of a three-year program generally satisfies this, but the requirement is credit-based, so confirm your credit count.
- Obtain your law school dean’s (or designee’s) written certification of eligibility.
- Be eligible for, and obtain, a Washington Supreme Court APR 9 limited license — including the WSBA confirmation and Licensed Legal Intern ID card — before performing any intern duties. PLG will arrange a qualifying supervising lawyer.
- Possess strong legal research, writing, and communication skills.
- Have reliable transportation to and from the office and court appearances.
- Be available to work in person. This is not a remote position.
Recent J.D. graduates who have not yet been admitted to practice may also be eligible for an APR 9 license if they apply within nine months of graduation; such applicants are welcome to inquire.
Why Join Puget Law Group?
- Real responsibility, fast. Once you’re licensed, you carry your own matters under supervision — you don’t just watch someone else carry theirs.
- Courtroom reps most interns never get. Meaningful litigation experience, not a summer of research memos nobody reads.
- Mentorship that means something. Learn directly from attorneys who’ve tried the big cases — including some the whole region watched.
- Real clients, real stakes. You’ll work active case files and real people’s outcomes under attorney supervision, not hypotheticals.
- A head start on practice. Build the skills that most new lawyers don’t pick up until their first year on the job.
- A team that’s actually going somewhere. Join a fast-growing, collaborative firm built on trial wins and word of mouth.
How to Apply
Convince us you’re the one who runs toward the assignment nobody else wants. Please submit the following materials:
- Cover Letter — tell us about a time you took ownership of something with little oversight, or an unconventional part of your background. We read this closely, more closely than your transcript.
- Resume
- Reference List
- Writing Sample
Email your application materials to Thea Hiatt, Office/HR Manager, at careers@pugetlawgroup.com.
Subject line: RULE 9 INTERN – APPLICATION
Candidates from all law schools are encouraged to apply.
Application Deadline
Applications are accepted until the position is filled and are reviewed on a rolling basis, so positions may be filled at any time. Early application is encouraged.
Learn More About Puget Law Group
We encourage applicants to learn more about our firm before applying:
- Website: www.pugetlawgroup.com
- YouTube: Puget Law Group YouTube Channel
If an intern wishes to continue during the academic year, PLG may be able to accommodate a schedule that works alongside law school commitments. If you’re ready to stop reading about the law and start practicing it, we want to hear from you.
