The Office of the General Counsel for MassDOT and the MBTA seek legal interns for its Fall 2021 program.
Working with an attorney supervisor, interns will have the opportunity to develop their legal writing and research skills and substantive knowledge while learning about the practice of law in the transportation, government, and in-house setting. While students will primarily work with one supervising attorney, there will be opportunities for interns to work with other attorneys within the Office of the General Counsel to get exposure to a number of practice areas.
The MassDOT and MBTA Office of the General Counsel seeks applicants who have completed at least the first year of law school (and are still currently enrolled), have strong academic credentials, excellent written and verbal communication skills, strong organizational skills and ability to collaborate, and are detail oriented.
Interns will work a pre-determined number of hours per week depending on academic credit requirements, if applicable. The Office of the General Counsel is located at 10 Park Plaza, Boston, Massachusetts, but the position may be remote.
This position is unpaid. You may be eligible for either academic credit or a stipend through your school’s career services department and are encouraged to contact your advisor for eligibility.
The Office of the General Counsel for MassDOT and the MBTA is structured into four Centers of Excellence (COEs): Commercial Transactions, Employment and Labor, Corporate and Regulatory, and Litigation. Please see a brief summary of the Centers of Excellence and the practice areas below:
Commercial Transactions: all matters related to the numerous and complex commercial transactions undertaken by both MassDOT and the MBTA which include reviewing, drafting, negotiating, and interpreting contracts and other legal documents for commercial transactions in which MassDOT and/or MBTA is a party, including contracts, procurements, and complex real estate development projects, developing complex solicitations and contracts, identifying risks and risk allocation and mitigation solutions; and the representation of MassDOT and MBTA in administrative hearings, bid protests, mediations, and other contract dispute resolution proceedings. The Commercial Transactions COE includes the following practice areas: Contracts and Procurements; Capital Delivery-Construction; Alternative Project Delivery; Contract Dispute Resolution; Real Estate; Environmental; Risk Management
Employment and Labor: all matters related to employment and labor including providing legal advice in employment and labor-related matters; drafting and revising employment-related policies and procedures to insure compliance with state and federal law; conducting employment-related investigations; representing the MBTA and MassDOT before the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; representing the MassDOT in labor arbitrations and before the Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations; representing the MBTA in employment-related litigation in state and federal court; and responding to complaints and requests for information from state and federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Labor. The Employment and Labor COE includes the following practice areas: Administrative Proceedings; Employment and Labor Counseling and Advice; Employment Litigation; Employment Related Investigations; Employment and Human Resource Policies and Procedures; Labor Arbitration
Corporate and Regulatory: all matters related to the corporate governance and regulatory compliance of both MassDOT and the MBTA, including policies related to advertising and signage; internal and outside audits, investigations and reports; fares and tolls including fare and toll changes and driver and rider data privacy; finance, including bond issuance, reporting and disclosures; the evaluation and drafting of state legislation and regulation; public records and records retention issues; compliance with state and federal statutes and regulations applicable to MassDOT and/or the MBTA; The Corporate and Regulatory COE includes the following practice areas: Advertising; Audits and Investigations; Fares and Tolls; Finance, Bond/Disclosure; Governance; Board; Interagency Agreements; Legislation; Public Records; Regulatory Compliance; State Ethics
Litigation: all matters related to litigation filed by or against MassDOT and the MBTA including tort, employment, and commercial contract, and eminent domain litigation in state and federal courts – practice areas within the Litigation COE include: Business and Contract Litigation; Bid Protest Litigation; Eminent Domain and other disputes involving Real Property; Insurance Subrogation; Tort Matters involving Personal Injury and Property Damage; Accident and Other Cost Recovery Litigation
To Apply: Address a cover letter, resume and writing sample to MassDOT / MBTA’s Office of General Counsel via email to massdotlegalinternships@dot.state.ma.us. Please provide all of the required materials no later than July 30, 2021.