Career Opportunities for Law Students

View the opportunities below for law students or view our printable brochure. You can also read former participant testimonials.

Quality Public Law Practice

The Coconino County Attorney’s Office serves as the chief prosecutor of felony, misdemeanor, and juvenile crime cases throughout the County, and as counsel to the County in a wide variety of civil matters.

Lawyers & Region

We are 23 lawyers all told (including the county attorney and chief deputy), with 17 prosecutors in the Criminal Division and 5 attorneys in the Civil Division. We have assembled a group of lawyers who have earned state-wide recognition for excellence, who have a heart for public service, and who feel strongly connected to the extraordinary mountain and canyon country of the Four Corners region.

Criminal Division

Our Criminal Division operates as a tight-knit moderate-size law firm. Our office culture, practices, and policies encourage collegiality, mutual support, and peer review. As a result, we are able to maintain a high level of trial practice and provide justice that, so far as practicable, is individually tailored to each case. Your hands-on legal experience with the Criminal Division includes:

• Working with experienced prosecutors in all phases of criminal cases
• Performing legal research, drafting motions to be filed in court, and getting experienced attorney feedback
• Observing and participating in trials, evidentiary hearings, and oral arguments
• Experiencing life as a prosecutor

Civil Division

Lawyers in our Civil Division advise and represent in litigation the Board of Supervisors, Planning and Zoning Commission, all elected and appointed officials of the County, and various special districts. Their practice thus spans a broad spectrum of areas from elections law to environmental law and from tort defense to zoning enforcement. Your hands-on experience with the Civil Division includes:

• Working closely with experienced civil attorneys in advising government clients
• Performing legal research in diverse areas of civil litigation and administrative law
• Participating in court proceedings, public meetings, and policy discussions
• Under attorney supervision, drafting memoranda and pleadings in a wide variety of litigation matters
• Learning about land use, water and environment, employment, property, tax, guardianship, and mental health issues

Real Mentoring & Experience

Our Law Clerk Program reaches out to students in all three years of law school. We are just as interested in you as a person as we are in you as a young lawyer. Our program and work environment are designed to engage, challenge, and nurture young lawyers. Our senior attorneys are among the best public lawyers in the state and our law clerks work closely with them on specific assignments, as part of a team in strategy sessions, and in the court room. As part of our program, you will get consistent, valuable feedback on your work from first-rate, experienced lawyers.

Recruitment Efforts

We use our Law Clerk Program as a primary source of recruiting our attorneys. Although we are less able to predict our hiring needs than larger agencies, we often have greater flexibility in our hiring process. For this reason, and because most of our law clerks have been outstanding young lawyers, we have found ways to bring several of the them on to our prosecution team after graduation.

Spectacular Location

While we work hard, we also believe strongly in a balanced life; a life that includes enjoying Arizona’s high country. We have some of the most beautiful mountain and canyon country in the West: