The Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA) is the office which oversees the U.S. Department of Education’s adjudicative bodies, which are comprised of the Office of Administrative Law Judges, the Office of Higher Education Appeals and the Civil Rights Reviewing Authority.

OHA hears cases involving the administration of federal student aid to institutions of higher education including audit and program reviews and terminations of participation in these programs, civil rights, audit and recovery cases involving state or local educational entities, debarment and suspension of participants and principals in non-procurement government transactions, salary overpayment cases involving Department employees and a myriad of other issues.

OHA provides a diverse setting for students interested in government practice and administrative law. A legal internship provides many opportunities for students to develop and/or further hone their legal research and writing skills. Students will work closely with Administrative Law Judges, the Director of the Office, and attorneys in the Office and will be involved in substantive legal work as part of OHA’s internship, including 1) performing legal research; 2) working closely with the adjudicative officials and assisting them in the preparation and drafting of Orders and Initial Decisions; 3) assisting and preparing for live hearings or oral arguments and 4) assisting adjudicative officials with docket management such as pre-hearing conference calls and inquiries from counsel.