Internships/Fellowship

The Office of the City Attorney is a proud participant in the University of Miami School of Law Clinical Skills Externship Program and the Florida International University School of Law Externship Program.  These programs place second and third year law students with our Office as interns for a semester.  Many of the interns are certified by the Florida Supreme Court and earn educational credits for their service.  Our office also accepts interns from other law schools around the state and country with exceptional academic records.

Our office is also proud to participate in the University of Miami School of Law's Miami Legal Corps.  The Miami Legal Corps program places recent law school graduates in our Office for fellowships of up to six months.  In 2014, as a program participant, the City Attorney's Office was recognized by Mutual of America when the Miami Legal Corps program received one of 10 nationwide Community Partnership Awards.  Our office also accepts fellows from other law schools with superior academic credentials.

The intern and fellowship programs in the City Attorney's Office provide law student interns and post-graduate fellows with the opportunity to analyze advanced issues of municipal law on a variety of topics that affect the residents, businesses, and visitors in Miami Beach--a dynamic tourist and entertainment destination. Interns and fellows obtain valuable public sector
experience in the areas of land use and zoning, contracts and transactional matters, constitutional law, employment and labor union disputes, environmental law, personal injury, legislation, and ethics and election laws. They are assigned a variety of projects including legal research, litigation support, drafting memoranda of law and motions, and assisting attorneys with court hearings and trials in State and Federal courts.  They also attend various city board meetings (historic preservation, design review, and zoning board of adjustment) and City Commission meetings to obtain insight into the workings of municipal government. Some certified interns have also had the opportunity to present oral arguments before the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court Appellate Division and have handled city code enforcement and administrative hearings.  In addition, Legal Corps fellows that are Florida Bar members may also assist our attorneys in court proceedings.

Prospective interns and fellows that wish to participate in law school sponsored programs should contact their respective school of law for placement.  Other applicants should contact Nicholas Kallergis, Deputy City Attorney who supervises the Internship/Fellowship Program for the Office of the City Attorney. Mr. Kallergis may be contacted via email: NickKallergis@miamibeachfl.gov or telephone: (305) 673-7470.