Applications for the 2025 New Jersey Attorney General’s Honors Program are now being accepted. Click here to apply.
2025 Attorney General’s Honors Program Webinar – Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Honors Program Summary
The program allows participants to rotate through one or more of the following subject matter areas:
- Antitrust*
- Civil Rights
- Conviction Review
- Cyber Crimes
- Environmental Justice and Enforcement
- Fatal Police Encounters
- Firearms Civil Enforcement and Accountability
- Human Trafficking
- Public Corruption
- Reproductive Health Rights
- Sexual and Domestic Violence Policy, Prevention, and Enforcement
- Social Media Accountability and Data Privacy/Cybersecurity
- Solicitor General Fellow
- Violence Intervention and Victim Assistance
- Violence Suppression and Organized Crime
- Workers’ Rights and Labor Enforcement
*indicates new subject matter for 2025.
Applicants must submit a writing sample, statement of interest, resume, law school transcript, and two references. Those selected for the Honors Program will begin work in September 2025.
Depending on their interests, the participants will be assigned to one or more of five divisions within the Office: the Division of Law (DOL), which brings civil enforcement actions and advises state agencies; the Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ), which prosecutes criminal cases; the Division on Civil Rights (DCR), which enforces state civil rights laws; the Division of Consumer Affairs (DCA), which protects consumers and investors from fraud; and the Office of Public Integrity & Accountability (OPIA), which investigates corruption and works to strengthen confidence in our criminal justice system. The Solicitor General Fellow assignment will be within the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and working directly with the Solicitor General.
Honors Programs attorneys will have opportunities to help formulate policy and legal strategy, investigate cases, draft legal pleadings, negotiate with opposing counsel, and argue in court or before administrative bodies. In addition, the Honors Program class will attend workshops and trainings that will help develop their legal skills and introduce them to the full range of work performed by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office.
Applicants may select as many or as few issue areas as they like; if they select more than one, they should rank their preferences in the online application. Applicants interested in the Solicitor General Fellow may add that to their ranked choices or may choose to apply only for that position.
If admitted to the Honors Program, participations may have an opportunity for “rotations” to different assignments in their second year of the program, and have ad-hoc opportunities to work with the Attorney General’s Executive Leadership Team on priority programs and policy development. In addition, Honors Program participants will have the opportunity to do a “rotation” working directly for the Attorney General’s Executive Leadership Team on priority projects and policy development.
The office location of the Honors Program participant will depend on their selected issue area.
- Newark
- Antitrust
- Civil Rights
- Firearms Civil Enforcement and Accountability
- Reproductive Health Rights
- Social Media Accountability and Data Privacy/Cybersecurity
- Solicitor General Fellow*
- Workers’ Rights and Labor Enforcement
- Trenton
- Conviction Review*
- Cyber Crimes
- Environmental Justice and Enforcement
- Fatal Police Encounters*
- Human Trafficking
- Public Corruption*
- Sexual and Domestic Violence Policy, Prevention, and Enforcement
- Solicitor General Fellow*
- Violence Intervention and Victim Assistance
- Violence Suppression and Organized Crime
* Assignment may be Trenton, Newark, or Northern new Jersey.
Applications for the 2025 Honors Program class are due by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, October 13, 2024. Once the deadline has passed, no further submissions will be accepted.
To learn more about the current Honors Program members, click here.
Subject Matter Area Descriptions
- Antitrust. Program participants will join a practice dedicated to promoting fair competition, bringing value to consumers, protecting vulnerable workers, and fostering a more equitable marketplace. In advancing these policy objectives, participants will have the opportunity to work on nationally significant antitrust matters in partnership with the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, and multistate coalitions.
- Civil Rights. Program participants will develop legal, regulatory, and policy strategies to protect the civil rights of New Jersey’s residents. They will enforce the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination and the New Jersey Fair Chance in Housing Act, two of the strongest civil rights laws in the country, and will also work on immigration, bias and hate, and reproductive rights matters, some involving the federal government.
- Conviction Review Program participants assigned to OPIA’s Integrity Bureau, Conviction Review and Cold Case Division will review claims of actual innocence, investigate those deemed meritorious, and draft findings for review and decision by the Attorney General, and may investigate and prosecute resulting cold case homicides. Participants in the Corruption Bureau and Fatal Police Encounters Divisions listed above may also have opportunities to assist in Conviction Review/Cold Case matters.
- Cyber Crimes. Participants will be placed in the Division of Criminal Justice’s Cyber Crimes Unit and will focus on preventing, investigating, and prosecuting various technology-based crimes, including child exploitation crimes and investigations of online predators, network intrusions, denials of service, malware, and other forms of cyber-attacks. The Unit works directly with the New Jersey State Police’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit and other task forces, including participating in the New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
- Environmental Justice and Enforcement. Program participants will enforce a wide range of federal and state environmental laws, including against major environmental polluters across the state and in overburdened communities. This may include matters involving violations of the State’s water and air pollution laws, and hazardous and solid waste rules. Participants can also expect to work on multistate legal efforts to strengthen, and to combat efforts to limit, existing federal environmental protections.
- Fatal Police Encounters Program participants assigned to OPIA’s Integrity Bureau, Fatal Police Encounters Division will work, at first together with more experienced prosecutors, on the investigation and prosecution of fatal police encounter matters. Under the Independent Prosecutor Directive, the Fatal Police Encounters Division investigates any death of a civilian during an encounter with law enforcement and presents those matters to the State Grand Jury for their consideration.
- Firearms Civil Enforcement and Accountability. Program participants will have an opportunity to work with the Division of Law and Statewide Affirmative Firearms Enforcement (SAFE) Office to enforce the State’s nation leading firearms laws. This includes public nuisance legislation intended to hold gun manufacturers and dealer accountable for violations of the law that harm the health and safety of New Jersey residents. Attorneys will also enforce and work on options to better utilize New Jersey’s Consumer Fraud Act, one of the strongest consumer protection statutes in the country.
- Human Trafficking. Participants will be placed within the Division of Criminal Justice’s Human Trafficking Unit, which combats the crime of Human Trafficking through education, collaboration, and the aggressive prosecution of criminal networks that trade in people and exploit them for profit. Honors Program members will work with law enforcement officers to identify the signs of trafficking; coordinate statewide efforts to identify and provide services to victims; and help raise public awareness through public outreach and educational materials.
- Public Corruption Program participants will be assigned the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability’s (OPIA) Corruption Bureau where they will serve as a prosecutor, investigating, charging, and bringing to trial their own cases involving criminal abuses of the public trust, including allegations of bribery and other political corruption. Participants will work under the supervision of experienced prosecutors and often along with DAsG on cases. Tasks will include obtaining evidence, interviewing witnesses, making charging recommendations, and handling matters in court including initial appearance, discovery, motion practice, pleas and trial, and sentencing.
- Reproductive Health Rights. Program participants will help enforce the statutory protections put in place following the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs for all individuals seeking and providing reproductive health care in New Jersey. Participants will also be able to participate in the work of the Attorney General’s Reproductive Rights Strike Force bringing together civil and criminal enforcement and security resources to further protect reproductive health in New Jersey.
- Sexual and Domestic Violence Policy, Prevention, and Enforcement. Program participants will work within the Division of Criminal Justice to focus on the eradication of sexual and domestic violence. This will include developing trauma-informed policy and trainings related to domestic and sexual violence investigation and prosecutions and implementing victim-driven diversionary programs for certain domestic violence offenses.
- Social Media Accountability and Data Privacy/Cybersecurity. Program participants will develop legal, regulatory, and policy strategies to hold social media platforms accountable for failure to adequately safeguard users from social media that negatively impacts users’ mental health, facilitates violence, and promotes harmful content such as bias/hate. Participants also will have the opportunity to work on investigations and enforcement actions involving data breaches and the unauthorized collection, use, and dissemination of participants’ personal information.
- Solicitor General Fellow. The Solicitor General Fellow will work with the Solicitor General in developing strategy for high-priority cases, drafting briefs in appeals and dispositive motions, and participating in argument preparation and moot courts, in a dynamic and fast-paced environment. The Fellow will also have the opportunity to deliver oral argument. The Fellow will be involved with multiple appeals at every level of the federal and state judiciary, including in the U.S. Supreme Court. The Fellow will be exposed to all subject areas within the Honors Program, among others, across their appellate portfolio – with a special focus on the defense of New Jersey laws from constitutional challenges.
- Violence Intervention and Victim Assistance. New Jersey has recognized that public safety solutions cannot rely solely on enforcement, but must also encompass community-based solutions, trauma-informed interventions, survivor-centered policy and training, and an exploration of, and investment in, restorative justice practices. Program participants will have the opportunity to support that work through innovative policy and process creation, training and implementation. Attorneys will also get to build out department-wide victim services policies and practices.
- Violence Suppression and Organized Crime. Honors Program members placed in this area will work with the Division of Criminal Justice’s Major Threats Unit, which investigates and prosecutes organized criminal enterprises operating throughout New Jersey, including auto thefts, with the goal of protecting the community from the dangerous activities of these enterprises, ranging from criminal street gangs to traditional organized crime.
- Workers’ Rights and Labor Enforcement. Program participants will oversee investigations and enforcement actions involving New Jersey’s laws protecting workers, including laws regarding wage theft, misclassification, prevailing wage, labor trafficking, child labor, mistreatment of laborers, and other issues that affect worker mobility and economic opportunity.
Eligibility Criteria
The Attorney General Honors Program seeks a diverse pool of highly qualified applicants and is open to all:
- Third-year law students;
- Students in the final year of other graduate law programs (e.g., LLM program); and
- Judicial clerks who will complete their clerkship by September 2025, and who began the clerkship immediately following graduation from law school or a fellowship program.
- Individuals who will complete a fellowship by September 2025, and which began immediately following graduation from law school or clerkship.
Attorneys who do not meet these criteria but are nonetheless interested in working for the Attorney General’s Office are welcome to apply through the regular employment application process. For more information, click here.
Application Process
To apply for the Honors Program, applicants must submit an online application by 11:59 p.m. on October 13, 2024. As part of the application, applicants will need to upload the following documents:
- Writing sample. The writing sample should be no more than 5,000 words and should contain your own legal analysis. You may use a document drafted during law school or a summer internship so long as it does not contain material that is privileged or otherwise confidential or contains the necessary redactions.
- Statement of interest. Applicants must submit a “statement of interest,” explaining in no more than 1,000 words why they are interested in participating in the Honors Program. The Honors Program seeks candidates of diverse backgrounds and experiences, and candidates are encouraged to use the statement of interest to explain how their life experiences inform their interest in public service.
- Resume. Applicants should attach a current version of their resume.
- Scanned copy of law school transcript. Applicants may upload an official or unofficial copy of their transcript.
Applicants are not required to submit letters of recommendation; however, they must identify at least two professional references (including at least one law professor or other legal academic) who can vouch for the applicant’s qualifications.
In completing the online application, applicants must select which of 16 subject matter areas they wish to be considered for:
- Antitrust*
- Civil Rights
- Conviction Review
- Cyber Crimes
- Environmental Justice and Enforcement
- Fatal Police Encounters
- Firearms Civil Enforcement and Accountability
- Human Trafficking
- Public Corruption
- Reproductive Health Rights
- Sexual and Domestic Violence Policy, Prevention, and Enforcement
- Social Media Accountability and Data Privacy/Cybersecurity
- Solicitor General Fellow
- Violence Intervention and Victim Assistance
- Violence Suppression and Organized Crime
- Workers’ Rights and Labor Enforcement
*indicates new subject matter for 2025.
Applicants may select as many or as few issue areas as they like; if they select more than one, they should rank their preferences in the online application. Applicants interested in the Solicitor General Fellow may add that to their ranked choices or may choose to apply only for that position. Applicants are also asked to indicate their level of interest in litigation, investigations, and regulatory policy, as well as their preference for civil or criminal law.
We will gladly assist applicants who are unable to complete an application online or who are in need of an accommodation during the application process. If you need assistance, please email honors.program@njoag.gov
Selection Process
All applications will be reviewed by an Honors Program selection committee, which consists of senior attorneys in the Attorney General’s Office. Candidates will be selected on the basis of several factors, including:
- Academic achievement and scholarship;
- Legal writing, research, and advocacy skills;
- Demonstrated interest in, and commitment to, public service; and
- Leadership in school and/or community activities.
Based on a review of the application, selected candidates will be invited to a virtual or in-person interview in Newark or Trenton in October – November 2024.
Offers will be extended in January – February 2025. All offers are subject to successful completion of the candidate’s background investigation. Honors Program participants will begin work in September 2025.
Those selected for the Honors Program must:
- Commit to two years of service with the Attorney General’s Office;
- Undergo a background check before beginning employment;
- Within 6 months of starting the program become a member of the New Jersey Bar, which may require you to pass the New Jersey bar exam;
- Within 12 months of starting the program establish New Jersey residency or an exemption to it as required under the New Jersey First Act. Information on the New Jersey First Act can be found here: https://www.nj.gov/labor/research-info/njfirst.shtml.
The Attorney General’s Office is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to inclusive hiring and dedicated to diversity in our staff. State law prohibits discrimination in hiring or employment on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, nationality, ancestry, age, sex, marital status, pregnancy status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, atypical hereditary cellular or blood trait, or mental or physical disability. For more information about diversity and inclusion initiatives within the Attorney General’s Office, click here: www.nj.gov/oag/diversity-inclusion/reports.html
Salary & Benefits
The starting salary for Honors Program participants depends on whether they are admitted to the New Jersey bar at the start date for employment.
- If admitted to the New Jersey bar at the time of employment, an Honors Program attorney begins work as a Deputy Attorney General, at an annual salary of $93,816.41.
- If not yet admitted to the bar, an Honors Program participant will be hired into a limited term position as a “Law Clerk” at an annual salary of $59,494. Once admitted to the New Jersey bar, the participant will be promoted to Deputy Attorney General at an annual salary of $93,816.41.
All Honors Program participants, whether Deputy Attorneys General or Law Assistants, are entitled to employment benefits, including health and dental insurance. For more information on employment benefits, visit www.state.nj.us/treasury/pensions.
Timeline and Checklist
- August 28, 2024: Application period opens
- October 13, 2024: Deadline for submitting online application
- January 17, 2025: Offers extended
- September 2025: Start date for employment
- By 11:59 p.m. on October 13, 2024, candidates must complete an online application, which includes:
- Writing sample (no more than 5,000 words)
- Statement of interest (no more than 1,000 words)
- Resume
- Law school transcript
- Ranked preferences for practice areas
- At least two references, including one law professor or other legal academic
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the starting salary?
The starting salary for Honors Program participants depends on whether you are admitted to the New Jersey bar at the start date for employment. If you already admitted on your state date, you will start as a Deputy Attorney General at an annual salary of $93,816,41. If not yet admitted to the bar, you will be hired into a limited term position as a Law Clerk at an annual salary of $59,494. Once admitted to the bar, you will be promoted to DAG at an annual salary of $93,816,41.
May I continue working at the Attorney General’s Office at the conclusion of the two-year program?
Honors Programs participants must commit to two years with the Attorney General’s Office, but are encouraged to continue their public service at the conclusion of the program.
What city will I be working in?
Your office location will depend on your practice area. The office locations are as follows:
- Newark
- Civil Rights
- Reproductive Health Rights
- Firearms Civil Enforcement and Accountability
- Social Media Accountability and Data Privacy/Cybersecurity
- Workers’ Rights and Labor Enforcement
- Solicitor General Fellow*
- Trenton
- Environmental Justice and Enforcement
- Public Integrity, Conviction Review, and Police Policy*
- Violence Intervention and Victim Assistance*
- Youth Justice
- Sexual and Domestic Violence Policy, Prevention, and Enforcement
- Violence Suppression and Organized Crime
- Cyber Crimes
- Human Trafficking
* assignment may be Trenton, Newark, or Northern New Jersey.
Telework and In-Office Work
As of July 1, 2022, State employees are on a hybrid schedule of three days of in-office work, and two days of telework under a pilot program administered by the New Jersey Civil Service Commission through June 30, 2024. This policy will be reviewed for continuation, and is subject to change.
Can I rotate between practice areas?
Yes. We expect that participants will devote most of their two-year commitment to a specific practice area, but upon request, participants will have the opportunity to do a rotation in another practice area. Please be aware that these rotations typically occur in the second year of the program.
I am only interested in being considered for positions in some of the listed subject areas (e.g., civil rights, environmental). Is that okay?
Yes. On the online application, applicants are asked to rank their preferences for the subject matter areas. Applicants may select as many or as few subject areas as they like; if they select more than one, they should rank their preferences in the online application. Applicants will be considered for the subject areas that they rank.
How do I submit my application package?
Submit your online application here.
We will gladly assist applicants who are unable to complete an application online or who are in need of an accommodation during the application process. If you need assistance, please email honors.program@njoag.gov.
How will I know that my application was received?
You will receive an email confirming receipt. If you do not receive a confirmation email, please contact honors.program@njoag.gov.
Is there a GPA requirement?
No. Selections will be made based on academic achievement and scholarship, and other activities including leadership; journal, moot court, and mock trial experience; clinical experience; interest in government or public service; and other extracurricular justice-related activities.
How and when will interviews be conducted?* Will I be reimbursed for travel expenses?
If you are selected for an interview, you will be invited to an in-person interview in Newark or Trenton or a virtual interview. The office is unable pay for travel expenses.
What if I accept a judicial clerkship after I have submitted my application?
Please email honors.program@njoag.gov to withdraw your application. We hope you consider re-applying when the clerkship ends.
What if I accept another position or change my mind about applying?
Please email honors.program@njoag.gov to withdraw your application.
Why will I be given a conditional offer of employment if I am selected?
If you are selected for the Honors Program, you will receive a conditional offer of employment. Your acceptance into the Honors Program is contingent upon successfully completing a background investigation, admittance to the New Jersey Bar, and satisfying the residency requirements of the New Jersey First Act, NJSA 52:14-7.
If I am selected, can I defer for a year?
No. If you are still eligible in the next hiring cycle, we encourage you to apply again.
Do I need to live in New Jersey?
Under the New Jersey First Act, NJSA 52:14-7, new public employees must establish residency in the State of New Jersey within one year of starting employment or obtain an exception. Exemptions to the residency requirement may be granted based on a proven “critical need or hardship.” To learn more about the Act and the exemption process, visit https://www.nj.gov/labor/research-info/njfirst.shtml
Do I have to take the New Jersey bar exam?
Applicants must be members of the New Jersey bar or sit for the 2025 Bar exam. Please note that New Jersey has adopted the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE), which is also used by 21 other jurisdictions. Applicants who take the UBE earn a portable score that can be transferred to other UBE jurisdictions, including New York and Washington, D.C., for a set period of time for the purpose of applying for admission in those other jurisdictions.
I’m taking the July 2025 bar exam and won’t get my results until November. Will I still be able to do legal work in the first few months of the program?
You will be able to work on substantive legal projects under the supervision of another attorney while you are awaiting your results. You will not be able to sign briefs or appear in court until you are admitted and promoted to Deputy Attorney General. Participants who do not pass the Bar exam may be terminated from the program.
Will I be reimbursed for bar exam fees?
No. The program does not cover bar exam fees or the cost of any bar exam preparation courses.
Do I need to be a U.S. citizen to apply?
No, although applicants must be eligible to work in the United States.
Do veterans preferences or any other hiring preferences apply?
Please visit: www.nj.gov/military/veterans/civil-service-preference
I still have questions. Whom should I contact?
First, please check with your career services office. If they are not able to resolve your question, please email honors.program@njoag.gov.
Virtual Information Session
Click here or above to register
Downloads
AG’s Honors Program Flyer – click image to download
Solicitor General Fellow Flyer – click image to download