County approves seasonal legal intern position to bolster County Attorney pipeline

Sweetwater County commissioners on March 4 approved the staffing of a seasonal legal intern in the County Attorney’s Office, a recruitment step county leaders say aims to address long-term staffing shortages in prosecution and related legal functions.

HR Director Gary McClain told commissioners the office has struggled to fill attorney positions for several years despite salary adjustments and recruitment efforts. "One of the avenues that seems to hold some promise ... is to see if we can identify some interns that are coming out of school that are interested in working in the department," McClain said, adding the position requires no additional funding because departments currently have vacancy-driven funding available.

County Attorney Danny Aramosby said the office has interviewed candidates at job fairs and received interest from students across the country but noted a nationwide trend: relatively few new attorneys pursue prosecution or public defense roles. "The best way we can do this is by getting them into our office," Aramosby said, asking commissioners to “please consider this.” He described the internship as a pipeline strategy: bring interns in, provide training and hope some return after passing the bar.

Commissioner John Jones moved to approve the seasonal legal intern; Commissioner Robert Slaughter seconded. The board voted unanimously. Staff said the position is cost neutral in the current year because vacancy savings will cover the intern, though housing and relocation remain potential challenges for out‑of‑area candidates.

The County Attorney’s Office will pursue internship recruitment and report back to the board as candidates are identified.