Internships and Law Students.

This article is a push to connect with law students who look for answers with regards to internships and the significance of them in shaping up a career in the field of law. 

Back as a law student, I for one wished there was some sort of clarity with respect to the most conspicuous inquiries a law student faces. With due regards to where I stand today, discovering lucidity on specific inquiries could have molded and kick started my career in a different way. 

CHOOSING THE RIGHT INTERNSHIP:

The most essential piece of starting the task of an entry level position is to take the correct temporary job for you. In the underlying years, where one has not interned, it might be hard to state which zone of law intrigues you the most. The best option is to approach your seniors, address industry specialists and complete a few hands-on research and endeavor to acknowledge the various branches of law and what their roles are. Mr. Ashutosh Senger, Advocate at Supreme Court of India, says "Law students should identify potential lawyers with whom they would like to intern. One has to acknowledge that the first internship is very significant as it introduces a student to what the profession would be after he/she completes the course, and therefore, it is important that law students make sincere attempt to grab internship opportunities with people who can make them fall in love with the profession and show them the various facets and opportunities that this field entails.”

Once a law student has begun interning, the cycle must never stop. The key is to continue interning at different spots till you can put a full stop to finding your region of premium and afterward keep adapting further in that specific field.

It is fitting to begin arranging your temporary positions in the start of law school. Also, try to compose a great covering letter communicating your enthusiasm to work with the specific firm/advocate. No expert would engage in an email stating 'PFA my Resume', 'It would be ideal if you check the CV and revert' and other such unappealing messages. The most refreshing course is to by and by visit the firm and hand them over your application. Another normal factor passed up a great opportunity by most students is following up about your application. Forgo calling the firm over and over yet in addition try to track the advancement of your application by delicately composing back to the firm or making a call to ask.

APPROACH TOWARDS THE INTERNSHIP:

As profoundly misunderstood, the measure of interning in a Tier - 1 firm is far not as much as interning with a smaller firm or an independent advocate. This is a generalization and should be violated as law offices, enormous or little, will invest their energy and exertion to any candidate who is willing to learn. Most students get tied up in the race to intern with the greatest name and the most looked for after law office and a few, in nepotism. While I trust that the quality and the status of the firm is just an enlivened expansion to your CV, everything truly relies upon how hard one will function. This was clarified exceptionally well by  Samrudhii Garnaik, a Penultimate Law Student. She says " This question has to be decomposed into two parts. Whenever one thinks of the word 'Internship', it is assumed as a training that is imparted for students. But one has to differentiate between the role of a real internship and the role of formality internships and on the basis of this categorization only one can question whether it will kick start your career or it remains as a mere certificate on a piece of paper. When an internship is done, it is of vital importance that the interns are willing to learn and at the same time the law firm aids the student's interest. Only then this will boost career opportunities of a law student and will be in a better position at work. Considering a situation where the intern in unwilling to learn, the Partners and Associates are smart enough to understand the interns and would not be willing to burden such interns with work. Therefore, I firmly believe that there is nothing such as a good or a bad law firm or even a small or big law firm. The moment you are ready to work, willing to associate yourself with the task and deliver result, every Partner or Associate will assign work and you could learn." Hence, it is highly important how you approach the internship and how much you are willing to prove your worth.

With regards to admitted nepotism that exists in this industry, Shreetama Ghosh, a student of Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab clearly breaks that stereotype and says "I don't feel there is anything wrong in getting an internship through references, because, in my case, the references are people I have networked with and who have liked my work or credentials." . Networking is one of the most important aspects to grab an internship at your coveted law office. Learn it the most difficult way possible but networking is assumed as a highly valued quality in this industry. Consequently, to pick the correct internship for you, continue organizing, continue looking into and in particular don't stop until the point when you have discovered a territory of intrigue you truly would love to work in. It is a standout amongst the most vital choices you will make as a student of law.

WHAT LAW STUDENTS HAVE TO SAY:

A law student may come across different internship positions while in law school. Every position has something new to offer and it is the obligation of the student to take advantage of it and attempt to improve a legal advisor out of themselves every day. Shubham Krishna, a final year law student at Symbiosis International University has a track record of 15 internships to his credits. He says, "Being a final year student and having exposure of 15 internships, I am of the opinion that internships play a vital role in the development of a law student during college. I can observe change in my work, personality and communication skills. During internships, a student's mind works as a lawyer, which helps them grow practically and professionally. Exposure of internships also helps a law student in getting a position after law school."

Being a good lawyer also takes a lot of self awareness. Aparna Tripathi, a Legal Trainee at PwC rightly points out that "In the present scenario, everyone is following the other no matter what their interest is. I know competition is one gear up each day but one should always choose their internship keeping in mind their end goals only then it will be fruitful in a long run". The facts demonstrate that many students may aimlessly pursue a field without having any information of it, just based on recommendations, or by simply following a companion. This methodology by and large leads nowhere and it just leaves the student in a situation. 

As broadly recognized, for the most part schools will just influence you to comprehend the law, however it is the point at which you seek internships that will give you introduction to how and when it tends to be connected. Simply picking up information from books is never enough. Law should be joined with useful situations. Bhawna Vishwakarma, an Entrepreneur and a law student says that, "As a law student, I believe that internship is a great way to learn the practical aspect of the things we study in college and a great way to build your own network and decide your own area of interest."

WHAT LAWYERS HAVE TO SAY:

Each legal advisor was once an intern and as well as can be expected originated from one that has experienced everything. They are the best advisers for clarity on internships. In particular, the correct individuals to reply on how internships can help a law student and what a legal counselor searches for and anticipates from an intern. 

Kamakshi Shrivastava, an Associate Legal Counsel at Fidelity International says, "Internships provide law students an insight of the actual work culture. Whether you take law firms, NGO or practicing lawyers, each internship provides a student with a unique learning experience and moulds the thought process of how the work culture is different from what they study in universities. Also, most of the students tend to discover their interest areas in due course of five or three years."

Gunjan Chhabra, an Independent Legal Practitioner with an experience of over 6 years, calls attention to other imperative factor in temporary positions, truthfulness. She believes, "Internships help students identify their areas of interest at an early age. It is therefore advisable for law students to intern sincerely and earnestly in several wide areas to enable them to identify their area of interest."

In the ongoing occasions, it is additionally seen that a ton of law students base their internship with a firm on them giving a stipend or not. As much as I am against the possibility of unpaid work, on some occasions it is best to see the profile of the firm/advocate and what they truly bring to the table as far as experience and learning is concerned. There should be a procedure each student must pursue to make the best out of that internship. Aruna Chawla , an Independent Legal Practitioner in the areas of Fashion, Arts, Luxury and Culture, has the best recommendation to give on that. She says " Personally I am a meticulous planner and notes-taker, and I've usually sought internships where personal habits of my employer were those that I would want to learn. That's the whole point of internships - knowing how to behave, strategize and conceptualize your life and the case at hand." Moreover, after asking her what might she expect out of an intern, she stated , "I think if someone were to come to me for an internship right now, I would want to make sure that I pay them a decent stipend - I'm 100% against the idea of 'bonded labour' that we make our interns do. Secondly, proven interest is beneficial, however a willingness to explore also works."

Be that as it may, Mr Akshat Pande, Partner at Alpha Partners, has an entire diverse proposal towards the possibility of internships. He believes "Temporary jobs should just be in the final year and I strongly recommend a two-year mandatory training period post LLB to get Bar registration ." While this procedure is very apparent in nations like the United Kingdom, a multi-year required preparing period in India is an exceptionally debatable topic. 

To conclude this, I suggest each law student to center around their temporary positions, learn as much as you can and focus on it with earnestness, diligent work and in particular, readiness to learn.

Aman Parekh.