Internships in the Career of Law Students: Considerations Before Applying

Why are internships so important to a law student’s career?

Internships are a crucial part of practical training in any five-year or three-year LLB programmes, and they have several advantages for students wishing to get experience in their chosen field. Internships, which promote personal development, can be virtual, full-time, compensated, or uncompensated. Although full-time, paid internships are seen as more advantageous since students may make money while working for a firm, the fundamental advantages of an internship remain the same no matter how you choose to pursue it.

Experiential learning is becoming more and more valued, even while enduring a certain degree of academic rigor and gaining useful life skills can be considered as essential components of professional preparation that students obtain while in law college. Given that they enhance your CV and give you a lot of valuable experience, internships are essential to your prospects of being hired.

Internships at law schools are important

Being a law student may be really exciting, especially after you learn about the various job options available. But the knowledge you learn from books can only go so far; ultimately, you might need to learn some real-world skills. As a consequence, taking on a legal internship will be quite beneficial to you because it will provide you the chance to study more about the sector in-depth.

The importance of law internships and their role in the legal profession must be understood by students. Even though it does not ensure employment, completing an internship in the legal sector gives a student an advantage in the field.

Internships in the legal field can be broadly classified as follows:

NGOs: NGOs provide law students with internship opportunities and help them get insightful knowledge about certain areas of law. An NGO internship will teach a law student teamwork, leadership, social awareness, and other life skills. Understanding the connection between law and society requires that every law student realize the importance of acquiring real-world knowledge and experience.

Jobs as interns at law firms:

It consists of internships at various litigation and business legal firms. People who want to work in legal firms should choose it in the main. Depending on the needs of the company and the student’s level of competence, a legal intern’s duties might vary, although they frequently include standard office duties like copying and filing, legal research, client service, and assisting attorneys in court and with paperwork. Every legal internship includes a large amount of research.

internships in courts: Under the supervision of a lawyer, a district court, High Court, or Supreme Court internship is the most common type of court internship. It is advised for students who want to work in the legal or judicial systems since it gives them real-world experience with judicial procedure and its intricacies. Candidates choosing judicial internships should always begin at lower courts as this will familiarize them with the actual court process.
PSUs: Many PSUs, including HPCL, ONGC, HDFC Bank, and others, give internships to law students in order to teach them in the organization’s legal compliances.
Government Internships: A few government agencies provide internship opportunities.The Indian Competition Commission, The Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Law & Justice, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, and others are notable.
Tips to Remember Before Beginning Your Internship

Keep your cool in the face of criticism or disappointment. A “poker face” is among the most crucial abilities for attorneys to possess. You’ll lose cases, and not every motion you ask for will be granted. Your seniors could occasionally use tough language, so it’s a good idea to practise remaining calm in trying circumstances. You’ll undoubtedly face some negative feedback as a legal intern while honing your practical skills. Even if you were able to communicate a small amount of dissatisfaction, being too emotional—crying or angry—will make you sound childish and unprofessional.

The legal profession places a high importance on timeliness, which is a valuable characteristic. You may already be aware that judges are overburdened with cases to hear, and that the courtroom is a very time-constrained setting. You should make it a habit as an intern to arrive at your office or courtroom early since doing so will benefit you when you finally join the legal profession.

Keep up formal office communications: Millennials are an emoji and acronym generation. However, managing attorneys and senior partners are not. When sending emails, texts, etc., you shouldn’t represent the younger generation; instead, you should adopt the same tone as your manager and the rest of the workforce. Unless they’ve given you messages like that, don’t send slangy, “haha” texts to a managing partner or your supervisor. Include a salutation and a signature in your email correspondence.

Everyone you interact with deserves your respect and consideration. Rudeness and haughtiness are some of the worst traits an intern may have. Being kind and friendly will improve the probability that others will see you favorably, even if you make mistakes in your legal work. If you behave rudely towards someone, word will spread rapidly. A bad attitude could keep you from landing a job, even if you are at the top of your class. Even if it should only be done out of politeness, being a good coworker will help you in the long run. You could be unclear of who to seek for help with a specific work endeavor and feeling perplexed.

An ideal intern should be eager and accessible. A business or legal firm is constantly looking for individuals who are motivated to contribute to the job and flexible enough to take on new duties. Never pass up a chance because you think it’s too tiny. Make yourself useful to people who come in early and remain late at the office. Even if they aren’t included at the top of the letterhead, those people are nevertheless significant to the business. Demonstrate your understanding of how important clients are and your desire to operate their businesses or law offices successfully.

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