FAQs on Internships

What is an Internship?

An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organisation for a limited period of

time. It can be paid or unpaid. It is an integral part of Law School.

Furthermore, Para 25 of Schedule III to the BCI’s Rules of Legal Education, 2008 mandates a
minimum 20 weeks of Internship under NGO, Trial and Appellate Advocates, Judiciary, Legal
Regulatory authorities, Legislatures and Parliament, Other Legal Functionaries, Market
Institutions, Law Firms, Companies, Local Self Government and other such bodies as the
University shall stipulate, where law is practiced either in action or in dispute resolution or in
management.

The internships stipulated by the University for each year of study is called the ​compulsory
internship.

Good internships help you get some practical experience in law. They also add to your profile,
and will be your first step towards a career after law school.

Where can I find the internship rules and policy of the University?

You can find the Internship Rules ​here​ and the OCS’s Policy on Diary Submission ​here​.

You can find the CV Evaluation Policy ​here​.

When can I intern?

You can intern during the Semester Breaks. The IPC does not recommend internships during
academic sessions as the BCI does not recognise such internships.

How long should I intern?

Non Compulsory Internships:

You are free to decide on the period of your internship but you are advised to intern for a
minimum of three weeks as it shows consistency to your prospective recruiter.
Compulsory Internships:
As per the BCI Rules, you cannot intern for a continuous period of more than 4 weeks but our
University’s policy mandates a minimum of 30 days of internship (inclusive of intervening
holidays) for the compulsory internship. You can also split your compulsory internship into 15
days in each semester break.

Where can I do my internship?

Non Compulsory Internship:

It is up to you to decide where you wish to intern. You can read about internship experiences on
Lawctopus to make a more informed decision. You must find out the area of practice of the
firm/organisation/chambers where you wish to intern. You can talk to Seniors/ Friends who have
previously interned there. You can also ask the IPC.

Compulsory Internship:

As per the internship rules of the university, you are required to follow the pattern below,
I Year - NGOs
II Year - As per Choice with any Governmental Agency, Judges, Senior Advocates,
Practicing Advocates, International Institutions, Law Firms, Prosecution
Departments, Police and Correctional Institutions, Legal Aid Centres, Legislative
Secretariat, Private Institutions, Corporate Bodies or with NGOs.
III Year - Trial Court Advocate/Subordinate Judiciary/ Firm with cases in Trial
Courts/Tribunals
IV Year - Practicing Advocate or Judge of Appellate Court/Law Firm
V Year - As per Choice with any Governmental Agency, Judges, Senior Advocates,
Practicing Advocates, International Institutions, Law Firms, Prosecution
Departments, Police and Correctional Institutions, Legal Aid Centres, Legislative
Secretariat, Private Institutions, Corporate Bodies or with NGOs.

How many internships should I do during my five years in Law School

As per the University’s Internship Rules, you are required to do five compulsory internships
(Applicable for Batch of 2021 onwards), over the course of five years. Which means you have to
do atleast one compulsory internship in an academic year. Beyond this, you are free to do as
many internships as you want in the ​semester breaks​ as prescribed by the University.
What is an Internship Diary?

An Internship Diary is a record of the activities undertaken by the student in his/her Compulsory
internship. Para 25 of Schedule III to the BCI’s Rules of Legal Education, 2008 mandates that
each student must maintain Internship Diaries in the format prescribed by the University which
will be assessed part of the Clinical Paper. Therefore, the Internship Diary and its submission
must comply with the requirements set forth in the Internship Rules found in the Students
Handbook 2017 - 2018 (Pgs 29 - 33). You must also comply with the ​OCS’s Policy which is
based on the ​Internship Rules in the Handbook​. If the policy and the rules conflict, the rules
found in the Student Handbook prevails.

All internship diaries are to be submitted to the committee two weeks after commencement of
term in summer.

A sample internship diary can be found ​here​.

How do I get myself an internship?

First, find the office or person you want to intern under. If you do not know who you want to
intern with, you can seek assistance from the OCS.

Most offices have a set procedure which you need to follow (I.e) you need to fill an online form,
send a writing sample etc.

If there is no set procedure, you can apply with your CV and cover letter to your desired place of
internship. You can get yourself an internship without contacts if you apply well ahead of time
but if you are unable to get an internship, you can get some assistance from your family
members. Talk to your friends, family and acquaintances and ask them if they can get you an
internship. In any event, the IPC can help you getting internships.

How do I draft a CV, Resume and Cover Letter?

Please go through this PPT which was circulated during the CV and Cover Letter drafting
workshop that the IPC conducted in August, 2017. This PPT might offer some guidance for
drafting a CV and Cover Letter.

You can also approach the ​Internship Help Desk for assistance. The Internship Help Desk is an
initiative by the OCS where the members of the Committee will assist you in editing your CV,
Cover Letter, etc. The Help Desk will also provide you with contact details of firms,
organisations, etc. from the Database maintained by the Committee.

You can approach the help desk every Monday and Thursday between 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM. The
Help desk will function from the OCS Room (1st Floor, UG Block).

When should I apply for an internship?

You are advised to apply for an internship as soon as possible, but atleast 6 months before
intended internship as the competition is pretty tough. You will be competing with hundreds of
students for an Internship slot so applying early increases the chance of bagging that internship.

Will the Internship Wing, OCS help me in getting an internship?

The Internship Wing, OCS will assist you in getting an internship.We do this through two ways,

❏ OCS notifies multiple internship opportunities every semester and you can apply for the
same. The applications of the interested students is shortlisted based on our policy and
the shortlisted students are recommended for the notified internship opportunity. Being
shortlisted for recommendation does not mean that you have secured the internship, this
depends on your employer. The Committee will let you know about your selection as
soon as possible.

❏ We also have a database of internships available and contact details. We can help you to
send a good application by editing your CV, Cover Letter and provide you with the
details from the database. Please meet us during the Helpdesk hours to get our assistance
in this process.

What is the process of applying for an internship notified by the Committee?

The OCS provides a time frame of 4 days in normal circumstances for students to apply for the
Internship opportunity notified by the Committee. If you are interested in a notified internship
opportunity, you are supposed to follow the instructions given in the mail and duly fill out the
google form within the stipulated time. You are compulsorily required to submit your CVs which
consists of your Percentage in the ​University Format​.

In some cases, when the employer so requests, the number of days provided to apply for any
internship opportunity may be reduced.
How does the Committee select the students who have applied for an internship
opportunity?

Generally, the Committee shortlists/selects students for a notified internship based on the ​CV
Evaluation Policy​. The Committee’s decision is final on questions regarding interpretation of the
Policy and its application.
If a particular Internship organisation requests for additional criteria for shortlisting students, the
criteria will be mentioned in the mail notifying the internship opportunity.

Can I apply for more than one internship opportunity?

You can apply for any number of internship opportunities provided your name has not been
recommended for an internship opportunity for a particular semester break. If you are within the
zone of consideration of two or more opportunities which you have applied for, you will be
asked to give your order of preference.

Why can’t I be recommended for more than one internship?

The problem of dual-recommendation is that if a candidate is selected for both, then we have to
forgo one slot. This is undesirable both from the point of view of the students, who lose an
opportunity, and from the view of the employers - who are unlikely to take interns from our
institution again. Our objective as a committee is to generate the most amount of internships for
most of our students. Since we work on a recruiters time-line, sometimes it means some students
have to take a risk with their applications. It may seem unfair to an individual student,
considering he or she is missing the other opportunities we have generated in the meanwhile, but
unluckily, as an institution, we have no other choice which is fair to all students.

Can I withdraw my application for an Internship notified by the Committee?

You can withdraw your application for Internship within 24 hours after the last date of sending
your applications. You cannot withdraw your application after the expiry of 24 hours from the
last date so please don’t apply for an opportunity unless you are quite sure about your interest
towards the same. If you withdraw, you will be blacklisted and banned from applying for any
opportunities in that semester.

What happens if I do not go for an internship opportunity secured through the

Committee?
Forfeiting an internship secured through the committee earns the institution a bad reputation. The
person who gave the opportunity will most likely never take interns from our University again.
Your action jeopardises the future of all the students of our University. Therefore, the OCS will
have to blacklist you and ban you from all future activities of the internship and placement
committee including the placement drive. The Committee has done this before and will not
withhold taking action.

When can I meet the OCS

The OCS sits in the IPC Room (First Floor, UG Block) every Monday and Thursday between
4:30 PM to 5:30 PM during the Help desk hours. You can meet the members of the Committee
during this time. Alternatively, you can reach out to any of the committee members at mutual
convenience.

Who is a part of the OCS 2018-2019?

1. Karan Khetani (Convener)
2. Derlene Joshna
3. Piyush Chakravarty
4. Anita Bharathi
5. Karthika
6. Sahana Priya Sathish

I can help get an internship opportunity for the students. Who do I contact?

The OCS will be very grateful for your interest in helping your peers get an internship. Please
send us details on our mail (internship.tnnls@gmail.com), and we will take it forward.

I had a good/bad internship experience. What can I do?

You are encouraged to share your experience with us as it will help your peers.

I have applied for an opportunity which was notified by IPC but unfortunately I've not
received any confirmation from IPC. Why?

The OCS usually recommends the candidate immediately after evaluation, which takes a day or
two after applications close. After that, the matter is upto the employer. Although, we do try very
hard to follow-up and call employers every third day, in some cases, the employers are simply
unresponsive or reply that they are looking into our applications. This is unfortunately the case
with several high-profile employers, who had previously agreed to take interns. All we can do in
such cases is continue to make our case with the employers, and hope that they will respond
positively. As a policy, we release the names of selected candidates, immediately after
confirmation.

We usually contact the candidate when we are about to recommend them, to edit CVs and to
confirm internships. If you do get recommended for an internship, we will not recommend you to
another unless you are rejected in the first opportunity.

May I know my CV score so that I can improve my CV score?

Yes. You may bring your CV to the helpdesk and we will let you know your CV Score.

I need a Letter of Recommendation, What’s the process for obtaining the same?

The OCS issues Letter of Recommendation (LoR) to students who apply for the same and satisfy
the following requirements:
1. Must provide some proof as to Mandatory nature of a LoR for securing the Internship.
2. Must provide name, designation and contact details of the person to whom the LoR has to
be addressed.
3. Must have exhausted the option of obtaining an LoR from a faculty member.

You can apply for an LoR by filling out this ​Google Form​. The Committee will give you a
printed copy of the LoR within a week. The Committee will not issue LoRs during exams.

Please remember that an LoR is different from a Bonafide Certificate. If the Internship
Organisation requires only a Bonafide Certificate, please obtain the same from the Admin Block.
Applications seeking a Bonafide certificate to the OCS will be summarily rejected.

I need a ‘No Objection Certificate’ for my internship application. What’s the process for
obtaining the same?

You can apply for a ‘No Objection Certificate’ (NOC) by filling out this ​google form​. The
Committee will give you a printed copy within a week. The Committee will not issues NOC
during exams.
You are invited to write to us at i​ nternship.tnnls@gmail.com with the subject line ‘Queries’ with
any of your questions which this document has not covered.

Help Desk:

Every Monday & Thursday, 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM

Venue: OCS Room, 1st Floor UG Block (Adjacent to MCC Room)