As most of my class gets down to the stage of their careers where they must decide what to do with their lives (many, like myself, still have no clue), those who decide to become “corporate lawyers” will have to procure internships at the top law firms in the country. Most of these firms give PPOs (placement offers) based on their interns’ performance, which is why getting a “good” internship is such a big deal.
One very unfortunate flaw in the current system (or rather non-system, because there is hardly any system in place here) is the fact that internships go on a first-come-first-serve, rolling basis. This means that the sooner you apply for a place, the higher your chances of getting into the firm – regardless of your merit, since the firm will fill up its slots and reject later applicants. A typical law firm will have anything between 5 to 15 interns at a given point in time.
I really do not know why firms don’t have (a) internship application deadlines; (b) one date for announcing the selected candidates, and (c) a third date by which candidates should accept or reject their place. If any slots are vacant these can be offered to candidates who could not make it the first time round.
This system would ensure, most obviously, that merit and not timing is the sole criterion in determining who gets the internships. As the recruiter in a firm I would obviously want the best talent; so it would be daft to reject great applicants just because they came in a little later than the first hordes. It would also spare students a lot of anxiety in wondering whether it is “too late” – whatever that means.
Then again, deadlines must be advertised somewhere, and given the Bar Council’s daft rules on advertising within the legal profession it is extremely unusual for most law firms to have maintain websites of their own. This is in stark contrast to foreign firms, whose main international reputation comes through their websites, and all of whom maintain their online presences carefully and very successfully. A few Indian firms like Fox Mandal do have websites – most don’t. If only they invested a bit of money, made a functioning website, and put up important information about core areas, recruitments, internships, clientelle and lawyers, I would think the quality of new entrants into these firms would greatly improve.
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“This is in stark contrast to foreign firms, whose main international reputation comes through their websites, and all of whom maintain their online presences carefully and very successfully. A few Indian firms like Fox Mandal do have websites – most don’t. If only they invested a bit of money, made a functioning website, and put up important information about core areas, recruitments, internships, clientelle and lawyers, I would think the quality of new entrants into these firms would greatly improve.”
How much is real?
(If you’re on FB, apologies for repeating the commenting. wanted it to appear to non- FB readers too and testing it. )
Ahh. I dont know if you thought it too controversial or something, but you forgot to mention about the transparency aspect in the system. Most internships are still given on a ‘who you are’ and ‘who you know’ basis. I myself noticed quite a few times in law school where people in the first few years pursued firm/ judge… or NGO internships on the basis of knowing somebody.
In effect, those who didnt know anybody in that organisation, had to go through the apparent ‘transparent’ process or settle for some other organisation that was transparent.
If legal education is the main focus of the BCI, a function that it maintains that it is stressing on considering the introductions of the Bar exams and all, then it must also introduce measures to make the regularise the internship process.
Very valid observation Aditya. The reason I had omitted mentioning transparency as one of the casualties in the internship system is because this is something that has become so intrinsic to the Indian legal system that law school students invariably learn to live with – if not profit from – it.
I suspect the reason the BCI does not do more towards regularising internships is that these are still primarily a domain of firm autonomy; and outside of a firm, nobody really cares or dares to inquire about the system of awarding internships. Correct me if I’m wrong, but interns are paid stipends out of funds that do not really get counted as “salary” funds. The majority of interns are therefore invisible workers.
What we need is a total overhaul of the approach the BCI takes. Internships should be accounted for, and internship policies within firms should be open to public scrutiny at least as far as having uniform application forms, deadlines etc is concerned.
However as long as the question of “choice” remains (in terms of which applicant to finally give the internship to) you really can do only so much to prevent the odd “recommendation” from a Partner from creeping in.
My suggestion in this regard would only be a wake-up call to firms – it is they who are ultimately losing out by giving internships to undeserving candidates. The primary responsibility for ensuring transparency therefore should rest with the primary stakeholder in the firm’s workforce; its HR department. This realisation will foster an internal and self-regulating system that ensures that internships only go to the most deserving.
Arani, while your observations definitely merit consideration by the Bar Council of India and law firms, in your original post you seem to suggest that securing a good internship is essential in order to obtain a PPO from that particular firm. With this objective you seem to suggest that internship application deadlines, etc are very uncertain.
However, I believe that the firms make a clear distinction in this context between interns who would be considered for a PPO and those who would not be. Now most firms consider only students from the last three semesters (five year course) for a PPO and these students in most cases get placed with firms pursuant to applications filed by the Internship Co-ordination Committee or the Recruitment Co-ordination Committee. Therefore, in cases where the firm is going to be considering interns for a PPO – because of the ICC and the RCC, you do have application deadlines, shortlists being announced on a single day and the date for decision.
However, I completely agree for the need for transperancy and the need for guidelines.