The remarkably diverse and methodical internship culture at NUJS, West Bengal
About the college: – The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (NUJS) is a law university established in 1999. In a short time, NUJS has been recognized as one of the elite autonomous national law universities in India, and is the Alma mater of exceptional lawyers, academics, activists and leaders. NUJS’s distinguished faculty, distinctive pedagogy, and alumni contribute to making it a centre of excellence in legal education.
About internships: – In their first year, students’ intern with Non-Governmental Organizations, activist groups, and policy research organizations. Some of these include the Greenpeace India, Human Rights Law Network, PRS Legislative Research, World Wildlife Fund and the People’s Union for Civil Liberties.
In their second year, most students intern with individual litigators or law firms that primarily handle litigation at High Courts. In their third year, most students intern with individual litigators or intern as clerks to judges of the Supreme Court or various High Courts.
In their fourth year, most students intern at corporate law firms or legal departments of companies and banks in India. In addition, students also intern with law firms in the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Hong Kong to gain international exposure while being associated with leading international law firms.
Top recruiting organizations: – There are several renowned NGO’s, law firms, policy research organizations and likewise that enroll students from NUJS as interns. Few of them are listed below:
Law firms: Amarchand and Mangaldas and Suresh A Shroff and Co, Luthra and Luthra law offices, Trilegal, J. Sagar and Associates, Khaitan and Co., Bharucha and Partners
Non-Indian law firms: Allen and Overy, Linklaters, Clifford Chance, Herbert Smith (which offer training contracts to graduates)
Companies/Banks: ITC, ICICI Bank, Deutsche Bank, Bajaj Allianz, Star India
Many students secure PPO’s in these organizations as well.
What students have to say: – Deep is a fourth year law student at NUJS, and interned at MKSS in his first year. This is what he had to say about his experience:
I had the opportunity to work as an intern with the Mazdoor Kisan Shakthi Sangathan, an organization based out of Devdungri, Rajasthan working towards securing basic rights and solving problems of the local people, in the summer of 2010. Magasaysay award winning activist Mrs. Aruna Roy along with Mr Nikhil Dey and Shankar Singh established the sangathan in the year 1990. The internship involved learning and researching about the MGNREGA, the Right to Education bill as well as the Right to Education. The most significant work that we had to do was surveying an entire village panchayat for every child in the area to identify their specific needs; this was so that we could summarize the challenges that would be faced in implementing the Right to Education Act which was recently passed. It was at once the most eye-opening, enriching, entertaining and life changing experience, which is why I am a bit hesitant to describe my time there merely as an internship.
Internship statistics: – In the five-year integrated law programme [the BA/BSc. LLB (Hons.) courses], which combines an education in humanities with a bachelor’s degree in law, NUJS allows around one hundred days in an academic year for student internships. With the amount of experience and practical exposure that the students gain during their internships from the very first year, the percentage of students securing a PPO in their pre final year is around 25%.
Internship culture: – Nihal, a 4th year BA LLB student at NUJS who is also a member of the Placement Committee says:
The Recruitment and Placement Committee (RPC) is an elected sixteen-member student body. Our priority is making the internship process as transparent and efficient as possible. For example, we take important decisions at batch meetings to ensure that everyone’s concerns are addressed. Each year, the RPC tries to reach out to a broader base of employers, while making our relationships with long-time employers stronger.
An institution ranked as the second best law college in the country, one which provides its students the utmost freedom to choose from a wide range of internship opportunities all throughout their study course; is bound to have an exceptional internship culture that is worth recognition.
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