Legal Internship Programme
Overview
Positions are available for undergraduates and postgraduate law students, or for lawyers awaiting a pupillage position, or for recently qualified lawyers to serve as an intern at the International Bar Association's office in London.
Founded in 1947, the International Bar Association (IBA) is the world's largest organisation of Law Societies, Bar Associations and individual lawyers. The IBA is involved with cutting edge issues affecting the international legal community and as an intern you can become involved in the work of the Association.
The IBA plays an active role in:
- promoting the status and independence of the profession
- bringing lawyers together to exchange information and to discuss matters of mutual concern
- promoting the administration of justice under the rule of law
- promoting human rights
- promoting commercial law reform
Selected interns will assist the IBA in developing academic papers and research on key legal topics of both local and international relevance. Interns will have an opportunity to become involved in the work of the following aspects of the Association:
- To support the IBA's Human Rights Institute as it promotes human rights throughout the world
- To support the IBA's work on Commercial Law.
Interns will be able to draft policy papers on substantive legal issues as well as assisting in preparing background research for grant proposals. Interns will also be able to assist in implementing technical assistance programmes in developing countries. Issues facing the international legal community that are currently an IBA focus include:
- International Criminal Court/War Crimes Tribunals
- ethics
- cross/multi-jurisdictional practice
- human rights
- commercial law issues (e.g. merger control)
- trial observations and country missions
- continuing legal education (CLE) for Bar Associations
Download a pdf containing all the information on the internship.
Frequently Asked Questions
View comprehensive FAQs or download in PDF format.
The IBA's Human Rights Institute
The IBA believes in the fundamental right of the world's citizens to have disputes heard and determined by an independent judiciary, and for judges and lawyers to practice freely and without interference.
In 1995, the IBA established the Human Rights Institute (HRI) under the Honorary Presidency of Nelson Mandela. The Institute now has more than 7,500 members.
The IBA's non-political status and global reach enable the HRI to advance its objectives:
- The promotion, protection and enforcement of human rights under a just rule of law
- The promotion and protection of the independence of the judiciary and of the legal profession worldwide
- The worldwide adoption and implementation of standards and instruments regarding human rights accepted and enacted by the community of nations
- The acquisition and dissemination of information concerning issues related to human rights, judicial independence and the rule of law
Through its worldwide Council and Committees, the HRI undertakes fact-finding missions, sends trial observers, intervenes by making representations to authorities worldwide, organises human rights training for lawyers and judges, provides long-term technical assistance to promote human rights, liaises closely with international and regional human rights organisations, undertakes surveys, and produces newsletters and other publications.
Commercial Law
Legal Practice Division (LPD) - Forty-five committees aimed at sharing best practices and streamlining cross-jurisdictional practice, and working groups submitting comments to shape international legislation, creation and reform.
Public and Professional Interest Division (PPID) - Twelve constitutents aimed at regulatory frameworks for practitioners, rules of ethical conduct, continuing education or practice management. Includes Bar Issues Commission (BIC) and Human Rights Institute (HRI).
- Committee Projects Projects are generated by:
Committee Officers (e.g. International survey of Specialised Intellectual Property courts)
IBA Project Lawyers (e.g. draft comments to the European Commission on the patent system in Europe, leniency notice, survey on anti-counterfeiting and piracy)
Intern's own Initiative/ideas (e.g. leniency chart, proposal for a potential commercial project)
- Websites Update
- Anti-money laundering website
- Global Competition forum website
- IBA committee pages (substantive commercial content)
- Answer Legal Queries from IBA members on different topics such as competition law, intellectual property and cross border practice.
- Conduct Legal Research - draft reports, speeches and background notes in different areas of commercial law.
- Contribute to IBA Publications
- Newsletter articles (e.g. business crimes)
- E-news (e.g. background notes on projects)
- Weekly updates
- Contribute to IBA Conferences
- Revise conference programmes/sessions
- Provide topic ideas for specialised conferences
- Attend IBA conferences held in London
- Examples of Commercial Projects
- Conduct legal research, draft reports and working papers in variety of commercial topics including multi-jurisdictional practice, corporate governance, anti-money laundering, merger control, taxes regulatory regime, competition law and policy.
- Assist in drafting comments on the following issues: The European Commision's Draft Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2006, Draft Commision Consolidated Jurisdictional Notice; EU Competition Court, EU Green Paper on Private Litigation; Competition Law in the People's Republic of China, United States Antitrust Modernization Commission ('AMC'), Article 82 enforcement, Second and Third EU Money Laundering Directive, Patent System in Europe and the proposed
amendments to EU Leniency Notice.
- Assist in conducting legal surveys and analysing survey results (e.g. industrial espionage survey, specialised Intellectual Property Courts survey, counterfeiting and piracy survey).
- Conduct a weekly commercial update on recent developments affecting the legal profession.
Application Details:
Candidates being considered for an IBA internship should:
- be highly motivated
- be able to work independently and on his/her own initiative
- have excellent interpersonal skills
- have good computer literacy including Microsoft Word and e-mail and internet
- have good analytical and writing skills
- have an interest and/or experience in international affairs and politics
- have experience of undertaking internet-based research using different legal source websites.
Previous projects undertaken by interns:
- Research on Zimbabwe
- Research on Islamic Law
- Research on Darfur
- Rule of Law Research
- Poland Mission Research
- Anti-Counterfeiting Research
- Trial Observers Manual
- Truth Commission Research
- Research on Terrorism
- Intervention Letters and Fact Sheets
- Global Competition Research
- Co-habitation law research
- International Criminal Court Research
Availability of positions
Positions are available throughout the year but usually run in three-month blocks:
- January to March
- April to June
- July to September
- October to December
We try to keep interns in blocks of three months because of office space issues, so we ask that you try and suggest dates within these blocks of dates when applying. We can be flexible on start dates if these do not correspond to your semester. Please e-mail internprogramme@int-bar.org for specific requests.
When to apply
In order to be considered for a certain intake date, you must have sent all your application details to the IBA by no later than the following dates. Please bear in mind that you will get an acknowledgment note when all your application details have been received but that you will not hear about your application until after these dates.
| Intake |
Closing Date |
| 28 September to 31 December 2009 |
Friday 29 May 2009 |
| 4 January to 26 March 2010 |
Friday 28 August 2009 |
| 29 March to 25 June 2010 |
Friday 27 November 2009 |
| 28 June to 24 September 2010 |
Friday 26 February 2010
|
How to apply
Send the following by e-mail (by post if you do not have access to the internet) explaining your interest in the IBA Internship Programme:
- Covering letter - this should set out the following:
- Why you wish to be considered for an Intern position
- The dates of when you would be able to take up your position
- Highlight the areas of law that you are interested in
- Specific research experience
- Full Curriculum Vitae (CV / resume)
- Application form (click here to download - you MUST save this form to your computer before filling it in) Please mark which area of law you are most interested in working in i.e. Human Rights Law or Commercial Law.
- Letter of reference - a letter from an academic tutor that will mention your academic background and personality and suitability for the internship programme. Please have your referee send the letter directly to the Intern Programme Manager either by mail or email. If you are applying for educational trust then your academic referee should state in their opinion the eligibility of the individual to receive a grant as part of their overall reference.
- Writing sample - The writing sample could be a legal course-work essay that you have written for your college degree programme or a report that you have written on a legal topic that is of interest to you or related to the field that you wish to work in. Please provide this writing sample in English only.
Send applications via email to internprogramme@int-bar.org or by post to:
Intern Programme Manager
International Bar Association
10th Floor, 1 Stephen Street
London
W1T 1AT
United Kingdom
Once your complete application (the five documents requested above) have been received, the IBA Office will process your application.
How long will it take before I hear that I have been selected?
Once the IBA is in receipt of ALL the information that has been requested, it will take a minimum of three weeks after the closing date to hear whether you have been selected.
Location of Internship
Currently, all internships are offered for placement at the IBA office in London. However, the people that you may be dealing with might be in another country and you would need to use phone, email and fax to keep them informed on the progress of your work.
The IBA office is located in an area of London called the 'West End' at 10th Floor, 1 Stephen Street, London W1T 1AT. The office is located in Zone 1 on the tube network (Zone 1 is Central London and Zone 6 is about 20 miles out of London near Heathrow Airport). The closest tube station is Tottenham Court Road, which is on the Northern and Central tube lines.
Tottenham Court Road is located in Zone 1 of the London Underground system. For more information, see the TFL website.
Length of Internship
A minimum of 12 weeks and a maximum of six months is expected from interns.
Dress Code
You do not need to wear a suit at the IBA office, so smart casual clothes are acceptable. No jeans.
Hours per week
Up to 40 hours per week. Interns will work from the IBA office in London and, when necessary, local libraries. Hours of work are usually 9.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday.
Funding
You will need to be able to support yourself whilst interning in London. The IBA will pay research expenses, such as trips to libraries etc. Please bear in mind that accommodation and travel is expensive in London.
The IBA Charitable Trust is granting travel scholarships (to a maximum of £1500 each) to students who would not otherwise be able to take up the position due to financial constraints. Priority is given to applicants from developing countries, but other applicants will be considered.
Download the application form for the Charitable Trust Funding.
Accommodation
All interns that are accepted on the internship programme are responsible for finding their own accommodation during their stay in London. The best way to find accommodation is to undertake an internet search for cheap accommodation in London. Also, try the International YMCA, Youth Hostel Association and the Halls of residence for some of the London Universities (especially useful if you are interning in the summer months) on the internet.
What do I do when I have been selected?
Once an intern place has been agreed by the IBA, Interns must contact there nearest British mission for details on visa requirements. Most interns route their application through one of the following two institutions to gain visas into the UK:
How to get a visa
Students from the United States
Students from the rest of the world (NOT UK, EU or USA)
Questions
For further information about the IBA, explore the rest of this website or contact the Intern Programme Manager (internprogramme@int-bar.org).