Frequently Asked Questions 

Where is the IBA office located?
How long will my application take to process?
What is the writing sample?
Why do I need to send a writing sample?
How long does the writing sample have to be?
Can you help me find accommodation in London?
What facilities are there in the London office?
What is the dress code in IBA office in London?
How many other interns will be working at the IBA?
Where do interns come from?
What is the average age of interns?
What are the typical office hours?
What am I going to be working on?
Can I have a paid job whilst working at the IBA?
Who will I be working with?
How will I be treated?
How much will it cost for me to stay in London?
What is a typical day like whilst I am Intern?
Any other questions?

Where is the IBA office located?

The IBA office is located in an area of London called the 'West End' on the 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 IBA Office is a two minute walk from Tottenham Court Road tube station (which is served by the Central and Northern tube lines). The office can also be reached from Goodge Street tube station (which is also served by the Northern tube line).

If you are trying to find somewhere to live - try anything in Zone 2-4.

How long will my application take to process?

Your application will only be processed once we are in receipt of all the paperwork (ie the writing sample, CV, covering letter and letter of reference and application form). We would aim, once in receipt of all the paperwork, to give you a decision in approximately three weeks after the closing date (but please bear in mind that many members of staff that make up the selection panels travel frequently so it is not always easy to make a quick decision). Please do not hesitate to contact the Intern Programme Manager for an answer or for any other information.

What is the 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 for you. It could also be a summary of a dissertation. Please send it in Word format via email.

Why do I need to send a writing sample?

Because of the nature of the internship placements, much of the work will involve writing reports, letters or assisting in the preparation of academic articles. The writing sample is useful for us to see how you structure a piece of written work and form and support an argument.

How long does the writing sample have to be?

The length can be variable, but if possible whatever you send should be sent in electronic format. We have writing samples that are three pages or 20 pages.

Can you help me find accommodation in London?

Interns are responsible for finding their own accomodation. You can try running internet searches for cheap accommodation in London; as well, you could try some of the Halls of Residence of the London Universities to see if they have any space.

What facilities are there in the London office?

There is an 'Intern Office' at the IBA that is available for use with internet connection and a telephone. If you have a laptop computer you may wish to bring this so that you can work in law libraries if necessary.

What is the dress code in the IBA office in London?

You will not be required to wear a suit. Smart clothes, such as trousers, blouses, shirts and skirts are fine. No jeans or trainers unless there is an official 'dress down Friday'.

How many other interns will be working at the IBA?

Usually there are between six and ten interns for every three month intake. However, if, there is some overlap of students starting and finishing their internships there may be more in the office.

Where do interns come from?

The interns that come to the IBA do come from all over the world. We have now had students from Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand.

What is the average age of interns?

Interns range from 20 to 35 years of age.

What are the typical office hours?

The standard working day at the IBA office is 9.30am to 5.30pm with one hour for lunch.

What am I going to be working on?

There are many different projects that you could be asked to work on. Obviously we will try and tailor the project to your interest and background. There may be an opportunity to work on several projects covering different legal issues.

Can I have a paid job whilst working at the IBA?

The IBA will try to be flexible should you need to get a part time job to support yourself financially during your internship.  The amount of flexibility would depend on who you are working with and what projects you are working on.

Who will I be working with?

Depending on the project you are working on, you will either report to members of staff in the IBA office or deal via email and phone with other international lawyers.

How will I be treated?

As an intern, you will be treated as an IBA member of staff and will get invited to office parties, celebrations and staff lunches.

How much will it cost for me to stay in London?

This is also a difficult item to quantify. Rent in London is expensive so expect to pay approximately £400-£500 per month depending on your location. Transport starts at £93 a month (for tube and bus zones 1 and 2 in London). Food costs are approximately £40-£50 a week depending on your extravagance!

What is a typical day like whilst I am Intern?

It is difficult to summarise what a typical day is like being an intern, as it is dependent on the type of project you are working on. Below are some examples of the type of work that is going on, but you could be involved in a number of different projects at the same time. The work you do is not simply like writing an essay, which does not get used when you leave, you are contributing to the research that could ultimately get funding, assist local bars with undertaking their own training, capacity building as well as speeches and academic papers that forms the basis of the work of the IBA. Some days you will be on the internet all day, others at law libraries (including the British Library in London), sometimes travelling to meetings with the people you are working with. For instance, if you are working with

Human Rights Institute: you will have a line manager in the London Office and you could be doing internet and library-based research on the rule of law for developing countries such as Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka etc. You could also be doing background research on writing human rights intervention letters. There is usually someone in the office that will guide you through what needs to be done.

Grant proposals: If you are involved in our programmatic outreach work, you will have a line manager in the London office and you will assist in background research for rule of law issues and legal practice systems in many different countries and working with the Programme Manager to build this into a body of work that will be sent to a funding body to get funds to undertake, for example, capacity building with developing Country Bars (eg Zimbabwe, Albania, Rwanda etc)

Speeches and academic papers: You may get involved with working with the Executive Director on writing speeches for conferences that he is invited to and then converting these speeches into academic papers.

Commercial business law projects and other law disciplines: You are most likely to be reporting via email/fax/phone to a Chair of one of the IBA Section committees who will be giving you advice on feedback on the project you will be involved with. Examples of work undertaken so farinclude: researching, finding and translating competition laws from all over the world; collating co-habitation laws from across the world; and designing websites and databases to make the information useful to all international lawyers.

Any other questions?

If you still require further information, please do not hesitate to contact the Intern Programme Manager at internprogramme@int-bar.org.