Online National Legislative Drafting and Review Competition 2020
2. Writing a Research Paper
- Various institutions run various journals and magazines under different subject heads and call for research papers on their websites or through other legal websites (abovementioned). This process is either peer-reviewed or reviewed by teachers/professors. Getting research papers published involves a slightly lengthy process that involves editing, adding/subtracting references, formatting that may be conveyed to the author by the editing team once the paper is selected for publication. There are other methods of publication as well which require paper presentation in various conferences contingent on which one’s research paper is selected for publication.
3. Applying for Internships
- No doubt it is not an easy task to get an internship in the legal field in India owing to the high level of competition, however, if one applies 3-6 months in advance, there is a better chance at securing an internship spot. A good cover letter goes a long way in casting a good impression too. For this one must mention the following things:
- The period for which one is seeking the internship and the specification of the dates
- Your background experience with respect to your erstwhile internships and your co-curricular and extracurricular endeavours
- The reason you wish to intern in the place you’re applying for an internship to
- A thankful note requesting the perusal of the attached documents and an expectation of an affirmative reply
- Once you have applied for the internship, you must follow up on the process of your internship application by either email or telephoning the office. Oftentimes one does not know when the firm/Company decides to shortlist interns and if you have not been shortlisted, knowing that helps you re-navigate your course of action in order to secure an internship elsewhere.
4. Volunteering
- Apart from the fact that volunteering is in and of itself a good activity, there is also a consequential argument behind why one should volunteer. Volunteering brings a reflection of who you are as an individual to your Curriculum Vitae. This reflection speaks of an individual who is ready to walk the extra mile even if there are no returns attached to it. It shows good character and helpfulness. In a situation where you may be pit against another candidate with equal qualifications and grades, a bit of volunteering will set you apart.
- For volunteering in law school, one can apply to any NGO for legal or non-legal work. There are many NGOs in metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata. These NGOs range from teaching ones to ones providing free legal aid. Any law student is an asset to such organisations with their knowledge in law and command over the language.
Lastly, one must ensure that one does not get so engrossed in building a Curriculum Vitae that one neglects tasks that bring them pleasure. There may be times when one is in a dilemma and has to choose between two tasks where one of them probably brings pleasure and enrichment of a kind that cannot be quantified in a Curriculum Vitae and the other is a monotonous task that only decorates the C.V. Oftentimes, law students overlook their mental health and that accumulates and manifests into detrimental habits later on.
Five years is a long time and one can always commit oneself to a task a couple of months later than planned if something more fun/fulfilling comes up. It is, after all, our own duty, to check up on ourselves and our mental health and that can only happen if we maintain a balance between fun and work. Of course, this balance may look different for different human beings that is completely alright.
Hope you have a great time in law school!