An integral part of the culture at Nishith Desai Associates is to lead initiatives that enhance the quality of legal education. Despite our desire to accommodate many more legal interns and paralegals, we are bound by space and geographic constraints. Our virtual Vol-intern program is an initiative that allows us to reach out to larger and dispersed student community, the only initiative of its kind available to law students across India.
The term Vol-intern is derived from the root words "voluntary" and "internship." Vol-intern is a virtual internship for law students with a voluntary zeal, seeking practical training in essential legal skills such as research, analysis, drafting, procedural and effective communication. The Vol-interns will engage in legal projects and assignments in their spare time, under the mentorship of our professional/s.
The intention of the program is to empower future legal eagles with a wealth of knowledge as well as experience, without distracting them from their studies. The Vol-interns will be introduced to the concept of "virtual organizations" – where their physical presence in the workplace is not required. The program will be conducted primarily through email, phone and even video conferencing.
Though primarily we are a law firm, we consciously strive to share our expertise via programs such as Vol-interns and Continuing Education (CE), thereby developing a legal academy of our own. We actively indulge in educational rejuvenation. Research has played an important role in our success. Creation of an intellectually stimulating environment is our ultimate goal.
Through the Vol-intern program, we offer all law students, from the first to the final year, exposure to the practical application of law.
Some benefits of the Vol-intern program include:
- Opportunities for research into various aspects of law including case studies.
- Involvement in select professional work
- Opportunities to extend legal assistance to NGOs
- Invitations to attend select in house training programs
- Invitations to attend talks by visiting foreign legal professionals
- Inclusion on the mailing list of our "Hotlines". These are articles circulated online which report legal, tax and regulatory news updates as they occur
- A Certificate of Participation following a satisfactory performance when they exit the program.