How to Include Legal Internship Experience on Your Resume/CV

In India, where legal internships form the backbone of early career exposure for law students, how you present these experiences on your resume or CV plays a critical role in shaping recruiters’ perceptions. Whether you’ve interned with a senior advocate, a corporate law firm, a government body, or an NGO, presenting your legal internship experience effectively can make your application stand out.

This article offers a detailed guide on how to include legal internship experience in your resume/CV for Indian legal recruiters.

Importance of Legal Internships in India

Legal internships are not merely optional extras – they are essential for building your credibility in the legal profession. Law firms, litigation chambers, companies, and even judges often expect students to have hands-on experience during their time in law school.

Legal internships help you:

• Understand how law is applied in real-world scenarios.
• Build research and drafting skills.
• Gain networking opportunities in the legal fraternity.
• Improve your understanding of court procedures and client handling.

Thus, reflecting these experiences professionally on your resume is not just helpful—it is necessary.

Where to Place Legal Internships in Your Resume

If you’re a law student or a fresh graduate, internships are usually your most relevant experience. Therefore, they should be placed prominently on your CV—preferably above any unrelated part-time work.

Create a separate section titled one of the following:

• Legal Internships
• Internship Experience
• Professional Experience

This ensures that your legal exposure is immediately visible to the recruiter.

Standard Format to Follow

Each internship entry should follow a clean, professional format. Here’s what to include:

1. Position Title: Use titles like Legal Intern, Research Intern, or Judicial Intern, depending on the role.
   
2. Organisation Name and Location: For example: Khaitan & Co., Mumbai or Supreme Court of India, Delhi
   
3. Duration of Internship: Mention both the month and year. Example: June 2023 – July 2023
   
4. Description (2–4 Bullet Points): This section should describe your responsibilities and what you achieved.
   

Sample Entry Format

Legal Intern
J. Sagar Associates, Bengaluru
May 2023 – June 2023

• Conducted legal research in the field of arbitration and contract law.
• Assisted in drafting case notes and internal legal opinions.
• Attended client meetings and gained exposure to practical advisory work.

This format is clean and helps recruiters scan through quickly.

Focus on Skills You Gained

Recruiters are looking for practical skills that are transferable. From each internship, highlight the most relevant legal skills, such as:

• Legal Research 
• Contract Drafting and Reviewing
• Writing Case Briefs and Memos
• Client Handling and Professional Communication
• Understanding of Court Procedures
  

You can also mention soft skills like teamwork, time management, and verbal communication if they were strongly demonstrated.

Use Quantifiable Achievements

Wherever possible, quantify your accomplishments. This makes your contributions more credible and measurable.

For example:

• “Drafted over 10 contracts under supervision, contributing to corporate compliance work.”
• “Summarised 25+ judgments related to IP law for internal knowledge database.”

These details give your experience depth and show that you were trusted with real work.

Tailor Your Resume for the Indian Legal Market

Resumes in the Indian legal sector should be clear and formal. Avoid graphics, tables, or coloured sections unless you’re applying for design-centric roles (e.g., legal content roles).

Best practices:

• Use standard fonts like Times New Roman, Garamond, or Georgia.
• Maintain a 1–2 page length (preferably 1 page if you’re in law school).
• List your internships in reverse chronological order (most recent first).
• Proofread thoroughly to avoid typos and grammatical errors.

Mention Notable Mentors or Practice Areas

If you worked under a well-known advocate or in a niche area like Competition Law, Insolvency Law, or IPR, do mention that explicitly.

Example:

“Interned under Advocate XYZ, Senior Advocate, Delhi High Court – Exposure to constitutional litigation and public interest matters.”

This adds credibility and indicates your interest in a particular legal domain.

Include Certifications and Workshops

If you completed any certifications related to your internship work, mention them in a separate Certifications section. This could include:

• Certificate in Contract Drafting
• Workshop on Arbitration Law
• Online course on Legal Writing

This shows that you are taking initiative to build relevant skills.

Add an Objective or Summary (Optional)

A short professional summary at the top of your CV can help provide context, especially if you’ve had multiple internships.

Example:

“Law student at NALSAR Hyderabad with internship experience in corporate and dispute resolution teams. Interested in commercial litigation and regulatory advisory work.”

This acts like an elevator pitch and quickly tells the recruiter who you are.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Being Vague: Avoid writing things like “Assisted in legal work.” Be specific.
• Overloading with Legal Jargon: Write in simple, professional English that a recruiter can easily understand.
• Listing Internships Without Explanation: Just mentioning names of firms without describing what you did adds little value.
• Overstating Roles: Always be honest about what you did. Recruiters can usually tell if a task was too advanced for an intern.

Final Tip: Customise for Each Application

If you’re applying for a litigation chamber, highlight litigation-oriented internships. If you’re applying to a corporate firm, focus more on research, compliance, and transactional work.

Tailoring your resume this way shows that you understand the recruiter’s needs and have relevant experience.

Conclusion

In the Indian legal job market, your internships are often your most important asset as a student or recent graduate. By properly structuring and presenting your legal internship experience on your resume, you increase your chances of being noticed and shortlisted.

Keep it simple, professional, and focused on the skills and learnings that matter. A well-written CV can open doors to top law firms, judges’ chambers, and even international opportunities.