Applications

We are looking for exceptional Indian students who are performing at the highest academic level at their university. Students are encouraged to apply in their penultimate year for a four week internship to take place in 2009, or directly for a Training Contract to commence in September 2010/March 2011. We also accept applications from final year students and graduates.

Applications for the 2009 Indian Internship are now closed.

If your application is successful, you will be interviewed in India by two partners during September. You will be asked to review a short business case study and the interview will be based around both your analysis of this exercise and key competencies we feel make successful solicitors.

The internship

Once you have been offered a place, you can let us know your preference as to which of the four main divisions or specialist departments you would like to sit in. You will do two seats, each lasting two weeks. We will fund your flights to and from the UK, organise your working visa and accommodation covering all the costs and also pay you a salary of £275 at the end of each week of the internship.

During the programme you will sit in the same room as a partner or senior associate and be given real work for real clients. In addition, you will be involved in workshops and presentations that provide an insight into the breadth of practice areas in the firm.

Formal and informal social events are arranged for you to meet others on the scheme as well as partners, associates and trainees. By the end, you should have a good idea of whether law is the career for you - and whether that career might be at Herbert Smith.

The training programme

During your internship you will be guaranteed an interview for a place on the training programme (similar to that followed by EU students). If you decide to apply and are successful, you would then complete your degree and take the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test (QLTT). It is possible to take this course at the College of Law in India if you wish to sit the exams prior to starting with us.

 

The breadth of experience offered on our training contract is the hallmark of our two-year programme, providing you with an unparalleled opportunity to develop skills across a range of practice areas.

During your training contract you will rotate around four "seats" of six months each, spending time in corporate and litigation as well as finance or real estate. Seats are also available in the firm's specialist practice areas such as employment, pensions and incentives, intellectual property, EU/competition, trusts and tax. You will work alongside a partner or senior associate who will provide you with work and supervision and will be given as much responsibility as you can handle.

Throughout your training, you will find that we recognise and encourage individuality and originality within our practice groups. You will be given opportunities to evaluate your strengths, development needs, likes and dislikes - both informally and through formal reviews with your supervisors.

Your first two weeks are devoted to a comprehensive induction programme covering an introduction to the firm's people and practice areas, client care and professional standards, finance and business skills, legal writing and research.

Many of our trainees also take advantage of the numerous client secondment opportunities available in companies like IBM, Coca-Cola or BSkyB, where you would work as a resident lawyer, gaining an invaluable insight into the client's business. There are also opportunities to gain international experience through secondments to our network of offices in locations such as Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo and Moscow.

In additional to the on-the-job training, we also offer:

• professional skills courses
• a personal development programme, including a residential two-day development centre
• participating in training and know how groups for all major practice areas
• language coaching in French, German, Italian, Spanish and Mandarin
• cultural awareness training - both when relocating to the UK and when seconded to an international office

As a Herbert Smith trainee, you'll be treated as one of the team, working and training alongside some of the world's best lawyers, and contributing directly to the success of our clients, some of the biggest companies in the world.