The International Bar Association’s (IBA) Legal Internship Programme 2021

Application Deadline: Varying

Intern positions are available for undergraduate law students, postgraduate law students, and newly qualified lawyers at the International Bar Association’s offices in London, The Hague and Washington DC.

Founded in 1947, the International Bar Association (IBA) is the world’s largest organisation of law societies, bar associations, law firms and individual lawyers. The IBA is involved with cutting edge issues affecting the international legal community and as an intern you can become involved in the work of the Association.

The IBA plays an active role in:

• promoting the status and independence of the profession
• bringing lawyers together to exchange information and to discuss matters of mutual concern
• promoting the administration of justice under the rule of law
• promoting human rights
• promoting commercial and economic law reform

The role of an intern:

Selected interns will assist the IBA in developing academic papers and research on key legal topics of both local and international relevance. Interns will have an opportunity to become involved in the work of the following aspects of the Association:

• supporting the IBA’s Human Rights Institute (in London)
• supporting the IBA’s Legal Policy & Research Unit (in London)
• supporting the IBA’s ICC & ICL Programme (in The Hague)
• supporting the IBA’s North America office (in Washington DC)
• Interns will be able to draft policy papers on substantive legal issues as well as assisting in preparing background research for grant proposals. Interns will also be able to assist in implementing technical assistance programmes in developing countries.

Eligibility criteria

• To be eligible to apply, you must be either an undergraduate or postgraduate law student, or a newly qualified lawyer. You must have completed a minimum of 1 year of the degree.
• There is no minimum or maximum age limit. Our interns generally range from 20 to 35 years old.
• Our interns come from all over the world so expect to be in a diverse, international cohort, great for gaining different legal perspectives.

Locations

• London: The IBA office is located at 4th Floor, 10 St. Bride Street, London, EC4A 4AD, within the Square Mile. 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). Nearby stations include St. Paul’s or Chancery Lane (Central line), Blackfriars (District and Circle lines) and City Thameslink (National Rail). If you are trying to find somewhere to live – try anything in Zones 2-4.
• The Hague: The ICC & ICL Programme is based at the IBA office at Nassaulaan 19, 2514 JT, The Hague. The office is easy to reach via car or public transport with buses and trams running from the two main train stations in The Hague, Central Station and Holland Spoor.
• Washington DC: The IBA’s North America office is located at 1667 K Street NW, Suite 1230, 20006, in the heart of downtown DC, at the corner of K Street and 17th Street. Nearby Metro stations include Farrugut North on the Red line and Farrugut West on the Orange and Blue lines.

Funding

You will need to be able to support yourself whilst interning with the IBA, however there are some financial grants available for the London office and The Hague (see below). The IBA will pay research expenses such as trips to libraries, etc. Please bear in mind that accommodation and travel are expensive in London, accommodation is also relatively expensive in The Hague and Washington DC and public transport tends to be costly in DC.

London

The IBA Educational Trust is granting funding (to a maximum of £2,000 each) in the London office to students who would not otherwise be able to take up the position due to financial constraints. Priority is given to applicants from developing countries, but other applicants will be considered. Please note that only applicants for internships in London are eligible to apply for this funding and funding is not guaranteed upon receipt of application. Due to the fluidity of the current circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, grant funding may be adjusted. Download IBA Educational Trust application form for London internships

The Hague

The IBA Educational Trust is granting funding (to a maximum of €625 each) in The Hague office to students who would not otherwise be able to take up the position due to financial constraints. Priority is given to applicants from developing countries, but other applicants will be considered. Please note that only applicants for internships in The Hague will be considered, and funding is not guaranteed upon receipt of application. Download IBA Educational Trust application form for the Hague internships

Washington DC

Unfortunately, there is no funding available for internships in Washington DC at this time.

Application advice

• In London, there are three teams within which you can apply for an internship:
• The Legal Policy and Research Unit undertakes research and develops and implements innovative strategies, projects and initiatives that are relevant to contemporary global legal issues, the global legal profession, the broader global community and the rule of law in business.
  • Current projects include anti-corruption, judicial integrity, cybersecurity, technological innovation (including research into blockchain), women in the commercial legal practice and whistleblowing.
  • For more information on current projects, click here.

How to apply

 Send the following explaining your interest in the IBA Internship Programme (addresses below):

1. Covering letter (max. 2 pages) – this should set out the following:
     – Why you wish to be considered for an intern position
     – The dates you would be able to take up your position
     – Specific research experience and areas of law that you are interested in
    
2. Full Curriculum Vitae (CV / resume)
    
3. Application form (you must save this form to your computer before filling it in):
   • APPLICATION FORM FOR AN IBA INTERNSHIP POSITION – London
   • APPLICATION FORM FOR AN IBA INTERNSHIP POSITION – North America office, Washington DC
   • APPLICATION FORM FOR AN IBA INTERNSHIP POSTION – The Hague
      
4. Writing sample* – The writing sample could be a legal essay that you have written for your college degree programme or a report that you have written on a legal topic of interest. Sample must be in English only and not more than 4-5 pages in length. 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 how you form and support an argument.
    
5. Letter of reference – a letter from an academic tutor or employer mentioning your academic background, personality and suitability for the internship programme. This should be sent directly by your referee. If you are applying for funding, your academic referee should state their opinion on your eligibility to receive a grant as part of their overall reference.

To find out what former interns are now doing, please look at our Intern Alumni pages.

Applications, reference letters and questions regarding London internships should be sent via e-mail to internprogramme@int-bar.org or by post to:

Official Website: IBA Legal Internship Programme 2021