About the World Bank Legal Internship:
The World Bank Legal Vice Presidency offers highly-motivated law students an opportunity to be exposed to the mission and work of the World Bank and that of the Legal Vice Presidency. The World Bank Legal Internship Program allows individuals to bring new perspectives, innovative ideas, and latest research experiences into the World Bank’s daily operations and improve their legal skills while working in a multicultural environment.
The World Bank Legal Internship Program is offered thrice a year for a period of maximum three months at World Bank Headquarters in Washington, D.C. and in certain selected country offices for currently enrolled law school students.
Eligibility:
- Do you hold citizenship of any IBRD member state?
- Are you enrolled in an LLB, JD, LLM, SJD, PhD, or equivalent legal academic program while you would be undertaking your internship with us? (e.g. if you apply for the Summer Cycle of LIP, you must be enrolled in an eligible legal academic program between June and August)
- Do you have an excellent command of the English language?
If you have answered yes to all these questions, you are eligible to be an intern in the Legal Vice Presidency. Preference shall be given to candidates who possess a decent command of a second language, especially if that is one of the working languages of IBRD (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish).
Application Duration:
The application period will commence on April 1 and end on April 30 (Proposed internship period is for 10-12 weeks, typically between September and November, depending on prevailing needs). This is an excellent opportunity for students looking to gain professional experiences at the World Bank in the form of externships during the academic year while enrolled in a full-time law program or for those enrolled in part-time and/or evening law programs.
According to U.S. Department of Homeland Security rules, students authorized to participate in pre-completion OPT may work part-time (20 hours or less per week) while school is in session.
How to Apply?
To apply: Click here
- Résumé
- Statement of Interest
- Proof of enrollment in a law degree (LLB, JD, LLM, SJD, PhD, or equivalent) and academic transcript(s).
- Short essay providing a response to a research question posed by the Legal Vice Presidency for the prevailing application period.
Roles & responsibilities:
Interns will likely be involved in a plethora of tasks, as they arise during the term of the Internship Program, such as:
- Conducting a variety of legal assignments under the direction of the supervising lawyer(s).
- Conducting research on assigned issues, using existing law files and alternative sources (e.g., computer-assisted searches using the internet, intranet and/or other databases), analyzing information, and summarizing findings.
- Conducting comparative legal analyses on a range of issues in a given area, identifying legal and policy issues, researching relevant precedents, and proposing appropriate solutions.
- Participating in task/project teams with the supervising lawyer(s).
- Assisting in the preparation and organization of conferences and meetings.
- Performing ad hoc assignments as requested by the supervising lawyer(s)