Internship Experience at TBA Legal [Stipend Rs. 3k per month]: Positive and Encouraging Environment Throughout

Name of the intern

Advait Sharma

Name of your college

National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi, Kerala.

Name of the course and year of study

BA LLB (Hons.), 2nd Year.

Name and address of the organisation

TBA Legal, O.N. 417, 4th Floor, Sunny Paradise, Tonk Rd, near Kamal and Company, Jaipur, Rajasthan 302018.

Duration of internship

November 23, 2022, to January 29, 2023.

How did you apply for the internship?

While searching for good corporate and litigation firms in Jaipur with diverse practice areas, I learnt about TBA Legal. I immediately emailed my resume and statement of purpose to Mr Tarun Agarwal (Founding & Managing Partner, TBA Legal) on his e-mail address: adv.agarwaltarun@gmail.com with a copy to Mr Bhaskar Agarwal (Managing Partner, TBA Legal) at his email address: advocate.bhaskaragarwal@gmail.com

In less than a week, my application was shortlisted and a telephonic interview was scheduled with Tarun Sir. This interview felt more like a conversation with Sir, wherein he enquired about my previous internship experiences, areas of interest, strengths and weaknesses, and my expectations from the internship. Thankfully, my internship was confirmed.

First-day formalities, infrastructure, first impression

Since the Internship was conducted offline, there were a few formalities like filling up the internship form and signing a Non-Disclosure Agreement. I was added to the internship group on WhatsApp. I was informed about other internship rules and was directed to maintain a daily Timesheet of the work assigned to me during the internship.

Main tasks

Since the firm deals with all kinds of litigation and corporate advisory work, the main tasks may be categorized in the following manner:-

1. Case Law Research – The firm practice is to conduct exhaustive research on all the legal aspects involved in a particular matter. Before the interns are tasked with a research proposition, the firm’s Associate explains the case in detail and gives a proper context of the research proposition. This helped the interns in doing meaningful and efficient legal research.
2. Drafting – This task will include drafting the agreements, contracts, complaints, writ petitions, and other legal documents per the seniors’ instructions.
3. Court Room Visits – On hearing dates of the litigation matters, I was asked to observe the courtroom proceedings. I gained exposure to real courtroom dramas in high-profile issues the firm was doing.
4. Filing Work – Apart from the above, the interns are also given a tour of how the court registry works. I learned the basics of how a matter is filed in the High Court of Rajasthan and Sessions Court.

Work environment

Time management, responsibility, perfection, and integrity are considerations while working with Tarun and Bhaskar Sir. Tarun Sir strongly believes that the professional journey of a person begins right at the internship, so he takes extra pain to impart soft skills and professional skills to an intern by treating them akin to an Associate.

The work was assigned usually through a quick discussion or an e-mail outlining everything that needed to be done. Deadlines were always clearly mentioned and no unnecessary pressure was put to deliver the work.

While working directly with Tarun Sir, he personally reviews the work and shares his invaluable feedback, which really helps to learn and improve. I also had the privilege of attending court proceedings and client meetings with my seniors.

In all, it was a very positive and encouraging environment throughout the internship.

Good things

For every case I worked on, I was required to read the whole file for the same, which is outside the general practice of many law firms. In law firms, an intern cannot directly communicate with the head advocates, but this Internship was different. I had many conversations with Tarun and Bhaskar Sir, not only about the tasks and issues assigned to me but also on a personal level, helping me understand what a law student should invest in during his five years of law school, what all skills are required in this profession, and so on, making me a better version of myself capable of assisting them in many ways.

Since it was my 3rd Internship, I knew some basic foundational level skills of interns. Still, this Internship allowed me to exploit every opportunity, whether drafting a case, making an agreement or giving a suggestion when asked. I was given every chance to see and feel ground-level litigation.

The amount of time and effort Tarun Sir takes to mentor an intern is truly phenomenal. This internship helped me gain practical exposure to litigation & corporate advisory, and further develop specific soft skills & corporate ethics.
It will be an enriching experience for every intern at TBA Legal.

Bad things

The only bad thing I encountered was time management and delegation of work on a few days, wherein I was tasked to complete multiple assignments with consecutive deadlines, which required me to work till late at night. Though it was a relief that past 8 PM, the interns must leave and complete the remaining work from home.

Stipend

I was awarded INR 3,000/- at the end of my internship, which is purely subject to performance.

Details about accommodation and commute

There are many PGs for both girls and boys nearby, which are at a walkable distance, 500m to 700m, from the main office and could be contacted through google map contacts.

Anything else?

This internship made me change my thought process regarding litigation as a whole. A lot of seniors working in the field have projected that litigation is challenging and an individual is required to put in a lot of time to achieve success in the same.

But this internship experience made me realize that no matter how challenging the road ahead is, if a person has an interest and is willing to put in the effort, nothing can hinder the growth of that individual in the ever-growing and expanding field of litigation.

Source: Lawctopus