Notice to Prospective Interns on Recognition of ISAIL Internships

From Akash Manwani, Secretary-General

We have observed a concerning trend where many law students, who have sought virtual internships with the Indian Society of Artificial Intelligence and Law (ISAIL) since 2020, have subsequently removed these experiences from their resumes.

In response, we have implemented a new requirement for prospective interns: any student wishing to apply for an internship at ISAIL must keep us in touch with the relevant faculty member or placements committee at their institution.

Our internships are designed to help students develop a comprehensive understanding of technology law. We are deeply saddened and disappointed when our pro bono mentorship efforts go unrecognized.

To clarify, ISAIL does not offer commercial work like chambers and law firms. Our virtual internship programs aim to support and enhance students' research skills in technology law.

We have been offering these internships since late 2019, a time when technology law internships were not mainstream in India. The current state of India's legal industry still falls short in mentoring and teaching technology law at a research level, despite the aspirations of many students to become technology and IP academics or practitioners.

Going forward, students may only omit their ISAIL experience from their resumes with prior permission. This was never a mandatory requirement, but given recent trends, we are left with no choice but to enforce it.

Excuses such as our status as a non-profit organization (trust) are unwarranted. We expect all interns to acknowledge the value and impact of their experiences with ISAIL.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.