From KIIT Law School to the Chambers of K.T.S Tulsi- In Conversation with Jasmine Nayak on landing amazing internships
In this conversation with CLATalogue, Jasmine Nayak from KIIT Law School talks about how students can land amazing internships every semester.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I have done my graduation in BBA.LLB (Hons.) from KIIT School of Law, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, and my post-graduation i.e. LL.M from National Law University- Odisha, Cuttack.
I started working in a legal ed-tech company after my PG and then after that I was into contract management and recently, I have joined TPWODL-Tata Power Western Odisha Distribution Limited (A Tata Power and Odisha Government Joint Venture) as Lead Associate- Legal.
How were your initial years in law school?
I am a first generation lawyer so there was no one as such to guide me through the domain of law; but my father was the first person to let me know about the 5 year integrated law course. I then did my own research and made up my mind to pursue law.
My initial days in KSOL were pretty amazing all because of my friends, faculties and, the environment in our campus. Academically, it was challenging as the subjects were totally new and the curriculum extremely extensive. There was not a single subject that we were acquainted with previously.
It was a fresh start to a new world which we call the ‘legal world’. However, with time, the learning process became easier. And each day of my life I’m extremely grateful that I decided to pursue law!
How different was your experience during LLM from that during your UG days?
It was actually very different. My UG was from KIIT Law School and my PG from National Law University, Odisha. Both colleges belonged to the same state yet the curriculum was very different.
During my UG days, I did grew immensely as a person. Apart from academics, there was a lot of things to understand about life. Also, I consider those 5 years as the time when we shape ourselves as the person we want to become.
During my PG days, it was only about academics. From deciding our dissertation topic to making career choices- our time was very limited and we had to fit in a lot of work in a short period.
There was no time to make new friends or do anything apart from academics. However, it did open up my mind to explore more areas of law and learn about a lot of new things that I wasn’t aware during my UG days.
Were you always sure of your end goal with respect to your career?
In today’s date there are a lot of opportunities after doing law. You can go for litigation, corporate sector jobs, law firm jobs, jobs at banks, ed-tech and contract management firms, academics, judiciary etc. We also have various WFH opportunities.
During our internships we do get a general idea about everything but with experience our interests keeps changing. Like I never thought I will deal with Energy laws, but I find that quite interesting now that I’m working in that domain. In fact, I feel very lucky to have joined Tata Power in my hometown.
Working at different places gave me an idea of where can I fit in best and I kept on looking for that and I feel happy to be where I am today.
When I was in college I always looked forward in making a career in IPR specifically media and entertainment law but eventually it kept on changing from one idea to another with time and I don’t regret the process because that helped me to land up where I am now. I hope a lot of us can relate to me with this thought.
I just want to say don’t restrict yourself to an “end goal” we should keep learning, growing and exploring as there are endless opportunities. But also never give up on your end goals, keep the hassle going. There is always something better for you.
Can you tell us a bit about your experience as an intern in the Chambers of K.T.S Tulsi?
At that time I was in my 3rd year. After interning at the District Court and High Court, I wanted to intern at the Supreme Court and while looking for opportunities on Lawctopus, I came across the opportunity to intern under K.T.S Tulsi (Senior Advocate, Rajya Sabha MP).
I mailed my CV to the mail id provided there as it was a great opportunity that I did not want to miss at all. I did follow up with the concerned person for a couple of months after applying without giving up.
Finally, my CV got selected and I was asked to join a telephonic interview. Thereafter I got the internship! I agree the process was long but it was all worth it.
My internship was during the month of June so we visited the court very often. We attended few hearings with Sir and also heard him arguing. Apart from that, there was mostly office work and it was fully litigation-based research. It was a great learning experience under him.
The best thing about the internship was our lunch time. All interns, associates and Sir used to have lunch together at his home and we used to discuss about politics, current affairs etc.
Tulsi Sir was very humble and down to earth. His words of wisdom have helped me professionally. I feel blessed to have met him and worked under him. I can confidently say that it was one of my best internships.
Apart from that I have also interned in Anand and Anand IP – Chennai, BRUS Chambers- Mumbai, Indian Oil Corporation ltd- Kolkata, Muchandi & Co. – Bengaluru, Orissa Human Rights Commission- Bhubaneswar, Consumer Forum- Bhubaneswar, Scriboard IP- Delhi, Lawhive- Mumbai, RSP- Rourkela and other Higher and lower courts. All the internships were extremely enriching and added a lot of value to my CV as well as taught me a lot.
Having landed some very impressive Internships during law school, can you please share some recommendations and tips that students can employ while looking for internships?
Internships are indeed great for your CV but the real practice starts after you graduate from college. As per my experience, considering all the law firms, senior advocates and companies that I have interned with, I would suggest you look for internships keeping in mind the places where you can actually learn as opposed to opting for places that are just famous amongst law students.
It is understandable that when we join law school we have very minimal knowledge about where to start from. Therefore, it is better to take advice from seniors, facilities or someone from the same field to develop an understanding of what you want to do and try to secure internships in that domain.
According to me, its better to intern at courts and understand the procedure because later in life it helps you in the domain of corporate law, academics or whatever you want to do. We generally target tier 1 law firms or big shot lawyers or MNCs thinking that we might end up with a PPO, but rather than that we should focus on starting small and doing big eventually.
It is indeed difficult to find internships for every semester with minimum or no stipend. Here’s what you can keep in mind while choosing internships:
– Decide your focus area and apply to only those firms where you can learn about it.
– Take help from your seniors and faculty members to research about places where you can intern.
– Visit the career site of there firm/company and follow up with the given contact number.
– Visit Lawctopus for internship opportunities and internship experiences to gain a balanced understanding.
– Try applying in different cities to know their work culture and figure out where you want to settle down after graduation.
– Take help from your seniors and faculty members to research about places where you can intern.
– Visit the career site of there firm/company and follow up with the given contact number.
– Visit Lawctopus for internship opportunities and internship experiences to gain a balanced understanding.
– Try applying in different cities to know their work culture and figure out where you want to settle down after graduation.
Any advice you’d like to pass on to law school aspirants and law students?
Live your best life at your law school because those days won’t comeback. Make real friends and good contacts for future opportunities. The importance of networking in this field is something unfathomable! Do not restrict yourself to any domain always keep learning and growing. You will eventually discover new and interesting areas of law that will capture your interest. The field of law has ample number of opportunities and slowly and gradually you will find your best place. All the best!
Note: This interview is part of a series of interviews where we publish the stories of impactful law students and legal professionals. If you’re interested in sharing your story, please click here!
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Ruchika Mohapatra
Contributing author
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