DIARY OF AN ADVOCATE

-Adv. Anonymous

This is a newly started series of articles which will revolve around the events and life of an advocate, which will include some light-hearted satirical articles and others on the actual problems faced in the legal system and society.

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TO BE OR NOT TO BE… AN INTERN

'To be or not to be?’ one of the most popular lines in English literature from the Hamlet by William Shakespeare.

Sorry for such a sombre prologue, I know my titles have been quite misleading but No… we are neither going to discuss about the depth and meaning of life nor the literary works of Shakespeare. (I need to seriously stop using this metaphors)

This soliloquy (minus the suicide part) by Shakespeare portrays the exact state of mind of a law student, starting from the day he or she decides to enroll for the school, up to the last day of his or her career (provided there is one). Every decision seems to be no less than a question of life and death because one of such decisions might precisely pave the path that lies ahead. Same goes while deciding whether to opt for a legal internship or not, specially for a first year student.

Mind it, it is no child’s play whilst deciding between risking the minimum attendance criterion set by the law school to be eligible to appear in the exams by opting for an internship, or not choosing to do one and compromising with our eagerly awaited bright future (atleast that’s what our parents think). Not choosing the first one will mean no exams, no degree, no career but then choosing it would mean such a degree would be utterly useless if you would not know how to use it before others, in this ever so increasingly competitive field. For god sake!! How am I supposed to make such an important decision when I cannot even decide which one is my favourite colour, black or pink?

Well, after the career making or breaking decision... I decided (‘Jo hoga dekha jayega’- universal answer to all my problems and dilemmas) to opt for a law internship, thinking that I will be able to juggle easily between college and the internship (who am I kidding to).

But once I started with one, I not only began learning but I was on cloud nine too (aajkal paon zameen par nahin padte mere). And why not, my legal vocabulary had increased, by three-four words (that was enough for a first year like me). I could brag to my friends and other law students about visiting the high court (though it was only to carry briefs). With the uninvited cockiness, came along the birth of an amateur life guru too, who thought she had solution to every problem (though am yet to decide my favourite colour) until my mom said, ‘Vakilgiri yahan mat dikhana’.

So, let’s start from the start… the mission of finding the best legal internship (aukat mein reh beta), I mean a decent law internship because at the end of it, you will think kuch bhi chal jayega, even a virtual internship or online internship (desperation level 101). Frankly speaking, that is not difficult by itself, but the fact of belonging from a completely non-legal background coupled with practically zero contacts makes it difficult, actually no less than a task straight out of Khatron ke Khiladi.

After the self-grueling, never ending, painstaking, self-respect shattering experience (bhagwan se bharosa uth gaya hai wala) of finding a decent internship, you are ready for once in a lifetime experience (and that is you praying to never have again, if you end up with a horrible one).

So welcome to the first day of internship (big boss ke ghar mein apka swagat hai) filled with all the high hopes, only upto the point you enter the firm because the end result of learning through this internship can only be achieved by crossing the Five (unknown and staring in your face) hurdles and thereby sustaining (if not mastering) through them.

Hurdle No. 1 - Where am I (yeh kahan aa gaye hum)

No, it’s not in the context of the address or the layout of the office, but the struggle of not being able to catch up the legal lingo (simple yet new for an first year intern) used by the people around you and thereby feeling like a lost puppy for days and in some cases months. Like what does ‘get me the brief’ even mean? Did the person forget to say case… where the hell is the briefcase…? I can’t see one.

Hurdle No. 2 - Visibility (tere dhyaan kidhar hai, tera hero idhar hai)

In a firm with not less than 10 other interns out of which 7 somehow will be from some weird legal background (your aunt’s brother’s father-in-law in legal profession also counts), your senior being able to remember your full name is also an achievement.

Hurdle No. 3 – Sleeping Beauty (jaagte raho)

First few months of your internship (infact majority of it) are completely dedicated to reading and researching, only. Reading books, acts, case laws and if you are extremely lucky (apna toh bad luck hi kharab hai), some actual case papers too. But how shall a person (jisko book kholte hi need aa jati hai) be able to stay awake through all those non-stop reading sessions of 7-8 hours (yeh toh na insaafi hai). And hence the only way through it is an addiction… I mean 4 to 5 cups of chai a day (journey of a non-tea drinker to an addict) which sometimes became 7 cups, depending upon my meal of the day. So if tomorrow you have a gastric problem, you know whom to blame.

Hurdle No. 4 – Optimum Utilization (paid internship – woh kya hota hai)

With majority of internships not paying a penny (because the knowledge they are imparting is invaluable) or just the travelling expenses, you need to master the talent of optimum utilization of your financial resources i.e., your pocket money (yes at 21 years, I still take one). To adjust your pocket money towards your basic needs (weekend breaks, shopping, luxuries and so on) and now the cost of those cutting chai’s, mid-snacks break and once in a while party with other interns (no one said knowledge came for free). So basically if you master this level and just in case (highly probable) you do not became a good advocate, atleast you will become a good homemaker (so much for gender equality).

Hurdle No. 5 – Patience (sabar ka phal meetha hota hai)

Last but not the least and probably the most important one of all, Patience. This is one thing you got to have if you doing a law internship (even if you don’t have it, by the end of the internship you will definitely gain one). This is the one hurdle where most of the interns give up and decide not to opt for advocacy as a career (LPO kab kaam ayenge).

And why patience, this one is huge, like for the instance, sitting in a room with pin drop silence and reading a judgment where 80% of the words seems to be Hebrew… requires patience. Running behind your senior holding briefs which feels almost half of your body weight, just to realize after reaching the courtroom that it was all for taking a date… requires patience. Even after spending six months of internship and not being able to open a single brief to read… requires patience. Being a silent spectator during the internship (as your senior is always too busy giving instructions and other advocates too busy taking them) with thousands of doubts exploding in your brains… needs patience. This list runs too long so let’s just say that if you master this level, you have one of the most important quality of being a successful advocate.

And to Rest My Case, doing an internship is just like going on a war but without any weapons (no one said it would be easy). But if you win this war, you will come out of it with so many newly acquired ones which would always be with you throughout your career and you will always be pleased that you decided to do one because trust me, the other side of it may seem greener but you would always regret that you should have tried atleast.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Though the path of legal internship is a rocky road but then what’s the fun in a plain and boring journey (toh aaj kuch toofani karte hai).

Disclaimer: This blog is only for the purpose of satire (not that it lacks in an advocate’s life) and harmless humour. Everything in this article is fictional because reality is bitter to be told and accepted.

‘To be or not to be… an Intern’ is the second article in the series ‘DIARY OF AN ADVOCATE’. To read the first article in this series ‘Irony of an Advocate’ please Click Here

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