Internship Programme Overview

Vintage Legal offers structured internship programmes that are primarily training- and learning-based in nature. These programmes are designed to provide students with academic exposure, skill development, and practical understanding of legal research, writing, editorial processes, and public legal communication. In addition to core internship tasks, participants may be provided access to workshops, academic interactions, editorial reviews, and publication opportunities, subject to quality and eligibility standards. These internships are educational engagements and do not constitute employment.

Types of Internship Programmes

Vintage Legal offers multiple internship tracks to cater to diverse academic interests and skill sets. These include a General Research-Based Internship, a Legal Journalism Internship, and an Editorial Internship. The programmes are open to students pursuing law and allied or multidisciplinary studies, including but not limited to social sciences, humanities, public policy, technology-law interfaces, and related academic disciplines, subject to programme-specific requirements.

Internship Policies

1. Nature of the Internship: The internship programmes at Vintage Legal are primarily research, writing, and editorial-oriented and are intended to enhance interns’ academic, analytical, and professional skills. Interns are assigned structured tasks with clearly defined descriptions, timelines, formats, and expectations, which are communicated at the commencement of the internship and prior to each assignment.

2. Mode of Communication and Orientation: All interns are required to attend the official orientation session conducted at the beginning of the internship. The orientation outlines the programme structure, expectations, research methodology, citation standards, plagiarism and AI-use policies, and submission guidelines. All official communication, updates, deadlines, and clarifications are shared through designated communication channels, including WhatsApp groups or similar platforms, to which interns are added upon onboarding. Interns are expected to monitor these channels regularly and remain responsive.

3. Task Allocation and Submission: Interns will be allotted tasks on assigned or approved topics relevant to their internship track. Each task will specify its scope, format, deadline, and evaluation criteria. Interns are responsible for timely submission of all tasks in the prescribed format and in strict compliance with the instructions communicated by the internship coordinators.

4. Academic Integrity and Use of AI Tools: Vintage Legal maintains strict standards of academic integrity. All submissions are reviewed using plagiarism-detection and editorial tools, including Turnitin, Grammarly, and internal editorial assessment mechanisms. Plagiarism, improper paraphrasing, misrepresentation of authorship, or failure to provide due credit to original sources will not be tolerated. The use of AI-generated content as a substitute for original research and writing is strictly prohibited. Any limited use of AI tools must be confined to language or grammar refinement and must not compromise originality, analytical depth, or authorship.

5. Evaluation and Performance Review: Interns’ performance is assessed on multiple parameters, including quality of research, originality, clarity of expression, adherence to guidelines, responsiveness to editorial feedback, consistency, participation in meetings, and compliance with deadlines. Performance evaluation is conducted by the editorial board and internship coordinators through internal review mechanisms and assessment frameworks.

6. Internship Certificate Policy: Issuance of an internship certificate is not automatic. Interns enrolled for any particular month must meet the prescribed performance standards throughout the internship duration. The final decision regarding issuance of the internship certificate rests solely with the editorial board and internship coordinators, based on overall performance, quality and completion of tasks, engagement, and adherence to timelines. Publication of work is not mandatory for receiving an internship certificate. Requests for re-issue of certificates on account of loss or deletion of digital copies shall not be entertained.

7. Publication Opportunities: Vintage Legal may provide interns with opportunities to publish selected work on its platforms or affiliated partner platforms, subject to editorial approval and publication standards. Publication is optional and independent of eligibility for the internship certificate. Vintage Legal reserves the right to edit, revise, or decline publication of any submission.

8. Support and Mentorship: Vintage Legal endeavours to maintain a supportive academic environment. Interns may seek reasonable clarifications, guidance, and feedback from internship coordinators or designated mentors. While efforts are made to address queries and provide academic support, interns are expected to demonstrate initiative, independent effort, and accountability in the completion of their work.

9. Letters of Recommendation (LOR): Letters of Recommendation are not routinely issued as part of the internship programmes. LORs may be provided only in exceptional cases, based on specific consideration by the Vintage Legal team, and solely at the discretion of the organisation.

10. Work Ethics and Code of Conduct: Interns are expected to maintain professional conduct, respectful and formal communication, punctuality, and academic honesty throughout the internship. Interns must respect assigned work, editorial reviews, and feedback, adhere to deadlines, and avoid unnecessary or repeated requests for extensions. Any disagreements or concerns must be addressed amicably through official communication channels. Misconduct, repeated non-compliance, misrepresentation of work, or violation of ethical standards may result in termination of the internship without certification.

11. Intellectual Property and Use of Work: All work submitted by interns during the course of the internship may be used by Vintage Legal and its associated or partner platforms for internal research, academic development, and publication purposes. Such work shall be treated as the intellectual property of Vintage Legal. Interns seeking to publish internship-related work on external platforms must obtain prior written permission by contacting the official email address from which the internship offer letter was issued. Unauthorized use or publication of such work without approval shall constitute a breach of policy.

12. Policy Amendments: Vintage Legal reserves the right to modify, amend, or update these internship policies at any time. Any such changes will be communicated through official channels and shall be binding on all interns.