I am undergoing my third year study at University School of Law and Legal Studies, GGS Indraprastha University. My passion for studying law is matched only by my love for helping others… being a supporter of justice, equity and truth! Abraham Lincoln once said, “If you are absolutely determined to make a lawyer of yourself, the thing is more than half done already”.
In July this year as part of my summer internship programme from school I interned for a month under Senior Advocate in Supreme Court Rajiv Dutta. This Internship was made possible by Empowering the Vision, who guided us – me and Tenzin Yangphel – through the process and ensured we were selected.
On the first day, I was asked to give an introduction, making me comfortable around there. Then I was given some case files to study about different on-going and past cases. The main task there was attending the Court proceedings to learn the art of arguing with clarity and reason. As soon as we reached the office, we would be given a few case files and told which Courtrooms – at Delhi High Court or Supreme Court of India – we have to be in. Then we watch the proceedings in the court. Some days we would hear Advocate Dutta arguing, and some days, the date was given for the next hearing.
A matter in which Advocate Rajiv Dutta was involved was liquor ban in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. Advocate Dutta argued the matter with such clarity, skill; and reasoning and purpose that we thoroughly enjoyed and felt thrilled and proud at the same time to have him as our mentor. Our role in the whole process was to sit in the proceedings and take down copious notes of the proceedings and understand the nuances in arguing a case.
Most of the times we visited the Hon’ble Delhi High Court under the guidance of Siddharth Sir, another counsel at the firm. Also in the firm, Dushant Sir and Mukul Sir taught us a few things about the court proceedings and how to find out cases with the help of Manupatra and SCC. Despite our inexperience in most of the subjects, they always encouraged us and often entrusted us with some of the research to be undertaken in order to answer the numerous legal queries. All of them granted us considerable freedom to explore and develop an answer to the query on our own.
The second leg to our daily routine began after work in the courtrooms was over and done with. It was then that me and Yangphel would head back to Mr. Dutta’s office and focus on other cases an
d laws. The work environment was very comfortable, very friendly and we felt at ease there.
The best thing was witnessing the court proceedings. It was a wonderful experience overall and will definitely help me in my career ahead. Being able to put theory into practice and identify the relevance of what I have learned in my undergraduate studies to the workplace was so refreshing. It will help me in the transition from being a student to graduate professional; learn to act autonomously, responsibly and appropriately. I got to learn to work with others and understand how a law firm functions and also gained confidence in thinking critically through exposure to new ideas, people, cultures and career paths. The internship also enhanced my knowledge of the ethics, business dynamics and responsibilities in the legal workplace.
These five weeks of my internship have been very instructive and has offered me opportunities to learn and develop my course toward becoming a professional lawyer. This internship was definitely an introduction to the actual fieldwork for me and also gave me an opportunity to learn skills that will definitely help me in my profession and hopefully in serving our community too.
My mentor during my internship was Senior Advocate Rajiv Dutta and Advocate Siddharth Dutta, through both I have learned a lot during my internship. Both my mentors were very helpful and always willing to give me advice and feedback. I really relished attending this summer internship and it was definitely the best learning experience. We are grateful to Senior Adv. Rajiv Dutta from the core of our heart for his generosity, mentorship and commitment to provide this internship opportunity to more Tibetan law students. Once again, thank you ENVISION for the immense support, vote of confidence and providing a platform for the future young Tibetan students to realize their full potential and mature into independent and dynamic youths.