The variety will be greater than you would be exposed to in a big practice. There are 2 Courts in Negombo that conduct proceedings in English and you'll attend both, as well as assisting in other duties, such as drafting legal documents, in the office. You'll learn about the Sri Lankan Constitution and also gain an insight into the history and background of the Sri Lankan Legal System.

The practice offices are situated in an amazing location right next to the Negombo fishing beach – all the houses here are typical of Colonial Sri Lankan style, and the streets are lined with trees. It is very picturesque and brimming with atmosphere.

Project Overview

As an intern you will be able to gain a first-hand experience of the day-to-day activities in a law firm and actively engage in various litigation works covering a wide array of fields in civil, criminal and commercial law. As you would expect with any internship programme, you will get out what you put in to this programme.

You'll learn about the Sri Lankan Constitution and also gain an insight into the history and background of the Sri Lankan Legal System. You'll have the opportunity to get involved in:

  • Legal research
  • Drafting of legal instruments
  • Visits to prisons, juvenile training centres and other rehabilitation centres for probationers
  • Court visits - There are 3 Courts in Negombo and proceedings in two of them are conducted in English. You'll have opportunity to attend both 'English-language' Courts
  • Participation in negotiations and client interviews.
  • The opportunity to compile your own article to be published in a law journal or national newspaper on a topic of interest, with the assistance of in house lawyers.

SAMPLE DAILY SCHEDULE:

The office opens at 08:00am, with your work hours generally being from 08:30am to 17:00pm Monday to Friday. A guide of what should be expected is:

The office day starts around 8am and interns will get to go to the Courts some days where they will sit on the bench and listen to the proceedings. You'll only attend Court when the proceedings take place in English. For ‘Court days’ you will be in court from 9-10 am and then again from around 2-3:30pm with a break for lunch in between. You will then work in the office again until 4.00pm.

On non-Court days you will stay in the office with the lawyers and help with writing deeds and day-to-day legal duties.

Exactly what your office work will involve will vary from day to day, case to case and intern to intern. You'll be able to help out with everything that goes on in the office and you will gain an extraordinary insight into the operations of law in Sri Lanka - a first-hand insight into international law.

The head partner of the firm is also the acting magistrate. This means he must attend post-mortems at the mortuary in cases where there is an ambiguous cause of death. If this is something you are interested in, you are welcome to attend.

You'll have your weekends free for sightseeing or simply relax.

Accommodation

Your accommodation during your internship has been specially organised to accommodate elective students on the programme. It is approximately 15 minutes from the airport and 20 minutes from the capital city of Colombo. One of the project members will warmly welcome you on your arrival at the airport and will show you around and introduce you to everyone.

FREE Wi-Fi is available in the accommodation. There are many outdoor and indoor entertainment activities around this area such as sandy beaches, zoo, parks, theatres, cinemas, restaurants (KFC, McDonalds, Pizza Hut in case you miss home food) , pubs and etc. The location is easy reach by means of trains, buses and taxis should you wish to go further afield during the weekend.

FOOD: Three meals a day will be provided. The menus are designed specially with a wide range of Sri-Lankan, Asian and a mixture of Western food.

What to Do Next

  • Talk to us - We're there to help you.
  • Most of our team are ex volunteers and are ideally qualified to offer advice and guidance because they know what you're looking for. They'll help you find your perfect project - and then make it all happen!
  • If you’d like more information about this or any of our projects, please email or call us!
  • If you’d like to apply for this project, please go to our website and complete the application form. As soon as we receive it, we’ll liaise with you and then start making your travel adventure happen.
  • It’s as easy as that.