Legal Internship Program

Job Description

Can you be a intern in the Legal Vice Presidency?

• Do you hold citizenship of any IBRD member state?
• Are you enrolled in an LLB, JD, LLM, SJD, PhD, or equivalent legal academic program while you would be undertaking your internship with us? (e.g. if you apply for the Summer Cycle of LIP, you must be enrolled in an eligible legal academic program between June and August)
• Do you have an excellent command of the English language?

If you have answered yes to all these questions, you are eligible to be an intern in the Legal Vice Presidency. Preference shall be given to candidates who possess a decent command of a second language, especially if that is one of the working languages of IBRD (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish).

Applications from eligible international as well as U.S.-based students are equally encouraged.

When?

Summer Internship Program: Application period will commence on December 1 and end on December 31 (Internship period is for 10-12 weeks, typically between June and August, depending on prevailing needs). This is an excellent opportunity for students looking to gain full-time professional experiences at the World Bank during the summer months while enrolled in a law program.

Fall Internship Program: Application period will commence on April 1 and end on April 30 (Proposed internship period is for 10-12 weeks, typically between September and November, depending on prevailing needs). This is an excellent opportunity for students looking to gain professional experiences at the World Bank in the form of externships during the academic year while enrolled in a full-time law program or for those enrolled in part-time and/or evening law programs. According to U.S. Department of Homeland Security rules, students authorized to participate in pre-completion OPT may work part-time (20 hours or less per week) while school is in session.

Spring Internship Program: Application period will commence on September 1 and end on September 30 (Proposed internship period is for 10-12 weeks, typically between March and May, depending on prevailing needs). This is an excellent opportunity for students looking to gain professional experiences at the World Bank in the form of externships during the academic year while enrolled in a full-time law program or for those enrolled in part-time and/or evening law programs. According to U.S. Department of Homeland Security rules, students authorized to participate in pre-completion OPT may work part-time (20 hours or less per week) while school is in session.

All applications must be submitted during respective application periods.

Internship at Country Offices: The Legal Vice Presidency has limited its internships in the field to offices where a lawyer from the Legal Vice Presidency is present.

How can you apply?

Please submit the below documents through this link:

1. Résumé
2. Statement of Interest
3. Proof of enrollment in a law degree (LLB, JD, LLM, SJD, PhD, or equivalent) and academic transcript(s).
4. Short essay providing a response to a research question posed by the Legal Vice Presidency for the prevailing application period.

What would be your role?

Interns will likely be involved in a plethora of tasks, as they arise during the term of the Internship Program, such as:

• Conducting a variety of legal assignments under the direction of the supervising lawyer(s).
• Conducting research on assigned issues, using existing law files and alternative sources (e.g., computer-assisted searches using the internet, intranet and/or other databases), analyzing information, and summarizing findings.
• Conducting comparative legal analyses on a range of issues in a given area, identifying legal and policy issues, researching relevant precedents, and proposing appropriate solutions.
• Participating in task/project teams with the supervising lawyer(s).
• Assisting in the preparation and organization of conferences and meetings.
• Performing ad hoc assignments as requested by the supervising lawyer(s).

APPLICATION PERIOD

2025 Fall Cycle: April 1-30, 2025

About the Organization

The World Bank, a member of the World Bank Group, is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. Our mission is to fight poverty with passion and professionalism for lasting results and to help people help themselves and their environment by providing resources, sharing knowledge, building capacity and forging partnerships in the public and private sectors.

We are not a bank in the common sense; we are made up of two unique development institutions owned by 188 member countries: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA).

Each institution plays a different but collaborative role in advancing the vision of inclusive and sustainable globalization. The IBRD aims to reduce poverty in middle-income and creditworthy poorer countries, while IDA focuses on the world's poorest countries.

Their work is complemented by that of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) and the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).

Together, we provide low-interest loans, interest-free credits and grants to developing countries for a wide array of purposes that include investments in education, health, public administration, infrastructure, financial and private sector development, agriculture and environmental and natural resource management.