AI in Legal Internships: Essential Skills for Indian Law Students 2025

AI and the Modern Legal Internship 2025: Essential Skills for Indian Law Students

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Current AI Tools in Indian Legal Practice
• Regional Variations in AI Adoption
• How AI is Transforming Legal Internships
• Essential Skills for AI-Enhanced Legal Internships
• How to Secure AI-Enhanced Legal Internships
• Future Trends in Legal Internships with AI
• Preparing for Your AI-Enhanced Legal Career
• Conclusion
• FAQs

Introduction

Imagine walking into Trilegal's Mumbai office during your summer internship. Instead of being handed stacks of documents to review manually, you're introduced to an AI assistant that helps you analyze contracts in minutes. This isn't science fiction—it's happening right now across India's legal landscape.

From the bustling corporate law firms of Delhi NCR to legal tech startups in Bangalore's Koramangala, artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping what it means to be a legal intern in 2025. For you—whether you're at NLSIU, studying at Government Law College Mumbai, or pursuing your degree at Jindal Global Law School—this transformation will define your professional journey.

"When I interned at a traditional litigation chamber in my first year, I spent days searching for precedents. In my corporate internship last summer, AI tools did that in seconds, and my supervising partner expected me to focus on strategy instead." - Rishabh, 3rd year student, NUJS Kolkata

Current AI Tools in Indian Legal Practice

Popular AI Legal Tools in India

Recent data from the 2024 India Legal Technology Survey reveals that 67% of top-tier Indian law firms have adopted at least one AI tool, though adoption drops to just 23% among mid-sized firms and regional practices.

Here's what's actually being used in offices where you might intern:

AI Tool Type	Examples	Adoption Rate	Key Benefits
DocumentReview Systems	KiraSystems(Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas)	67% of top firms	70% reduction in review time
Legal Research Tools	Manupatra AI, NearLaw	78% of litigation firms	Natural language search capabilities
Contract Analysis	SpotDraft, Leegality	300% growth since 2021	Automated contract creation and management
Court Case Predictors	SCC Online's CaseIQ	78% prediction accuracy	Statistical insights on judicial patterns
Legal Chatbots	NyayMitra	Used by District Legal Services	Handles basic legal queries in Hindi and English

Regional Variations in AI Adoption

The AI landscape varies dramatically across India's diverse legal markets:

Delhi-NCR Region

Houses the most technologically advanced firms, with 82% of major firms using some form of AI. The proximity to policy makers has also created specialized internships in AI regulation and governance.

Mumbai

Corporate law firms focus heavily on AI for transactional work, particularly in banking and securities law. Interns at firms like AZB Mumbai report spending significant time working with contract analysis tools.

Bangalore

The intersection of technology and law creates unique opportunities, with many legal tech startups offering internships that blend legal and product development work.

Tier-2 Cities

Adoption is growing in places like Pune, Ahmedabad, and Hyderabad, creating new regional opportunities for students outside the major metros.

Courts and Tribunals

The e-Courts project has implemented case management systems across India, but advanced AI tools remain concentrated in the Supreme Court and certain High Courts like Delhi and Karnataka.

"In my Pune internship, we had limited technology. But when I interned remotely with a Delhi firm, I was expected to be proficient with multiple AI platforms from day one." - Sneha Sharma, final-year student, ILS Pune

How AI is Transforming Legal Internships

A Day in the Life: Then vs. Now

Research Transformation

"During my first internship in 2021, I spent three days searching for cases on similar facts," recalls Arjun Mehta, now an associate at a leading firm. "In my final internship in 2024, I used CaseIQ to find relevant judgments in minutes, then spent my time analyzing how to distinguish our case from unfavorable precedents."

Document Generation

"At my litigation internship in Gujarat High Court, I drafted petitions manually. Six months later, at a corporate firm, I was reviewing AI-generated drafts, spotting nuances the AI missed, and customizing templates for specific client situations." - Diya Patel, fifth-year student, GNLU

Due Diligence Revolution

"Our intern team reviewed 200 property documents in three days using an AI platform," explains Vikram Singh from NLU Jodhpur. "Previously, this would have taken weeks. Our supervising partner expected us to identify unusual clauses the AI flagged and evaluate their business implications."

Case Study: AI-Enhanced Internship at CAM

Rohan Khanna, a fourth-year student at NALSAR Hyderabad, shares his experience interning with Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas' AI Initiative:

"My internship focused on a cross-border acquisition involving hundreds of contracts. Instead of reviewing documents manually, I helped train the AI system to identify specific risk factors unique to Indian regulatory requirements.

Each morning, our team reviewed what the AI had flagged overnight. I was responsible for verifying its findings related to foreign investment restrictions. When I identified patterns of issues the AI was missing, I worked with the knowledge management team to refine the algorithms.

The partner gave me an opportunity to present directly to the client on regulatory risks the AI had helped us identify. This was my fifth internship, but the first where I contributed real strategic value rather than just handling routine tasks."

Case Study: Legal Aid Meets AI in Tamil Nadu

Lakshmi Venkatesh from School of Excellence in Law, Chennai, describes her internship with a legal aid organization:

"I interned with the Tamil Nadu State Legal Services Authority on a project using AI to increase access to justice in rural areas. We used simple chatbots that could understand Tamil and English to help people determine if they qualified for legal aid.

My role was to simplify complex legal eligibility criteria into decision trees the AI could follow, and then verify the accuracy of responses in Tamil. I conducted field testing in three villages near Coimbatore, gathering feedback from potential users."

Essential Skills for AI-Enhanced Legal Internships

Technical Skills That Get You Hired

According to interviews with recruitment partners at five major Indian firms, these technical skills significantly increase your chances of securing prime internships:

1. Research Platform Mastery: Advanced knowledge of SCC Online, Manupatra, and Indian Kanoon, including Boolean search techniques and filters.

1. Data Analysis: Basic understanding of statistics and data visualization—enough to interpret what AI tools are showing you.

1. Document Automation: Experience with document assembly tools used in India, such as SpotDraft, Leegality, or even basic knowledge of document automation concepts.

1. Case Management Software: Familiarity with platforms used in Indian practice like LegitQuest, LegitEye, or MyCase.

1. Legal AI Fundamentals: Understanding how NLP, machine learning and predictive analytics apply specifically to Indian legal contexts.

Core Legal Skills in the AI Age

Despite technological changes, recruitment data shows these fundamental skills remain crucial:

• Contextual Legal Analysis: The ability to place AI findings within India's complex legal framework.

• Effective Legal Writing: Creating persuasive documents that improve upon AI drafts.

• Ethical Judgment: Understanding when AI recommendations might not align with professional responsibilities under the Bar Council of India rules.

• Regulatory Navigation: Keeping current with India's evolving digital regulations, including the Digital Personal Data Protection Act.

• Client Communication: Explaining complex legal-technical concepts to clients across India's diverse business landscape.

Student Survey: What Skills Actually Helped

In a survey of 200 law students who completed internships in 2024, respondents identified these qualities as most valuable:

• Adaptability (87%): "Each firm used different AI tools. Being able to quickly learn new systems was more important than knowing any specific platform."

• Critical Thinking (92%): "The AI would present information, but determining what was actually relevant to our client's situation in the Indian market was still entirely up to me."

• Teamwork (79%): "I worked with legal, technical, and business teams. Understanding how to communicate across these boundaries made me much more effective."

• Initiative (84%): "Partners were most impressed when I suggested new ways to use the AI tools rather than just following established protocols."

• Ethical Awareness (76%): "Identifying when AI might create biased outcomes or miss cultural nuances specific to Indian contexts became an important part of my role."

How to Secure AI-Enhanced Legal Internships

Educational Preparation: India-Specific Pathways

Beyond your core curriculum, consider these India-specific opportunities:

• Specialized Courses: NUJS's Certificate Course in Legal Technology, NALSAR's AI and Law seminar, or NLSIU's Legal Innovation Lab offer recognized credentials.

• Online Learning for Indian Context: The "Legal Technology in Indian Practice" course on Lawsikho or IDIA's "Tech for Access to Justice" program.

• Local Certificate Programs: The "Certificate in AI and Legal Practice" offered by the Bar Council of India in collaboration with IIT Delhi.

• India-Focused Competitions: Participate in events like NITI Aayog's Responsible AI Hackathon, the Supreme Court's Legal Tech Challenge, or moot courts addressing technology regulation in India.

Building Your Portfolio: The Indian Advantage

Leverage India's unique legal tech ecosystem to build your credentials:

1. Vernacular Language Projects: Contribute to projects addressing multilingual legal AI in Indian languages.

1. Access to Justice Initiatives: Create simple applications that help explain legal processes to underserved communities.

1. Documentation Skills: Create guides explaining how to use legal technology tools in Indian practice contexts.

1. Digital Presence with Local Focus: Create content discussing legal technology developments specifically in the Indian context.

Internship Application Strategies That Work

Based on successful applications from students across different NLUs and private law schools:

• Target Innovation Centers: Apply to legal innovation labs like CAM's Innovation Cell, Infosys's Legal Technology Group, or dedicated legal tech companies.

• Highlight India-Specific Knowledge: Emphasize understanding of uniquely Indian legal technology challenges.

• Demonstrate Initiative: Share examples of how you've used technology to solve problems in the Indian legal context.

• Leverage Clinical Legal Education: If your law school has a legal aid clinic, propose implementing simple technology solutions.

• Look Beyond Traditional Channels: Follow legal tech startups on LinkedIn, join WhatsApp groups focused on legal innovation, and watch for opportunities that might not appear on conventional job boards.

Future Trends in Legal Internships with AI

Emerging Trends Specific to India

Several developments are shaping the next wave of legal internships in India:

1. AI Ethics in Indian Context: With India developing its own AI regulatory framework, specialized internships focusing on the unique ethical considerations of AI in Indian legal practice are emerging.

1. Remote Internship Democratization: Virtual internships are opening opportunities for students from tier-2 and tier-3 cities to work with leading firms and legal tech companies. Remote internships increased by 47% in the past year according to NLSIU's 2024 placement report.

1. Vernacular AI Development: Companies developing legal AI tools for India's diverse languages are creating specialized roles for law students with regional language skills.

1. Courts Embracing Technology: The E-Committee of the Supreme Court's SUPACE initiative is creating judicial clerkships focused on AI implementation.

1. Access to Justice Focus: Organizations like Haq Darshak and India Legal Aid are using AI to scale legal assistance, creating internships that combine social impact with technology skills.

Voices from the Field: Practitioners' Predictions

"The future of legal practice will require lawyers who can harness technology to expand access to justice across India's diverse society. Young lawyers must embrace these tools while ensuring they serve our constitutional values." - Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, Chief Justice of India

"The most valuable junior lawyers will be those who combine solid legal fundamentals with the ability to leverage technology. We're already changing how we structure internships to identify these dual capabilities." - Zia Mody, Founding Partner, AZB & Partners

Preparing for Your AI-Enhanced Legal Career

To position yourself for success in this changing landscape:

• Develop a Specialty: Consider focusing on the intersection of AI and areas of particular relevance to India, such as data protection or digital infrastructure regulation.

• Technical Foundation: For those interested in legal tech development, short courses in programming fundamentals from platforms like Coding Ninjas or Great Learning can provide a foundation.

• Stay Current with India's Regulatory Landscape: Follow developments in India's approach to regulating AI and data protection through resources like the Centre for Communication Governance at NLU Delhi.

• Build Cross-Functional Skills: Develop the ability to work effectively with non-lawyers, including technologists and business professionals.

Conclusion

The integration of AI into Indian legal practice offers unprecedented opportunities for today's law students. Rather than displacing interns, these technologies are elevating your potential contributions from routine tasks to meaningful analysis and strategy.

Your challenge—and opportunity—is to embrace this shift proactively. By developing both technical aptitude and enhanced legal skills, you can position yourself for internships that are more enriching, impactful, and aligned with the future of legal practice in India.

"Technology didn't distance me from the people seeking justice—it gave me tools to help more of them. That's the promise of AI for our generation of Indian lawyers." - Lakshmi, Legal Aid Intern

Whether you're aiming for a position at a leading corporate firm, a legal tech startup, or a forward-thinking advocacy organization, understanding how to work effectively with AI will be a decisive advantage. The legal profession in India is transforming, and through well-chosen internships, you can help shape its future.

Share Your Experience

Are you a law student who has worked with AI tools during your internship in India? Have you developed skills specifically for our unique legal landscape? Share your experiences in the comments below. Your insights could help fellow students across India navigate this exciting evolution in our profession.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1. What AI tools are most commonly used in Indian law firms?

The most widely adopted AI tools in Indian law firms include document review systems like Kira Systems (used by CAM), legal research tools like Manupatra AI and NearLaw, contract analysis software like SpotDraft and Leegality, and court case predictors like SCC Online's CaseIQ.

2. Do I need programming skills to get AI-enhanced legal internships?

While programming skills are not mandatory for most legal internships, basic technical literacy and familiarity with legal technology platforms will significantly improve your prospects. Specialized roles in legal tech development may require more technical skills.

3. Which cities in India offer the best opportunities for legal tech internships?

Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, and Bangalore currently offer the most opportunities. Delhi-NCR has the highest adoption rate of AI technology (82% of major firms), Mumbai focuses on AI for transactional work, and Bangalore offers unique opportunities at the intersection of technology and law.

4. How can law students from tier-2 cities access AI-enhanced internships?

Remote internships have increased by 47% in the past year, creating more opportunities for students outside major metros. Additionally, AI adoption is growing in tier-2 cities like Pune, Ahmedabad, and Hyderabad, creating new regional opportunities.

5. What courses should I take to prepare for AI-enhanced legal internships?

Consider specialized courses like NUJS's Certificate Course in Legal Technology, NALSAR's AI and Law seminar, or NLSIU's Legal Innovation Lab. Online options include Lawsikho's "Legal Technology in Indian Practice" course or the Bar Council of India's "Certificate in AI and Legal Practice" in collaboration with IIT Delhi.

6. How is AI changing litigation internships specifically?

In litigation internships, AI tools are primarily enhancing legal research, helping predict case outcomes, and assisting with document drafting. Interns now spend less time on routine research and more time on strategic analysis of cases and developing persuasive arguments.

7. Will AI replace legal interns in India?      

No, AI is transforming rather than replacing the role of legal interns. As routine tasks become automated, interns are taking on more strategic responsibilities that require human judgment, creativity, and ethical considerations. The most successful interns will be those who know how to effectively leverage AI tools.

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About the Author:

Advocate Ravi Geela is the founder of Legal Heights, a consultancy specializing in legal education innovation and technology integration. With over 5 years of experience working with top law schools across India, he has helped design curriculum for NLSIU, NALSAR, and JGLS on legal technology adoption.

Contact: info@legalheights.in | LinkedIn Profile