The World Bank Legal Vice Presidency

The World Bank Legal Vice Presidency offers highly-motivated law students an opportunity to be exposed to the mission and work of the World Bank and that of the Legal Vice Presidency. The World Bank Legal Internship Program allows individuals to bring new perspectives, innovative ideas, and latest research experiences into the World Bank’s daily operations and improve their legal skills while working in a multicultural environment.

The objective of the program is to provide you first-hand experiences of the day-to-day operations of the World Bank by closely collaborating with staff in the Legal Vice Presidency. As part of our team, working directly with outstanding and inspiring development professionals and senior management, you will get the chance to contribute to the legal services offered by the Legal Vice Presidency as well as participate in high-profile events and conferences organized during the term of your internship.

World Bank Legal Internship Program

The World Bank Legal Internship Program is offered thrice a year for a period of maximum three months at World Bank Headquarters in Washington, D.C. and in certain selected country offices for currently enrolled law school students.

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).

Additional Information

Visa:  Students partaking in the World Bank Legal Internship Program must have valid student visa documents sponsored by their educational institutions. The World Bank shall only assist attainment of visa documents for participants of the World Bank Legal Internship Program in exceptional cases.

Cost: The World Bank shall not remunerate participants of the World Bank Legal Internship Program in the form of monetary fees/compensation.  Each World Bank Legal Intern must however be remunerated in accordance with World Bank Group policies and standards in the form of (i) monetary fees/compensation paid by the university or other sponsoring organization and acceptable to the Bank; or (ii) academic credit equivalent to the Bank’s fee schedule.  Hence, students partaking in the World Bank Legal Internship Program must secure appropriate funding sources for the duration of their internships.

Medical Insurance:  World Bank Legal Interns are responsible for their own medical insurance and any cost(s) arising from accidents and/or illness incurred during the internship period and must show proof of a valid major global medical insurance coverage.

Selection Process:  World Bank Legal Interns shall be selected through a competitive selection process.  The World Bank Group is an equal opportunity employer.

Onboarding:  The World Bank Legal Vice Presidency shall organize a brief onboarding session at the beginning of the Summer, Fall, and Spring Internship Program for the incoming cohort.

Evaluations on Performance:  The World Bank shall not provide evaluation on the performance of participants in the World Bank’s Legal Internship Program.

Please note that applying or partaking in the World Bank Legal Internship Program does not constitute a promise or guarantee of employment at the World Bank upon completion of the Program.

APPLICATION PERIOD

• 2022 Fall Cycle:  April 1-30, 2022

Please use your Google Account to access the application form.  If you do not have a Google Account, this link will prompt you to create one free of charge.

About the Legal Vice Presidency