Law Internship in Pune: Courts, Chambers, How to Apply

For a law internship in Pune, you will most likely work in a litigating advocate’s chamber at the Pune courts, or with a firm that handles company and commercial matters. If you want High Court exposure, plan for Mumbai, because I could not find a Bombay High Court bench in Pune.

The High Court question

Students often search for a “Pune High Court internship” and find nothing, which is correct. Pune is in the territory of the Bombay High Court, whose benches are at Mumbai (principal), Nagpur and Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar), plus a bench for Goa. A circuit bench at Kolhapur was inaugurated on 17 August 2025 and became functional on 18 August. Reports describe it as covering six districts: Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Kolhapur, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg. Pune is not on that list. So as far as I can verify, High Court matters from Pune are heard at the principal seat in Mumbai. Confirm this with any advocate you plan to join, because court administration changes.

What this means for you: a Pune advocate may appear at the district courts in Pune on some days and at the High Court in Mumbai on others. Ask your supervisor early which of those you will attend, and how you will travel. Some students decide the time on the road is worth it for a month. Others choose a purely Pune based practice.

Where interns go in Pune

• Litigating chambers at the district and sessions courts. Civil suits, family matters, criminal bail, property and cheque cases. You see the whole life of a case, which a High Court chamber often does not show.
• Advocates who also appear before tribunals and consumer commissions. These give you shorter, cleaner pleadings and quicker hearings, a good place to learn drafting.
• Corporate and commercial firms. Contract drafting, due diligence, compliance. These usually publish their own intake dates on their websites, so check each one instead of relying on a general calendar.
• NGOs, legal aid and law college clinics. If your college has a legal aid clinic, start there. It is the easiest first placement and gives you real clients under supervision.

The student population changes the game

Pune has several well known law colleges, including ILS Law College and others, so the city is full of students asking for the same chambers at the same time. That has two effects. First, advocates here receive many emails and delete most of them. Second, a student from outside Pune who gives specific dates and says they can travel and stay has an advantage over one who sends a generic request.

If you are from a Pune college, ask your seniors and your internship cell. Chambers that have taken students before usually keep taking them, and a name passed by someone they trust is worth more than a cold email.

How advocates advertise

Pune advocates sometimes post internship notices on listing sites such as LawBhoomi. The ones I saw asked for a CV by email and named a month. Check each one for three things before you reply: a named advocate, a stated duration and a stated mode, in person or remote. If any of these is missing, ask. And do not pay a fee for a seat in a chamber. Genuine advocates do not charge interns.

What to send

Write a short email. Give your name, year, college, dates, and what you want to learn. Attach a one page CV and, if possible, a short piece of writing. Marathi is useful in the district courts, since many documents and some hearings use it. If you read and write Marathi, say so in the first paragraph. If not, say you are willing to learn and ask which tasks you can do without it.

A good subject line: “Internship request, 3rd year BA LLB, 1 to 30 June.” It tells the advocate your year and dates before they open the email.

When to apply

I could not verify a fixed calendar. Practical timing: write four to six weeks before your break. Summer vacation applications in April, winter in October or November. If a chamber says they cannot take you for a full month, offer two weeks.

The work

At a district court chamber, expect these tasks in roughly this order: reading and listing a file, preparing a short note, drafting a reply or application, and attending hearings. You will sit in a courtroom and see how a lower court actually runs, with many matters listed, long waits, and quick orders. Take notes on how the advocate speaks to the bench and the clerk. Those small things are what you will copy in your own practice.

At a firm, expect research memos and drafting under a template. You will learn clause by clause how a commercial contract is built, which is different from but just as valuable as litigation.

Before you accept

1. Is the advocate or firm real and practising? Ask a senior or check the court’s cause list.
2. Where do you sit? Pune only or Mumbai too?
3. How will you get a certificate, and on what letterhead? Many universities want it signed.
4. Is it paid? Mostly not, so settle that on day one.
5. Confirm the hours so you can plan travel and stay.

University rules

Under the Bar Council of India framework, many universities require a minimum number of weeks of internship across the course, with certificates and sometimes a report. Check your own university’s rules rather than assuming your internship will count. A writing internship or a non court internship may not satisfy every university, so ask your internship cell first.

If you cannot be in Pune

If you cannot travel, consider a remote option. A virtual writing programme such as Lexfolio’s internship gives you published work and an edited sample. It does not replace court time, but it is a good addition to a CV when you write to Pune chambers later.

In short

Pune is a courts and colleges city. You will find work if you are specific about dates and tasks, willing to commute to Mumbai if needed, and careful about confirming who you will be working for. Pick two practice areas, write to ten advocates, and follow up once.