Arbitration cannot be understood by watching a week of it
At DAC, we believe that arbitration cannot be meaningfully understood through short-term observation alone. It is an end-to-end dispute resolution process — the commencement of proceedings, the constitution of the arbitral tribunal, pleadings, procedural hearings, the examination of evidence, oral and written submissions, and ultimately the making of an arbitral award. An intern who sees only one slice of that journey learns what a hearing looks like; an intern who follows the whole of it learns how a dispute is actually decided.
For this reason, internships facilitated through DAC are for a minimum period of 90 days and may extend up to 180 days, depending upon the requirements of the programme, the availability of suitable assignments, and the needs of the concerned arbitrator or arbitral tribunal.
Designed differently from a conventional institutional internship
The DAC programme rests on a deliberate distinction. A conventional institutional internship places the student inside the administration — registries, files and front offices — and teaches, at best, how an institution works. The object here is different: to learn the arbitral process itself. DAC therefore does not engage interns in routine administrative or clerical work at the Centre; where appropriate, selected interns are assigned to arbitrators handling ongoing arbitral proceedings, so that the trainee learns the process beside the person conducting it. The objective is to enable interns to understand, as closely as permissible, how arbitration is conducted in practice.
Depending upon the nature of the assignment — and subject at all times to the directions of the concerned arbitrator, applicable confidentiality requirements, and the consent or procedural requirements applicable to the proceedings — an intern may gain exposure to matters such as:
The purpose of the programme is learning, training and professional exposure.
The trainee is assigned to the arbitrator, not to the institution’s desks —
interns are not intended to function as clerks of the Centre.
Who may apply
The programme is intended for those at the threshold of the profession, with a genuine interest in developing a career in arbitration and dispute resolution. Applications are invited from:
Applicants should have a genuine interest in arbitration, commercial dispute resolution and ADR practice — and should be willing to commit themselves to the prescribed internship period. Apply only if you are reasonably able to commit to the period indicated in your application.
Long enough to matter
The internship is honorary and unpaid. No stipend or remuneration is payable, and the internship does not constitute employment, nor create any right to employment, empanelment or engagement with DAC. The Centre facilitates the programme as part of its welfare objective — opening the practical world of arbitration to the generation preparing to enter it.
Understand arbitration not merely as an academic subject —
but as a professional practice.
How applications are handled
Submission of an application does not create any right or entitlement to an internship, nor does DAC guarantee placement to every applicant. Applications are maintained and reviewed by the DAC Secretariat, and candidates may be contacted when a suitable internship opportunity arises — including where an arbitrator or arbitral tribunal requires an intern and the applicant’s profile, availability and stated period of training correspond with that requirement.
Selection and placement may depend upon, among other things, the applicant’s academic background, areas of interest, availability, the nature of the arbitral proceedings, the requirements of the concerned arbitrator, conflicts of interest, confidentiality considerations and other relevant circumstances. Applicants are therefore requested to clearly specify their proposed internship period and availability while submitting the application.
Once an application has been submitted, applicants are requested not to send reminders or repeated follow-up communications regarding its status. The DAC Secretariat maintains and reviews all applications and will contact suitable candidates as and when an appropriate opportunity becomes available. The absence of an immediate response should not be construed as either acceptance or rejection of an application.
The first lesson of arbitration is discretion
Arbitral proceedings frequently involve confidential, commercially sensitive and legally privileged information. Any candidate selected for an internship may be required to execute appropriate confidentiality, non-disclosure and conflict-of-interest declarations or undertakings before being given access to any case-related material.
An intern’s access to proceedings, documents, hearings or other case-related information shall always remain subject to applicable law, the applicable arbitration rules, the directions of the arbitral tribunal, the requirements of confidentiality and, wherever necessary, the consent of the parties. Interns are expected to maintain the highest standards of confidentiality, independence, integrity, professional conduct and respect for the arbitral process.
From the classroom to the hearing room
For young lawyers considering a career in dispute resolution, arbitration offers an opportunity to understand a specialised and increasingly important mechanism for resolving commercial disputes outside conventional court proceedings. The DAC internship programme is intended to provide serious candidates with practical exposure to the manner in which arbitration is actually conducted — from pleadings and procedure to hearings and the progression of proceedings towards an arbitral award.
If you wish to understand arbitration as a practice — apply.
Provide your personal, family and academic details, your areas of interest and your proposed period of availability (between 90 and 180 days) in the application below — and upload your recent passport-size photograph and curriculum vitae directly in the form. Everything reaches the Registrar, DAC in one submission; no separate email is required.
Apply for an Internship