Summer Internship in Bangkok, Thailand | University of Wisconsin Law School

Open to 1Ls and 2Ls at the University of Wisconsin Law School

June 27 - August 5

The application procedure is given below. Applicants will be notified about decisions, including interview schedules if needed, in late April, by email. Final decisions will be made at the end of April.

Program Components:

Introduction to Thai law at Thammasat University Faculty of Law in Bangkok.
Six (6) weeks of work at an international law office in Bangkok.
Support grant of about $1,400 from the East Asian Legal Studies Center. The estimated budget for the internship is about $2,250. Internships sometimes pay a small salary.

Eligibility and Other Requirements:

1Ls and 2Ls at the University of Wisconsin Law School are eligible.
You do not need to speak Thai and you do not need previous travel experience to apply for this program.
Three to four J.D. students will be selected to participate.
Participants must have or get a passport to travel to Thailand, and participants must obtain a visa if selected. The Center will assist with this process.
The UW requires 2 months of its own travel insurance which costs approximately $35/month.

TO APPLY:

Please submit the following four items listed below by April 19. Application materials may be submitted by attachment to the Center's coordinators, at ealsc@law.wisc.edu, or dropped off as hard copies in room 4312. We encourage you to submit your application as soon as your fall grades have been reported. If all of your grades are not yet reported, submit a student record with incomplete grades and submit a second student record when it is complete. (Sending a student record by pdf attachment is acceptable.)

YOUR APPLICATION MATERIALS:

1. A "top sheet" that you make yourself, as follows:
At the top of the page, type APPLICATION FOR THAI INTERNSHIP. Below this, include:

•    Your name, full mailing address, email address, telephone number, and UWID number;
•    Your current year at the UW Law School (1L or 2L) and your expected graduation date;
•    Your passport status: Do you have one? If yes, from what country and when does it expire?

2. Cover letter addressed to Professor Erik Ibele explaining why you are interested in the program.

3. Current resume.

Please combine these first three items into one Word document (.doc or .docx) file.

4. Unofficial Law School transcript (known as your "student record") requested from your "MyUW" web site and sent to you as a pdf file, which you then forward to the Center, to ealsc@law.wisc.edu.

You may submit these four documents by attachment, as indicated, or by turning them in at the office of the East Asian Legal Studies Center, room 4312.

If you have questions, contact Erik Ibele, ewibele@wisc.edu, Associate Director of the Center.

UW Law students Kexin Li, Kathilynne Grotelueschen, Michael Rud, and James Howard were selected to be interns in international law firms in Bangkok in summer 2010 as part of the UW Law School - Thammasat University Faculty of Law Summer Internship program. The interns visited the Administrative Court in Bangkok and were featured on the Court's website.

Ms. Kyung Jin Lee was an intern in Bangkok during the summer of 2009. An article about her experience appears on pages 22 and 23 of "Asia Law News," the newsletter of the American Bar Association's Section of International Law Asia/Pacific Committee.

From one of the previous interns:

The Bangkok internship program, coordinated between the Law School’s East Asian Legal Studies Center and Thammasat University in Bangkok, was, quite simply, the best way to spend my 1L summer. I gained substantive legal experience in an established, full-service law firm and lived in a vibrant Southeast Asian city.

I worked at International Legal Counsellors, Thailand, a corporate law firm located in Bangkok’s financial district. Before starting work, I participated in a two-day orientation program coordinated by Thammasat, which included a thorough introduction to Thai business, trade and intellectual property law and tours of local courts. At the intellectual property court, we sat in on a cross-examination, with an English translator, and attended a de-briefing discussion session with one of the judges afterwards. This provided an illuminating glimpse into Thai courtroom etiquette and legal culture.

My work at ILCT was concentrated in its transactional practice. One of the firm’s major clients was implementing the security system at the new Bangkok airport, which involved companies of various nationalities. I drafted several contracts, including subcontracts and sublease agreements. I also assisted in the firm’s revision of its business law handbook, requiring research into Thai statutory law on foreign property ownership, expatriate labor issues and other cross-border legal matters.

The firm culture was open and friendly. I attended labor court, the trademark registration office and an international law symposium with the firm’s attorneys. Everybody, from the office administrator to the senior partners, was extremely helpful and gracious, making my initial adjustment to Bangkok life seamless.

Additionally, the professors at Thammasat were open and helpful. One of my most memorable weekends in Thailand was spent at a professor’s home outside of Bangkok. She coordinated a cultural tour of Ayutthaya, the ancient capital, and other natural and cultural sights, and invited us to spend the night at her home. It was a great way to acquaint ourselves with each other and our Thai hosts.

Thailand deserves its reputation as one of the world’s premier travel destinations. Besides its natural beauty and amazing cuisine, it boasts one of the world’s friendliest and most easy-going people.

For descriptions of other interns’ experiences, see the newsletters of the East Asian Legal Studies Center, available online at www.law.wisc.edu/ealsc.