If you're interested in a legal career but unsure about your options, i‑Probono provides you with access to many organisations from around the world, from a huge range of sectors, and can help you explore areas in the legal profession that appeal to you. You might undertake a project that contributes to your academic work or you might gain a connection to the legal world that helps you realise your career ambitions. i‑Probono's simple search tools enable you to find projects easily and connect directly with organisations that need your help.

With increasing competition for jobs in the legal sector, employers claim that internships are vital on any résumé. Employers appreciate that you gain real skills in applying your academic knowledge in a practical context. An internship is also an excellent way to get an inside perspective on a company or career path. The experience can provide you with a realistic idea of life in the legal world. Internships sometimes turn into job offers and, at the very least, provide networking opportunities and useful contacts in an area that interests you.

Your Profile

The first step is to create a profile. Your profile will contain your areas of expertise/interest, skills, education, volunteering and employment history. You do not have to list every job you have held, only the ones that you think are relevant.

Matching

After completing your profile, you are automatically matched with projects that fit your interests and expertise. You don’t have to keep logging into i‑Probono to find projects. Every time a project is posted that fits your profile, you will get an email alert and can decide whether it is of interest to you. You can also search for projects that are outside your profile (perhaps in a different country).

Connecting

Once you have found a project that you are interested in, you can register your interest by clicking the ‘Connect’ button located on the project page. Once you connect, the organisation receives an alert and will see your message and profile. When the organisation replies, you are connected!

Just as you can see projects that fit your interests, organisations can also see your profile (more on privacy below). They can connect with you through your profile page, which triggers an email alert. You will see details of the project and their message. If it doesn’t interest you or you haven’t got the time, you are under no obligation to respond. If you are interested then you can send a quick reply and you are connected. Ultimately you are in control of the communication and engagement process.

Your privacy

Information that identifies you (your name and place of work) is only visible to organisations once you connect with them or if you choose to disclose it in your profile. We will never share your email address or contact information with organisations.

No, it is completely free!

Some organisations that post projects may offer to pay your expenses; this will usually cover lunch and travel if you have to be at their offices. This will be indicated in the project posting in the top right corner.

There is no one type of organisation registered on i‑Probono. There are projects from multinational NGOs to small campaign groups. The organisations include charities, advocacy organisations, social enterprises, community initiatives, grassroots groups and university centres.

i‑Probono operates globally wherever there are organisations that need legal help. All of these organisations should have access to i‑Probono and can use it to source assistance.

Currently, outreach is focused in the UK, US and India but there is nothing stopping growth to other countries. If you are interested in expanding i‑Probono to your country we would love to hear from you.

There are a wide variety of ways in which an organisation may need support – they may need an intern abroad, assistance researching projects, court reporting, drafting articles, interviewing, translating, secondary support for lawyers or practical assistance in the office. The possibilities are endless.

Organisations can also post 'remote' projects that will allow you to work from anywhere; this is particularly the case with long-term research projects where you work alongside other academics and students.

All students, graduates and postgraduates of any academic discipline can sign up. We are asking students to sign up via their university email address so that we can verify them quickly and ensure the integrity of our online community.

The last time we signed up it took us three minutes! The process is designed with busy and efficient people in mind.

All you need to provide is details for a basic match: what you do, your location and your legal interests. When you are logged into the site you can edit and update your information to include more about yourself and make it as relevant as possible.

Yes - see our privacy policy here. Only organisations signed up to i‑Probono can see your profile, and your name and place of study remain anonymous until you connect with an organisation.

No. The purpose of i‑Probono is to provide free legal assistance to those organisations that really need it. We are not a careers service! If you approach your placement as a means of obtaining relevant skills and experience, you won't be disappointed.