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I've personally forwarded quite the resumes of quite a few promising kids to HR or relevant teams and gotten them internships. If they do well, then they get called back, but that's up to them.
It's easier to reach out to college seniors (and if you're from the right college, you'll definitely have folks in the firm throughout the ranks) but cold emailing is also EXTREMELY helpful. In both cases, as comments earlier have highlighted, make sure your cover email is flawless (no typos, no unnecessary info, to the point, respectful but not servile, and will l overall reading well), and that your resume is well put together and formatted (again, KISS applies - do not embellish, do not talk about irrelevant things, longer is not better and shorter is not worse, substance over form, etc.)
Also, do not pester the addressee. There's a very fine but VERY consequential difference between being persistent and being a pest. Make sure you're on the correct side of the line here. In case someone doesn't respond, follow up once at most, after which, take the hint. It means the person isn't interested (yes, it sucks to not be given an answer - but that's just how the world is, and you don't want to be remembered as the person who was a pest in the event you happen to work with/across the person at some later point, and yes, this does matter in law firms).
It has worked for me and has worked for many others!
It was due to cold emailing I got an internship at a Tier 1 firm. And now I have multiple tier-1 internships under my belt (not all through cold emailing though). In fact, cold emailing has helped me get the attention of recruiters at Bain and BCG as a law student.
Try it. It's powerful.
Be extremely good at academics and keep yourself updated with the latest happenings.
Lastly, there is no harm in trying those official email Ids. Occasionally people do bag an internship at Tier 1 & 2 if they apply well in advance (4-5 months before)
1. Always call the firm/company after you email, unless their website specifically asks you not to call for internships. Calling them and drawing attention to your application ensures that it is at least acknowledged or looked at. That brings me to:
2. Whenever you call, call immediately after sending an email so that the first email they have on their inbox is your application. Nothing hits the sweet spot more than that.
3. Try to let them know that you will follow up, and get a direct extension number for the HR person you are talking for the next time you call.
4. I cannot stress this enough: be persistent and shameless. Your perseverance will get you a long way, shyness or stage fright will not.
All the best!
1. I hope you are from one of the top NLUs. I am not saying that only kids from top NLUs get good internships - that is definitely not the case. However, being from a top NLU does make it easier. If you're not from one of the top NLUs then be prepared to work even harder.
2. Get good grades. There is no substitute to having a good academic record. If you are at the bottom of your batch, then being from the likes of NLS and NLUD is not going to help you either.
3. Try co-curricular activities like mooting, debating, ADR competitions etc. There is no compulsion to participate in them if you don't like them, but at least try them once before deciding.
4. Find some area of law that you like and start writing articles on it. You can try getting published on blogs before moving onto journals. Opt for quality over quantity.
5. When applying for internships through email, write a good cover letter. A cover letter is as important as your CV, if not more. Recruiters first look at your cover letter and only if they are impressed by it would they open your CV, so writing a good cover letter is a must. Also, make sure your CV does not exceed 2 pages and is neatly formatted.
Hope this helps.
Thank you!