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I recently joined the firm myself. Initially had a 2 week stint, and was lucky to get an extension worth a week.
It was a particularly busy period, and during my extension I was the only intern. A couple of mandates were nearing filing, so I managed to get a lot of work from the SA who I was working with - I believe this was a big help.
I agree with the points some have made above, about visibility being an issue should your internship be virtual, but I wish you the best - if it’s a busy month, your work and follow-ups (even if on WhatsApp) will give you plenty of opportunities to interact.
I’ve seen some comments suggest that a PPO without a call-back isn’t readily given at Sam. I don’t particularly know if this is true - I was able to get a PPO after a 3 week stint, and I would primarily attribute it to the workload on the team (which allowed me to get a lot of delegated work).
Broad points, basis my experience, would be - (a) ask your SA for work everyday (some days might have downtime, and it’s perfectly alright for you to not be given much work then. Don’t stress out - work will come to you over the period of your stay at the firm); (b) follow-up with them should they have constructive points of feedback - always suggest that you’re ready to make changes/edits if any; (c) try to take all bits of work that come your way, but if you’re working on a deliverable make that clear to the Associate or SA who contacts you (they will generally not overload you with work - quality matters more); (d) extending on the last point - don’t worry if any Co-intern is turning in work faster, again, quality should be your priority too - and this way of looking at deliverables that I submitted, worked for me as well (of course, do finish your work within reasonable timeframes, just don’t try to over-hasten the process); (e) ask your SA for an extension about 2 days before the end of your two week stint; and (f) again, 2 days before the end of your extension ask them if they are looking for an associate at the moment, and if you could be recommended for the role, if they are.
I work in SAM Delhi, and the people I’ve interacted with so far have been really helpful and nice.
I wish you all the very best, and hope that you convert the internship to a job. Good luck! :)
1. The 2-week period is standard for a start. Ask any intern at SAM. You can always get it extended, or ask for a callback later if vacancies aren't there. Extension is dependent on the team recommending it. So ensure to do good work, be visible to the lead partner and your training guide (your mentor), and ask for an extension. If the team recommends, it's practically a given. If there's vacancies, you'll get an extension. If not, a callback after some time. Try to ensure your callback internship is for 4-6 weeks, so that they have an aggregate of 6-8 weeks to evaluate you. That's the minimum I suspect they will need to evaluate you for a PPO.
2. Assuming you're into a transactional practice, virtual work really shouldn't be that much of a problem. SAM is working hybrid now, and their tech ensures you can do all work from home that you could have done in the office. The only downside is, your interactions will suffer. But that's a small downsides, if you ask me, considered to the potential benefits.
Source of information: Personal knowledge, and conversations with other SAM interns.