Internship Program

Become an internship sponsor joining well-known law firms and companies and directly benefit from the skills of our students.

All MIPLC students may complete an optional internship from mid-September to mid-November to round off their LL.M. studies with longer-term practical experience after the completion of the program.

To support our students in obtaining adequate internship positions, we are constantly looking for new internship sponsors to expand our network. Our existing network includes a variety of law firms and patent law firms, companies, IP offices/ organizations, and NGOs.

At the time of the internships, all students have acquired substantial theoretical and practical IP knowledge in addition to their prior professional experience. Our students value the opportunity to apply their newly-acquired knowledge in a working context. Our internship sponsors value their contributions to everyday business and their excellent training. Most of our existing sponsors have been long-term partners who host one or more new students every year.

If you would like to offer internships to our students, please contact us. We are aware that needs differ with each sponsor. Therefore, sponsors are encouraged to specify their requirements (with regard to professional and language skills) and fields of specialization to optimize the matching process. We want both sponsors and interns to benefit from the internship.

Our students come from all over the world. On average, the MIPLC enrolls 38 students from some 20 to 25 different countries. Their educational and professional backgrounds vary as widely as their nationalities: a typical MIPLC class generally consists of about 50% law graduates, with scientists and engineers making up the remaining 50%.

While just one year of professional experience is required for admission to the MIPLC, most of our students have already worked as attorneys, judges, university lecturers, engineers, etc. for several years. They are coming to the MIPLC to increase the breadth and depth of their IP knowledge and skills, and to further their careers.

Most of our students are now from countries other than Germany. All speak English, including legal terminology. German and other language skills vary with personal background.

Our students receive a list of all internship sponsors (including, if applicable, profile specifications) from which they may select three sponsors that are of interest to them. The MIPLC coordinates the entire process and will forward you the CVs of interested students, from which you can make your selection. You are welcome to interview candidates by phone or in person, if you wish.

Any issues such as duration of the internship, working hours, remuneration (if any) are subject to agreement between you and the student.

The academic year at the MIPLC starts in October. Our students receive a list of internship sponsors towards the end of the year, and are asked to select three sponsors they are especially interested in by the end of February. The allocation process thus starts in March, with the MIPLC contacting the sponsors and forwarding the students' CVs. The internship itself takes place between mid-September and mid-November. The exact dates should be agreed upon between the internship sponsor and the intern. Individual alternative arrangements regarding the timing and the length of an internship are possible.

We will be happy to forward your internship offers to our students at any time.