Click here to download the Application Form
Background of the 2007 ITechLaw India Traveling Fellowship Award  |  Rules of the Award
Who is eligible  |  Procedure for application  |  The Traveling Fellowship Award




In honor of the host country of the International Technology Law Association 3rd Annual Asian Conference 2007, the International Technology Law Association (ITechLaw), with the assistance and support of four sponsoring law firms, will be awarding a lawyer from India (in-house counsel or practicing attorney) the opportunity to intern with four law firms (the sponsors of the Award) in Europe.

ITechLaw's objective is to expose an Indian lawyer to the different legal systems in the field of Information & Communication Technology (ICT) law, which has a steadily increasing cross border dimension, and to allow the recipient of the Award to experience at first hand how ICT law is practiced in these jurisdictions.

ITechLaw hopes that this will enable the recipient to return to India and apply his or her experience to his or her home jurisdiction, and use the knowledge gained to educate other lawyers practicing in India on the current key issues emerging as a consequence of the explosive growth of the ICT business.

By creating this opportunity for an Indian lawyer to learn about ICT law in Europe, through practical insights in law firms, ITechLaw hopes to expand its network of ICT lawyers across the globe who are committed to the growth and development of ICT law in their respective legal systems.

Top




Each participant in the 2007 ITechLaw India Traveling Fellowship Award contest must be nominated by his/her current employer, as a part of the registration process for the ITechLaw 3rd Annual Asian Conference, in Bangalore. The participants in the Award contest need not necessarily be registered as delegates at the Conference, but the supporting employer must be represented by a registered delegate.

The Award recipient will spend approximately eight weeks with four different law firms in Europe. As a part of the nomination, the current employer agrees to provide a sabbatical in the second half of 2007 to its nominee, to permit the nominee, if awarded the Fellowship, to take advantage of the Traveling Fellowship Award. The exact dates of the visit with the sponsoring law firms will be determined by the sponsors of the Award.

The emphasis during the visit with the sponsoring law firms will be on practical aspects of ICT Law. ITechLaw seeks to contribute to continuing professional development by giving an Indian lawyer an in-depth understanding of the European legal systems. In addition to providing professional stimulus and cross-cultural insights, the Award recipient will have opportunities to meet European lawyers and network with members of their practice groups. ITechLaw believes that the social aspect of the Traveling Fellowship program will contribute significantly to the creation and strengthening of networks, which will be sustained long after the Award recipient has returned home.

From the applications received, the Award Jury will select one grantee of the Fellowship. The Award will be based on an overall evaluation of the candidates, at the complete discretion of the Award Jury.

The Award Jury will accept the first 50 applications only (order of entry); any additional applications will be rejected. The Fellowship will not be awarded if the Award Jury receives fewer than three applications within the application term.

The decisions of the Award Jury will be final and binding on all applicants.

Top




To be eligible, the nominee must:
  • Be an Indian citizen;
  • Work as an in-house counsel on ICT matters with a company based in India or practice ICT law as a qualified attorney in India;
  • Be nominated by his or her employer represented by a registrant having paid the conference fee in full at ITechLaw's 3rd Annual Asian Conference, in Bangalore;
  • Have procured a tentative leave of absence from his or her current employer, in order to be able to enjoy the benefits of the Award;
  • Have a minimum of two years professional experience as in-house counsel in ICT matters or as practicing attorney in these fields;
  • Be able to demonstrate through the completed application objective evidence of committed involvement in the field of ICT law;
  • Be fluent both in written and spoken English;
  • Be able to travel to Europe for a period of approximately eight weeks in the second half of 2007 (exact date to be determined by the sponsoring law firms);
  • Have a passport with more than 6 months validity remaining after the proposed program tenure;
  • Be eligible for a visa for the travel and stay in the countries where the program will be implemented (any selection is subject to obtaining the necessary visa);
  • Be able (subject to an absence due to force majeure) to attend the Gala Dinner on February 14, 2007, at the Le Meridien Hotel, in Bangalore, if selected as the Award recipient; and
  • Submit a complete and comprehensive application within the time limit established by the Award Jury
Award Sponsors, ITechLaw Conference Sponsors and Organizers are not authorized to nominate participants in the Traveling Fellowship Award contest

Top




Each paid Indian registrant for the ITechLaw 3rd Annual Asian Conference, in Bangalore, may make an application for the Traveling Fellowship Award on behalf of one of his or her company's/firm's employees. Such application should include the following:
  • A note authored solely by the nominee, of not more than 200 words, specifying what the nominated participant wishes to get out of the participation in the program and his / her future involvement in the ITechLaw, together with ideas for activities in which he or she would like to become involved in to promote ITechLaw in India;
  • A confirmation letter from the nominated participant's current employer in support of the Traveling Fellowship program, including permission for the leave of absence in the second half of 2007 (exact date to be determined by the sponsoring law firms)
The full and complete application for the Traveling Fellowship Award must be submitted no later than Friday, January 26, 2007. The completed application must include the application form and attachments. The application is filed by sending the application form (PDF format - click here to download) and the relevant attachments (scanned) via email to the following email addresses: travelingfellowship@itechlaw-india.com, and tfconferences@gmail.com. No other form of application will be accepted. Partial, incomplete, belated and non email applications will be rejected.

Top




ITechLaw, through the participating host firms (sponsors of the Award), will meet the cost of the Traveling Fellowship program for the Award recipient in Europe. This includes:
  • Return air fare (economy class) from India to the host countries;
  • Travel expenses (air fare economy class, train fare first class) between the countries/cities of the host firms;
  • Accommodation expenses during the stay in the host countries during the program;
  • Any social activity organized by the host firms, at their discretion;
  • Management of the entire Traveling Fellowship program
The value for the above elements is approximately Euro 8,000. The Award will take the form either of a one-off payment or of an advance on the travel expenses and payment of allowances for accommodation by each hosting law firm. In either case, the payment(s) may be made at a location and in the form chosen by the hosts.

Participants should make a note of the following:
  • The value of the package stated above is an approximate amount. The amount can be regarded as an allowance for some of the costs of living in and traveling to and within Europe during the period; it may or may not cover all costs depending on the habits and requirements of the Award recipient;
  • Any additional contributions, in cash or kind, made by the host firms will be at their discretion and may not be demanded as of right by the recipient of the Award;
  • The recipient of the Award is not paid any salary during the program, neither by ITechLaw nor by the host firms;
  • The recipient of the Award is expected to provide by himself/herself a sufficient coverage for any kind of damages incurring during his/her trip to Europe, including coverage for loss of property, and providing full accident and health insurance coverage
First Part of the Traveling Fellowship Program
The Award recipient will be expected to attend the ITechLaw Gala Dinner to be held on February 14, 2007, at the Le Meridien Hotel, in Bangalore, as a part of the ITechLaw Conference being held there. Admission to the dinner is free, but the Award recipient will be required to pay his or her own travel and hotel expenses (if staying overnight) to attend the dinner. The Award recipient will be notified of his or her nomination for the Award approximately one week before the Conference, by email. The Award recipient will be presented by the Award Jury both to his or her hosting law firms as well as to the audience present at the event.

Subject to availability of both the hosting law firms as well as the Award recipient, the preliminary schedule for the Traveling Fellowship program may be worked out at that occasion.

The Award Jury will consist of five members, including Ursula Widmer (Chair of ITechLaw's International Visiting Associate Program, ITechLaw Executive Committee member, Award sponsor), Wolfgang Büchner (ITechLaw Board member, Award sponsor), Axel Funk (ITechLaw Board member, Award sponsor), Don McAleese (ITechLaw Board member, Award sponsor) and Subramaniam Vutha (Subramaniam Vutha & Associates, Mumbai). It will be at the discretion of the Award Jury to obtain additional local support to assist in the overall evaluation of the candidates for the Award.


Second Part of the Traveling Fellowship Program
The Award recipient travels to the hosts and is offered a stay of approximately two weeks at each of the host firms. Host firms are encouraged to involve the Award recipient as much as possible and to invite him or her, to the extent feasible, to contribute to the case work of their firm.

As far as possible, placements are arranged to suit the Award recipient's interests and/or specialization although this cannot be guaranteed.

During the placement, the Award recipient will spend time in the host firm, observing the work of other attorneys. During this time he or she may have the opportunity to observe cases in court, to discuss them with the attorney concerned and to read paperwork. He or she may also participate in conferences with clients (with the consent of the clients), and may be able to assist with appropriate drafting, pleadings and other paperwork.


Third Part of the Traveling Fellowship Program
The Award recipient will be required to submit a report about his or her experiences during the Traveling Fellowship program to ITechLaw, for purposes of record as well as publication in an ITechLaw journal and on ITechLaw's website. This written report (min. 3 and max. 5 pages) will be required to be submitted, within one week from the completion of the Traveling Fellowship program, by email to the Chair of the ITechLaw International Visiting Associate Program (Ursula Widmer).


Certification
Upon successful completion of the Traveling Fellowship program, the Award recipient will be entitled to request a Certification of Participation in the ITechLaw Traveling Fellowship program, such request to be submitted by email to the Chair of the ITechLaw International Visiting Associate Program (Ursula Widmer). The Certification from ITechLaw certifies satisfactory completion of the Traveling Fellowship program. In order to complete this program successfully, the participant must satisfactorily attend host offices and must present the written report to ITechLaw in due time.


ITechLaw Membership
ITechLaw expects the Award recipient to become a member of the International Technology Law Association, or, if he/she is already an ITechLaw member, to renew membership. Application for membership or for renewal, respectively, will be required to be submitted within two weeks from the conclusion of the ITechLaw Conference in Bangalore as a condition of continuing eligibility to obtain the benefit of the Award.


Disclaimer:
In case of an unlikely partial or full withdrawal/termination of the Traveling Fellowship program, it is hereby expressly stated that the Award sponsors, Award Jury members, Conference sponsors, Conference organizers, local Indian organizers, exhibitors or general participants or anyone directly or indirectly associated with the ITechLaw 3rd Annual Asian Conference 2007 will not be held accountable for any claims whether monetary or otherwise, direct or consequential, by any participant in the Award contest. It is expressly agreed by the participant that he/she does hereby understand and agree to this disclaimer before applying for the Traveling Fellowship program.

Top