Traveling Fellowship Award (TFA)

Background of THE Traveling Fellowship Award

In honor of the host country of the 2014 International India Conference, the International Technology Law Association (ITechLaw), with the assistance and support of sponsoring law firms, will be awarding a lawyer from India (in-house counsel or practicing attorney) the opportunity to intern with six renowned 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 Award winner to return to India and apply the experience gained in Europe to his or her home jurisdiction, and use the knowledge acquired 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 also hopes to expand across the globe its network of ICT lawyers who are committed to the development of ICT law in their respective legal systems, and to make a contribution to a better legal and cultural understanding between Indian and European lawyers, which is the basis for a prosperous and efficient professional working relationship between lawyers in different jurisdictions.

How the Traveling Fellowship Award Works (Rules of the Award)

Each participant in the 2104 ITechLaw India Traveling Fellowship (Award) contest must be nominated by his / her current employer, as a part of the registration process for the ITechLaw 8th 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 six weeks with six different law firms in Europe. As a part of the nomination, the current employer agrees to provide a sabbatical in summer of 2104 to its nominee, to permit the nominee, if awarded the Fellowship, to take advantage of the 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 system. 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 Award 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 less than three applications within the application term.

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

Who is Eligible for Traveling Fellowship Award?

To be eligible, the candidate must:

• Be an Indian citizen;
• Work as an in-house counsel in an ICT company based in India, or practice law as a qualified attorney in India, supporting ICT matters or the ICT industry;
• Be nominated by his or her employer represented by a registrant at ITechLaw's 8th 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 six weeks in summer of 2104 (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 Award Attribution Ceremony in the morning of January 30, 2104 (Day 1 of the 2014 International India Conference) at the conference Hotel Leela Palace Kempinski 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.

Procedure for Application

Each paid Indian registrant for 2014 International India 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 Association, together with ideas for activities in which he or she would like to become involved in to promote the ITechLaw Association in India;
• A confirmation letter from the nominated participant's current employer in support of the Traveling Fellowship Award, including permission for the leave of absence in summer of 2104 (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 Saturday, August 31, 2013. The completed application must include the application form and all attachments. The application is filed by sending the application form (PDF format) click here to download and the relevant attachments (scanned) via e-mail to the following e-mail address: shibani@mptfci.com. No other form of application will be accepted. Partial, incomplete, belated and non e-mail applications will be rejected.

The Traveling Fellowship Award

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 or train fare second 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 10,000. Payment of the Award will be made as follows:

• Travel expenses need to be demonstrated by the Award recipient to ITechLaw's International Visiting Associate Program Vice-Chair (Europe) Axel Funk by transmitting the offer of a travel agency or other suitable materials. Travel expenses need to be approved by Axel Funk before a booking can be made. 50% of the approved travel expenses will be reimbursed to the Award recipient upon arrival at the first host firm. The other 50% will be reimbursed immediately after the end of the Traveling Fellowship Award and return of the Award recipient to India upon presentation of documents of travel expenses such as tickets. Reimbursement of travel costs is dependent on approval before booking and on compliance of the Award recipient with the Rules of the Award.
• Payment of allowances for accommodation, if any, will be made by each hosting law firm upon arrival of the Award recipient. Alternatively, accommodation will be paid for by the host firm directly.

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 will not cover all costs of the Award recipient;
• The Award recipient is expected to make an advance on the traveling costs such as the flight costs, for example.
• 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;
• Should the recipient of the Award withdraw from the Traveling Fellowship Program before finishing it, except for reasons beyond his / her control, he / she has to refund all Award payments received and to indemnify ITechLaw from all costs incurred in the context of his / her Award;
• 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.
• The recipient of the Award has to notify the Vice-Chair (Europe) of the ITechLaw International Visiting Associate Program (Axel Funk) about his / her travel details and about any changes of his / her travel plans as soon as possible.
• The recipient of the Award commits to staying at the host firms' disposal during his / her visit. This means that he / she will not undertake individual trips whatsoever without prior written consent of the respective host firm.
• The recipient of the Award must not accept any other internship or occupation with organizations, companies or law firms during the period he / she is staying with the host firms and immediately before the beginning or after the end of the Traveling Fellowship Program before his / her return to India.
• The recipient of the Award is expected to attend social events he / she might be invited to by the host firms.
• Any visits of law firms other than the host law firms is subject to the prior written approval by the respective host firm he / she is staying with.
• The recipient of the Award is expected to travel alone (not accompanied by his / her family or friends).

First Part of the Traveling Fellowship Program

The Award recipient will be expected to attend Day 1 of the conference (free admission), as well as the ITechLaw Gala Dinner (free admission) to be held on January 30, 2014, at the conference Hotel Leela Palace Kempinski in Bangalore, as a part of the ITechLaw Conference being held there. The Award recipient will be notified of his or her nomination for the Award approximately one week before the Conference, by e-mail. 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 to ten members, including, in particular, representatives of the sponsors of the Award.

Second Part of the Traveling Fellowship Program

The Award recipient travels to the hosts and stays at each of the host firms for approximately one week. 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. In return, the Award recipient is expected to offer his support to the law firms at their discretion in all matters and to stay at their disposal during normal business hours of the host 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 his / her time in the host firm, observing the work of other attorneys. During this time he / she may have the opportunity to observe cases in court, to discuss them with the attorney concerned and to read paperwork. He / she may also participate in conferences or conference calls with clients (with the consent of the clients), and may be able to assist with appropriate drafting, pleadings and other paperwork. The Award recipient shall conclude a confidentiality agreement with each host firm before starting his / her work.

Third Part of the Traveling Fellowship Program

The Award recipient will be required to submit a final report about his / her experiences during the Traveling Fellowship Program to ITechLaw, for purposes of record as well as possible publication in an ITechLaw journal (Bulletin or eNews) and on ITechLaw's website. Interim report will be required to be submitted, on the last day (workday) of each stay at a host firm of the Traveling Fellowship Program, the final report on the last day of the Traveling Fellowship Program, by e-mail to the Vice-Chair Europe of the ITechLaw International Visiting Associate Program (Axel Funk). The final report shall have a length between 3 and 4 pages, the interim reports of half a page.

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 e-mail to the Vice-Chair (Europe) of the ITechLaw International Visiting Associate Program (Axel Funk). The Certification from ITechLaw certifies completion of the Traveling Fellowship Program. In order to complete this program successfully, the participant must attend host offices and must present the written report to ITechLaw in due time.

ITechLaw Membership

The Award recipient shall become a member of the International Technology Law Association before starting his / her travel to the host firms or, if he / she is already an ITechLaw member, to continue to renew membership. ITechLaw further expects that the Award recipient would play an active role in promoting ITechLaw in India.

DISCLAIMER / FORCE MAJEURE:

In case of an unlikely partial or full withdrawal / termination of the Traveling Fellowship Program due to unavoidable circumstances beyond the control of the Award sponsors or the organizers, 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 2014 International India Conference 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.