Partner With Us
We offer opportunities for law students from Indian universities to work closely with our legal and advocacy teams, gaining hands-on exposure to public interest law, community engagement, research, and policy reform. We also welcome volunteers for specific projects and campaigns that align with our core areas of work. If you’re ready to explore law beyond the classroom and make a difference on the ground, we’d love to hear from you. Here are our ongoing projects:
Project Clean Walkways: Reclaiming the Right to Walk
In every bustling urban lane, footpaths meant for safe and free pedestrian movement are increasingly being hijacked. From shopkeepers using pavements as extended display zones, to parked vehicles and makeshift storage spilling over onto sidewalks, footpath encroachment has become a silent yet persistent urban hazard.
What was once intended as a safe passage for citizens is now a zone of congestion, chaos, and conflict. Pedestrians, including the elderly, children, and persons with disabilities, are often forced off the sidewalks and onto busy roads, risking accidents and compromising their right to safe mobility. The ripple effects? Increased road congestion, traffic mismanagement, and public spaces that no longer serve the public.
About the Research Project
Project Clean Walkways is a focused legal and social research initiative by Legal Aid Trust aimed at investigating the extent, causes, and consequences of footpath encroachments in urban India.
This project will explore the issue through a multidisciplinary lens—combining legal scrutiny, urban planning insights, and community impact analysis. The goal is to create actionable recommendations that can inform public policy, civic engagement, and even legal recourse.
Internship & Research Opportunity
Legal Aid Trust invites passionate, socially conscious students to participate in this critical research initiative.
- Research Scope: Survey footpath usage, document encroachments, analyse legal frameworks, and assess pedestrian impact.
- Support: Clear objectives and methodology will be provided. Interns will be mentored by Legal Aid Trust throughout the research.
- Publication & Impact: Final reports will be published on our website with due credit to researchers. Findings may be used to support Public Interest Litigations (PILs) or inform urban policy and advocacy efforts.
Who Can Apply?
Open to graduate and postgraduate students of Law and Social Work from Indian universities.
If you believe in the power of walkable cities and public spaces that serve the people, this is your chance to contribute to real, lasting change.
To apply, visit the “Career” page on our website.
Let’s help cities breathe and walk freely again.
Project White Topping: A Social Audit on the White Topping of Roads
As part of Bengaluru’s urban infrastructure overhaul, the Government of Karnataka introduced the White Topping initiative—laying concrete overlays on existing asphalt roads—to enhance road durability, reduce maintenance costs, and improve driving conditions. While the intention behind this initiative is commendable, the real question remains: Has white topping delivered on its promises?
Legal Aid Trust is launching Project White Lines, a social audit aimed at assessing the efficacy and ground-level impact of white topping on Bengaluru’s roads.
From the structural integrity of white-topped stretches to the experience of daily commuters, this research will explore whether the objectives that justified the policy decision have been met. The study will also evaluate the current state of these roads based on the age of implementation—shedding light on their longevity, maintenance, and the socio-economic implications for the city’s residents.
About the Research Project
This social audit is intended to bridge the gap between policy and practice. Through on-ground inspections, community feedback, legal review, and civic analysis, this project aims to produce a comprehensive report that could serve as the basis for further policy improvement—or legal redress.
Internship & Research Opportunity
Legal Aid Trust welcomes motivated students to be part of this research initiative.
- Research Focus: Evaluating the outcomes of white topping projects across Bengaluru, analyzing road conditions based on implementation age, and understanding public perception.
- Support: Research objectives and methodology will be provided by the Trust. Expert monitoring and guidance will be offered throughout the project.
- Impact & Publication: Final reports will be published on the Legal Aid Trust website, acknowledging the research team. Findings may also support Public Interest Litigations (PILs) or policy advocacy initiatives.
Who Can Apply?
Open to graduate and postgraduate students of Urban Planning, Law, and Social Work.
To apply, visit the “Career” page on our website.
Let’s audit the road ahead—one white-topped lane at a time.
Project Dhwani: Giving Voice to the Silent Struggles of Urban Migrant Families
Dhwani is a research-based initiative by Legal Aid Trust, conceptualised with a deep sensitivity toward often-overlooked sections of urban society—particularly the families of migrant workers in metropolitan cities. While cities promise opportunity, they also silently isolate. Migrant workers, drawn from diverse linguistic and economic backgrounds, often relocate with their families in search of better livelihoods. But while the workers themselves become absorbed in labour, their accompanying family members—especially women and the elderly—are left navigating unfamiliar surroundings, linguistic barriers, and cultural dissonance.
After completing household chores, these individuals often find themselves with little to no social engagement or meaningful connection. With no community support and only one-way digital distractions like television, feelings of isolation, dislocation, and emotional distress begin to take root. These quiet struggles remain undocumented, unaddressed, and unspoken.
Project Dhwani seeks to understand and amplify these unheard voices. It aims to explore the psychological, emotional, and social dimensions of this urban displacement through thoughtful, community-grounded research.
About the Research Project
Legal Aid Trust invites applications from driven and empathetic students to join the research team for Project Dhwani. This internship is ideal for individuals interested in social justice, migration studies, mental health, and urban policy.
Internship & Research Opportunity
- Scope of Work: Participate in field research, data collection, interviews, analysis, and report writing.
- Guidance: The objectives and methodology will be provided by Legal Aid Trust. Research will be conducted under the close mentorship and monitoring of our experienced team.
- Publication: The final research report will be published on our official website, with full credit to the contributing research team.
Who Can Apply?
Graduate and postgraduate students in Law, Social Work, or Management from recognised institutions in India.
If you are committed to using research as a tool for empathy, impact, and transformative policy change, Project Dhwani offers you a meaningful opportunity to contribute where it truly matters.
Write to us at info@legalaidtrust.in to express your interest and take the first step toward making unheard voices heard.
Project ParkRight: A Social Audit on Visitor Parking in Commercial Complexes
In the heart of Bengaluru’s commercial expansion lies a persistent urban challenge—visitor parking in malls and commercial buildings. As glass-fronted complexes rise across the city, the parking crunch intensifies, raising questions about urban planning, civic oversight, and public convenience.
Project ParkRight is a social audit initiative by Legal Aid Trust, designed to investigate the realities of parking provisions in commercial complexes. With malls and office spaces increasingly charging visitors for parking—or offering inadequate space altogether—this study seeks to unravel the regulatory framework, the accountability of builders, and the impact on everyday citizens.
Scope of the Research
The audit will examine how construction clearances are issued by authorities in the absence of adequate visitor parking plans. It will also study what kind of monitoring mechanisms or audits (if any) are in place to ensure parking norms are followed by commercial complexes post-occupancy. Furthermore, the research will delve into the legality and transparency of parking fees charged by private players, and whether any action is initiated against non-compliant builders, owners, or lessors.
Internship & Research Opportunity
Legal Aid Trust is offering an opportunity for dedicated students to be part of this social audit, with a chance to influence meaningful urban change.
- Research Focus: Parking regulations, builder compliance, visitor access, and the legal accounting of private parking charges.
- Support: The Trust will provide clear research objectives and methodology, along with expert guidance throughout the process.
- Impact & Publication: The final research report will be published on the Legal Aid Trust website with full credit to the research team. The findings may also inform future legal or civic actions.
Who Can Apply?
Open to graduate and postgraduate students in Urban Planning, Law, and Social Work.
To apply, visit the “Career” page on our website.
Let’s make space for the public by questioning the space we’re given.