I work in the disputes team and I concede that the pay disparity exists but the interest and love makes up for that. There's also another way to look at it, if one was to go for chamber practice (which has its own additional work description) the pay would be significantly lower, so working in a dispute team is like getting the best of both worlds whilst still ensuring that there is a decent-ish pay.
Additionally, I got into law despising Disputes&Litigation and idealising gen corp but I had several fantastic and enriching experiences in the litigation field and opted for that, I have never been discouraged. Contrary to that I have been encouraged to take on more from the litigation field by people who would not benefit from it (so you know its not someone trying to make a slave out of me for their benefit).
TLDR: Decent pay + love/interest for the work trumps over other things
Why do people opt for these teams? The pay disparity between corp and these teams can be as much as 35 - 40%. Is it solely because of genuine interest? As a second year student, I have been told by my seniors to ALWAYS avoid interning under disputes / IPR teams. Furthermore, I have been told to stick to "conventional" fields like gencorp M&A and at most B&F.
Additionally, I got into law despising Disputes&Litigation and idealising gen corp but I had several fantastic and enriching experiences in the litigation field and opted for that, I have never been discouraged. Contrary to that I have been encouraged to take on more from the litigation field by people who would not benefit from it (so you know its not someone trying to make a slave out of me for their benefit).
TLDR: Decent pay + love/interest for the work trumps over other things