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If pushed, mention that taking on additional corporate work may impact your ability to perform well in your primary practice area. Casually inform your disputes seniors that you’re being assigned corporate tasks and ask if they’d prefer you to stay focused on disputes—they may step in. Since disputes lawyers arrive later, use early hours for self-initiated legal research or drafting to appear engaged. If declining directly doesn’t work, say you’ll check if you can manage both but can’t promise a deadline, forcing corporate associates to reconsider. Additionally, leverage informal discussions with other disputes interns or associates for strategies on deflecting corporate work. If assignments persist despite your objections, subtly bring it up with a disputes senior, as they might intervene to keep you within your intended practice area.
I am from a T1.5 college, top 10% of my batch, 4th year, love litigation and have interned only in lawyers' chambers till now. I secured an internship with a T2 firm [not disclosing name and location, but in a T1 city] (how they selected me - they only know) in their disputes practice, which they are known for. So this is my first law firm internship. I took this internship for the reason that I wanted to see how a law firm works and if I am cut out for it.
Coming to the interns part, of the all the interns that are in the firm at the office I am at, only one-third are in corporate, and for one of them it is their first corporate practice area internship. These people in the corporate teams always come and give work to interns no matter which practice area they are in. Today it happened to be my misfortune [no offence to those in that area - I just don't like the work, and don't want to do it] and it is quite a lot. These people know that I am in disputes, and yet they are giving corporate work. How do I deal with the same? On a friday evening these people gave me alot of work to do - that too by the weekend. I have also heard that these corporate people say that the work is urgent but it isn't, since its due perhaps a month or so later.
I am not saying that I wouldn't want to work or anything - just that I don't like the nature of the work they do and are making me do. I would rather go to court, draft petitions, SLPs, WPs, etc.,. prepare list of dates, research on propositions of law, go for arbitrations etc., but cannot do this sort of corporate advisory and regulatory compliance work. Had I been given that work for the weekend, I would not have complained. I have interned for over 12-14 hours a day in weekends in a lawyer's chamber. Thats really not an isssue for me.
Would really love some advice on how to deal with these associates and tell them no. I have already used the 'I already have work from XYZ in disputes' thing. Also, another issue is interns come first to the office, followed by the corporate people, and then the disputes - who come around 11-12ish. So there is a good chance they'll see me empty handed and assign me work saying its urgent.
Help is appreciated. Writing this in frustration at 12am while doing that clerical corporate work