Summer Associate Conflicts Questionnaire Forum

[Anonymous User]

Current 2L, will be doing my SA this summer. Really quick question; Essentially, the firm is asking me whether I've "ever worked for another law firm or another entity in a legal capacity". Does interning for a law firm (which, just for context, was in another country) count as working "in a legal capacity" for the purposes of this questionnaire?

Thanks!

[becodalapa]

Yes.

[Anonymous User]

Yes.

Are you sure? In the email they sent, they also said "If you are a non-attorney candidate with no prior legal experience, you are only required to complete [sections other than the one asking about legal work experience]". It just so happens that I am a non-attorney candidate, as I haven't passed the bar yet, nor is the summer associate role contingent on being an attorney.

Surely being an intern is not working "in a legal capacity", as you're not an attorney at that stage. Or is there something else the firm is trying to gather from asking this?

[Prudent_Jurist]

Why didn’t you include that info in your original post?

If you’re bothered by it, do your due diligence and ask whoever’s organizing your program or sent you the conflicts check. I’d disclose because you’re looking to get hired there as an attorney eventually, I imagine. Plus, you already put that work experience on your resume, I assume, so the firm already knows about it anyway.

[Anonymous User]

Just include as much as you can, and note your capacity in each position. They're just trying to find out if you'll need to be walled off a few matters, it's not a big deal.

[becodalapa]

Yes.

Are you sure? In the email they sent, they also said "If you are a non-attorney candidate with no prior legal experience, you are only required to complete [sections other than the one asking about legal work experience]". It just so happens that I am a non-attorney candidate, as I haven't passed the bar yet, nor is the summer associate role contingent on being an attorney.

Surely being an intern is not working "in a legal capacity", as you're not an attorney at that stage. Or is there something else the firm is trying to gather from asking this?

Why don’t you ask the firm then? My firm had us fill out conflicts questionnaires based on internships and clinics even though we obviously weren’t attorneys yet, as did most of the firms I know people at. Like another poster said, it’s just to see if they should wall you off from certain matters. Disclosing isn’t going to hurt you or anything.

[Anonymous User]

Yes.

Surely being an intern is not working "in a legal capacity", as you're not an attorney at that stage. Or is there something else the firm is trying to gather from asking this?

If you interned in IT setting up computers, then it was not "in a legal capacity." If you interned in anyway that involved preparing legal documents, discussing legal strategy, etc. then it was "in a legal capacity."

Anyway it doesnt matter. Just put it on the paper. I had like a 10 page conflict form, they figure it out.