How to Handle Conflicting Deadlines During a Legal Internship

When two seniors give you assignments that cannot both be completed within the available time, explain the conflict early and ask for a priority decision. Give a clear account of your existing commitments, the work remaining and a realistic proposed sequence.

This can feel uncomfortable during a first internship, especially when you are still learning whom to approach. A practical system helps: clarify each assignment, record deadlines, raise clashes promptly and confirm any revised instructions.

Clarify what “urgent” means before committing

“Please do this urgently” leaves several questions unanswered. Does the senior need an initial answer, a checked research note or a document ready for review? Is it needed before a meeting, a hearing or the end of the working day?

Ask a short, specific question:

“By what time would you need the first draft, and should I prepare a brief answer or a detailed note with supporting authorities?”

Also establish who will review the work. A document needed for a 4 PM meeting may require an earlier internal deadline so that the reviewing lawyer has time to check it.

Seeking clarification is expressly recognised in some internship instructions. The Department of Legal Affairs’ published guidance tells its interns to follow supervisors’ instructions and seek clarification where they have doubts or need further guidance. Your own office’s reporting arrangements remain the starting point.

Before accepting a deadline, briefly examine the material. If you cannot yet estimate the work, say when you can provide an estimate.

Keep a task record that shows your actual commitments

Use the office’s approved task system, a permitted spreadsheet or a notebook. Record the assignment, the person who assigned it, the expected output, the deadline and any missing information.

Hypothetical example: At 11:30 AM, your commitments look like this:

Assignment	Requested output	Deadline	Estimated work remaining
Chronology for Senior A	Checked chronology with document references	1:30 PM	Two hours
Research for Senior B	Short note with relevant judgments	1 PM	Ninety minutes

The estimates make the problem visible: completing both within their requested deadlines is unlikely.

Treat estimates as provisional. Reading an unfamiliar file may reveal additional work. Update the record when the scope changes, and leave time for checking citations, dates, attachments and document references.

Keep confidential matter details within the systems and access arrangements approved by the office.

Explain the clash when the second assignment arrives

A useful message contains four things: your existing commitment, the new request, the time needed and the decision you need.

Sample wording for the hypothetical situation:

“I am completing the chronology for Senior A, due at 1:30 PM, and estimate that it needs another two hours. The research note you have requested for 1 PM may take around ninety minutes. Could you please confirm which should take priority? If the chronology remains first, I estimate that I can send the research note by 3 PM.”

Use an estimate you can reasonably support. Avoid promising an earlier time simply to make the conversation easier.

If your office has an internship coordinator or designated reporting associate, approach that person where appropriate. Explain the assignments factually, without speculating about whose matter matters more.

Ask the appropriate person to resolve competing priorities

Different seniors may each have only part of the picture. One may be unaware that you are already working towards another deadline.

Where necessary, ask whether the seniors can coordinate:

“Both assignments have immediate deadlines. Would you prefer that I check the sequence with my reporting associate, or could the priority be confirmed between the two teams?”

Share only the information each recipient is authorised to receive. A scheduling discussion does not require circulating confidential documents from another matter.

If the new instruction changes an earlier commitment, ensure that the person expecting the earlier work is informed. Follow the office’s practice on whether you should send that update or the supervising lawyer will do so.

An intern should seek direction before changing work connected with a hearing, filing or other consequential deadline.

Also Check: Legal Internship vs Summer Associate vs Judicial Clerkship: Key Differences in the US

Also Check: Legal Internship at Kyndryl, Bengaluru [Full-Time; In-Person]

Confirm a revised deadline after the discussion

A brief written confirmation can prevent misunderstandings after an oral conversation.

Illustrative message:

“As discussed, I will complete the research note first and send it by 1 PM. The chronology will follow by 3:30 PM. I understand that Senior A has been informed of the revised timing.”

Use the final sentence only if it is true.

Record changes in scope as well as time. If the supervisor agrees to a preliminary answer followed by a fuller note, specify what each submission will contain.

This matters because “send what you have” can otherwise leave uncertainty about whether a document is ready for use or still requires substantial checking.

If nobody responds, make the unresolved conflict visible

Use the office’s normal urgent communication channel. Depending on the setting, that may mean approaching the reporting associate, making a short call or contacting the internship coordinator.

State the decision needed and the approaching deadline:

“I have not yet received confirmation of the priority between these assignments. The research note is requested by 1 PM. I am continuing the chronology under the earlier instruction while seeking guidance. Please let me know if I should change the sequence.”

This wording describes your current position; it does not create a universal rule that the first assignment must always come first. Follow any established office protocol.

Avoid silently assuming that an unanswered message means an extension has been granted. Continue seeking appropriate direction where a consequential deadline may be affected.

Report an emerging delay before the promised time passes

Even after priorities are agreed, an assignment may take longer than expected. Perhaps a document is missing, the research question expands or an authority needs further checking.

Send an update as soon as the problem becomes clear. Explain progress, the obstacle and the options.

Illustrative update:

“The chronology is drafted, but I found inconsistent dates in two documents that need checking. I estimate another forty-five minutes. Would you prefer the current draft, with those entries clearly flagged, or the checked version at 3:45 PM?”

If your estimate was wrong, acknowledge that directly. Give the supervisor useful information for deciding what happens next.

Where you discover an error in something already submitted, flag it promptly and identify the affected version.

Hand over unfinished work with clear limits

A partial submission can help another person continue the task, provided its status is unmistakable and the supervisor has agreed to receive it.

Label it clearly, for example:

Preliminary research note — further verification required

In the accompanying message, identify what is complete, what remains unchecked and where the supporting material is stored. Distinguish a source you have located from one you have read and verified.

Do not describe an unfinished document as final. If another intern is to help, obtain the relevant supervisor’s approval before sharing the assignment or its materials.

Raise recurring overload as a scheduling issue

If clashes happen repeatedly, request a short workload discussion with the person responsible for supervising you.

Bring your current task list and ask for a workable allocation:

“I currently have these four assignments due tomorrow. Could we confirm their order and whether any deadline or scope can be adjusted?”

Mention known constraints, such as approved leave or agreed availability, early enough for planning.

At the end of each working day, check tomorrow’s deadlines and any unanswered priority questions. Where the office expects an update, report what is complete, what remains pending and what decision or material you need to proceed.