The firm I will be summering with is offering a couple of short term externships (two to four weeks) in the legal departments of two big banks this summer. I'm interested in corporate law and I think the exposure to in-house work and the contacts I could make at one of the banks may be helpful in the future. On the other hand, the dates of these externships are in the middle of the summer - so I'm concerned about not making as much of an impression with my firm.

Any other thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.

Two people did this during my summer (NYC, V20) and they both got offers (I think a lot of firms do this with their banking clients). It's just a way for the firm to continue to build/develop relationships with their clients (essentially giving them a couple interns for free, since the firm still pays the salary) and in no way does it hurt your chances with the firm. If anything, it shows them that you have a strong interest in their corporate practice and that you are able to work well with their clients.

reviving an old thread. i got an offer from my firm to do an externship like this (sounds exactly the same as what OP's firm is offering). what would be the ramifications of turning it down? it does sound like an interesting opportunity, but i think i would rather have the chance to spend the entire summer at my firm & develop good working relationships there. however, i don't want to offend the person who offered it to me or look uncooperative/unwilling to take on work by turning it down. any thoughts on this? thanks.