It is common for a young lawyer to start an associateship bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and eager. Who can I help? How can I help? What do I need to do to prove myself? When you are new to a firm, or young, there is a certain energy that comes with that position; you are hitting the ground running in a new career! This jives perfectly parallel to the qualities you described about yourself in your interview. You are dedicated. You are hard working. You are diligent, reliable and most importantly, valuable. You have promised those things to the partners in your firm, so it is natural to want to deliver and take on as much as possible as quickly as possible. It is important to remember, though, that turning down an assignment is also an admirable quality and should be practiced when appropriate.