Hiya, I know the right thing to do here but need some assertive non-negotiable phrases to knock something on the head.
Without outing myself too much, I'm a lawyer and I've just started at a nice new firm which is national, and which will soon be opening a branch near me. The main headquarters are about a three hour drive away. The new branch near me will open in a couple of weeks (a little behind schedule, just one of those things). In the meantime I am doing some local court work for them, and a few other bits of contracting work. I don't have access to the main client database but they are posting court bundles to me as needed. I'm working at court and at home.
Okay, so here's the issue: last week I drove down to their headquarters for two days (stopping over). I said hi to everyone, did paperwork, got a laptop, and then shadowed some appointments. I can access their client database when I'm in their office (plugged into ether net) but not elsewhere.
On Friday afternoon one of the sols handed me three files with urgent issues that needed addressing right away and asked me if I could help. I reviewed the cases, took instruction, wrote to the other parties, made detailed attendance notes with recommended next steps. All notes were uploaded on the client database and printed for the file too.
I couldn't find the solicitor before I left on Friday afternoon, but I left the files on her desk and emailed her and her PA, saying what I'd done and referring her to the file notes.
There are no plans for me to go back to main headquarters office. They know I can't access the client database at home.
You know where this is going, I bet. Last night I got an email from another solicitor at the same firm, saying to me in essence, 'I need an update on these cases, the clients are contacting me, it's urgent!' cc'ing a bunch of senior people.
I've responded to her and to the person who asked me for help on Friday (cc'ing all the other randoms she's copied), saying in essence, 'Of course I don't have the files or access to your database, but off the top of my head here's what I remember doing on Friday [...]. You'll see my full notes in the files and on the database. Unfortunately that's the extent of the update I can give. Check with [main headquarters] office, as there have likely been developments since last week.'
It is a no-brainer: I don't have conduct of these cases. I can't be responsible for a file I don't have access to. It's not my fault that their local branch isn't up and running yet and that I have no database access. I helped out for a few hours to be collegial.
However knowing myself as a people - pleaser, I have a danger of getting into 'no good deed goes unpunished' territory sometimes. Sometimes I fear CFs can sense this.
I trust my response this morning made everything clear, however in case there is some cheekiness in reply, can you help me with some swift, pleasant, unequivocal responses to essentially say, 'Nothing to do with me, sort yourself out.'