Post-Interview Tips – Debrief, Distill, Compare & Decide

September 01, 2011

With OCI coming to an end at most law schools, now is the time to sit back and assess the interview progress. While you may be tempted to tune out until you receive an offer (or rejection), don’t. In addition to reviewing your performance in the interview, you should critique the performance of the law firm. Furthermore, be sure to consider the following tips before you accept an offer.

1.  Debrief and Record Impressions – The interview dance is complex and exhausting. You will meet scores of lawyers, ask countless questions, and feel as if you have been put through a mill. Like the moment you awaken from a dream the impressions are fresh and sharp as you leave a firm. Two days later, the nuances fade and it is often difficult for students to sort out the differences among firms...

To Be, or Not To Be [An Associate] – Interview Questions You Should Ask

August 30, 2011

There are no magic questions to take through the interview process. There are only areas to be examined. Life is one long extemporaneous speech. It is not canned dialog. The student who prepares and understands the areas that are significant to her decision will know where to focus her questions.

What follows is an outline of areas you may want to consider, but remember who your audience is. Some questions should be directed at associates, while others should be directed to partners. Students sometimes forget that you can actually learn something more about the firm by asking questions. Yes, the questions you ask will be assessed by the interviewer; but please don’t ask certain questions for the sake of asking questions.

Questions to Ask the Associate Interviewer:

The following are focused on younger lawyers...

Questions You May Be Asked In Your Interview

August 25, 2011

As part of your interview preparation, you should familiarize yourself with the kinds of questions you may be asked and prepare responses to those questions. Nothing turns off an interviewer more than “ummms” and “uhhhs.” You don’t have to memorize your responses verbatim (and you shouldn’t), but being prepared will help you avoid any Miss Teen South Carolina answers to any interviewer questions. While it is impossible to cover every single question an interviewer may ask, below are some of the most common questions asked. In addition to some recommended responses, I have also added comments explaining the purpose of the question and point out any “traps” the interviewer may be setting by asking you the question.

Tell me about your grades…...

The Callback Interview – Why the Relaxed, Well Prepared Student Will Prevail

August 23, 2011

Congratulations! After enduring several hours of OCI “speed dating,” you scored a callback interview. You have done your research, gotten ‘in the zone,’ and it’s off to the firm reception area for a day of interviews. You’re tense – which is proof that you’re alive and that you care. You’re worried that you don’t know as much as you should – which is proof that you are not arrogant or presumptuous. You’re as focused as you were the day before final examinations began at the end of first year – because you know there is a lot on the line. Exhale, check your breath, and make sure you reviewed the following tips before you set out for your interview.

The message is simple – preparation and practice will relax you and prepare you for the give and take of interviewing...

Become the Master of Your Own Destiny…or at Least Your Assignments

June 16, 2011

Mastering assignments begins with understanding what the lawyers you are working for want.  You are not in law school; this is not a contest where you are graded against other students.  Clients want answers — not issue spotting.  Sophisticated clients already know the issues.  Clients want answers based on the facts and applicable law — not theory based on policy arguments, law review articles, cases from other states, dissenting opinions, or model statutes which have not been adopted.

The most frequent problems in summer programs arise from misunderstood assignments.  Common errors include

• spending the wrong amount of time on a project
• delivering the wrong type of work product
• memoranda that speak with the voice of a law student rather than that of a lawyer and
• inadequate or excessive legal research...