V15 Partner/OCI Interviewer Answering Questions... Forum

[itbdvorm]

Seems like a silly question, but it's the internet so I'll go ahead and ask it:

What's the process for determining who gets a callback? I ask because some firms had multiple interviewers conducting separate interviews simultaneously on my campus. Does each interviewer decide which of the candidates with whom she spoke will receive a callback? Is there some kind of meeting? How are these decisions made?

To tack onto this, I'd be interested to know the post-callback process. A host of different lawyers talk to dozens (or more) candidates. Does each interviewer "score" the candidate after the interview, and it is raw score? Do they really remember each individual and have a conversation later with all those atty's together?

At least for us, callback decisions are (for the most part) made by each interviewer independently, with adjustments based upon total desired callbacks from that school and grades.

For post-callbacks, each interviewer rates the candidate and then the committee reviews the totals + comments.

[Anonymous User]

Curious about your comment several pages back re. evening student grades. Do interviewers think evening curve is easier? As someone who has taken both "evening" and "day" classes at Georgetown, I haven't found there to be any difference. I am a day student, so don't have an axe to grind...just interested.

[itbdvorm]

Curious about your comment several pages back re. evening student grades. Do interviewers think evening curve is easier? As someone who has taken both "evening" and "day" classes at Georgetown, I haven't found there to be any difference. I am a day student, so don't have an axe to grind...just interested.

Honestly not totally sure. 20% fear of the unknown - I know and understand how day 1L classes work. I'm not sure about evening classes (including whether admissions standards/curves are the same, etc.). Also personal experiences with evening students has not been perfect

[Anonymous User]

Seems like a silly question, but it's the internet so I'll go ahead and ask it:

What's the process for determining who gets a callback? I ask because some firms had multiple interviewers conducting separate interviews simultaneously on my campus. Does each interviewer decide which of the candidates with whom she spoke will receive a callback? Is there some kind of meeting? How are these decisions made?

To tack onto this, I'd be interested to know the post-callback process. A host of different lawyers talk to dozens (or more) candidates. Does each interviewer "score" the candidate after the interview, and it is raw score? Do they really remember each individual and have a conversation later with all those atty's together?

At least for us, callback decisions are (for the most part) made by each interviewer independently, with adjustments based upon total desired callbacks from that school and grades.

For post-callbacks, each interviewer rates the candidate and then the committee reviews the totals + comments.

So when you say the committee reviews the totals, that seems to indicate to me that there is some sort of numerical score that is summed. Is this accurate?

[Anonymous User]

After a student has accepted an offer, is it usual for them to stay in touch with you, outside of what is necessary for logistical reasons, until the summer, or do they go full radio silence? Would you prefer not to be bothered until the summer starts?

[itbdvorm]

Seems like a silly question, but it's the internet so I'll go ahead and ask it:

What's the process for determining who gets a callback? I ask because some firms had multiple interviewers conducting separate interviews simultaneously on my campus. Does each interviewer decide which of the candidates with whom she spoke will receive a callback? Is there some kind of meeting? How are these decisions made?

To tack onto this, I'd be interested to know the post-callback process. A host of different lawyers talk to dozens (or more) candidates. Does each interviewer "score" the candidate after the interview, and it is raw score? Do they really remember each individual and have a conversation later with all those atty's together?

At least for us, callback decisions are (for the most part) made by each interviewer independently, with adjustments based upon total desired callbacks from that school and grades.

For post-callbacks, each interviewer rates the candidate and then the committee reviews the totals + comments.

So when you say the committee reviews the totals, that seems to indicate to me that there is some sort of numerical score that is summed. Is this accurate?

The total interviewer impressions / reviews are reviewed by the committee and a decision's based on that

[itbdvorm]

After a student has accepted an offer, is it usual for them to stay in touch with you, outside of what is necessary for logistical reasons, until the summer, or do they go full radio silence? Would you prefer not to be bothered until the summer starts?

I think there's a decent amount of communication still w/our recruiting team. I probably would be happy to not be bothered (though somewhat indifferent)...

[Anonymous User]

When is it time to give up on getting an offer from a CB? Two weeks, a month?

[itbdvorm]

When is it time to give up on getting an offer from a CB? Two weeks, a month?

When you get the "no."

If it's been two weeks and you haven't heard anything you could call, but that's not really that unreasonable an amount of time - say you interview on Monday and the committee meets Tuesday, maybe they don't have your reviews yet, so you get looked at on the following Tuesday, but then they're waiting for one more person from your school to come in so they can look at everyone together...

[Anonymous User]

What percent of offers get accepted at your firm? How many offers do you keep outstanding at the same time?

Thank you very much.

[Anonymous User]

After a student has accepted an offer, is it usual for them to stay in touch with you, outside of what is necessary for logistical reasons, until the summer, or do they go full radio silence? Would you prefer not to be bothered until the summer starts?

I think there's a decent amount of communication still w/our recruiting team. I probably would be happy to not be bothered (though somewhat indifferent)...

Thanks. This thread has been super helpful. Really appreciate you wading into the TLS swamp!

[Anonymous User]

How did you choose between summer offers? Particularly if the offers were V5 and V15?

[itbdvorm]

What percent of offers get accepted at your firm? How many offers do you keep outstanding at the same time?

Thank you very much.

I would guess somewhere in the neighborhood of 30-50%, but I'm really not sure right now (varies year-by-year). Offers outstanding varies as well throughout the process. Our professional recruiting staff models out some expected yields, etc., and we base our goals on that with adjustments depending on how we're doing.

[itbdvorm]

After a student has accepted an offer, is it usual for them to stay in touch with you, outside of what is necessary for logistical reasons, until the summer, or do they go full radio silence? Would you prefer not to be bothered until the summer starts?

I think there's a decent amount of communication still w/our recruiting team. I probably would be happy to not be bothered (though somewhat indifferent)...

Thanks. This thread has been super helpful. Really appreciate you wading into the TLS swamp!

Glad to help! Happy to also give specific firm advice to those asking - I've seen most of the big firms in the corporate realm at this point...

[Anonymous User]

Thoughts on Covington NY? Assume other choices are more in the vein of Sidley/Willkie/Cahill.

Edit: reading your post that follows, I pretty much feel the way about Covington that you felt about your firm, in terms of being happy.

[itbdvorm]

How did you choose between summer offers? Particularly if the offers were V5 and V15?

Was a very difficult process for me; I ended up choosing a lower-ranked vault firm over a higher-ranked one, and I was very very torn up about it. In the end, the combination of geography, practice strengths and (most importantly) people drew me to choose my current place (not that the people were bad at the other firm, I just really felt a kinship with the ones I met at my current firm). Turned out to be a fantastic call for me, I got really lucky with the way things wound up.

I'd say do your research (vault's OK at best, I like Chambers and even better, alumni of your school currently at the mid-level ranks)...but in the end choose the place you think you'll be happiest. It's silly to be miserable at Chambers Band 1 if you think you could be happy at Chambers Band 2 (or even 3, 4).

(and yes, I know that's not quite the advice I gave to the kid deciding between Cravath and his hometown firm, but between two relatively equal top firms I stand by it)

[itbdvorm]

Thoughts on Covington NY? Assume other choices are more in the vein of Sidley/Willkie/Cahill.

For Corporate, Covington seems to be small but very good. They won't do a ton of deals given their size but they seem to be a very nice team and I think people are reasonably happy there. I don't think you'd be making a bad choice by going there (unless your sole goal was to go do lev fin / i-banking, in which case Cahill's your spot)

[Anonymous User]

Thoughts on Covington NY? Assume other choices are more in the vein of Sidley/Willkie/Cahill.

For Corporate, Covington seems to be small but very good. They won't do a ton of deals given their size but they seem to be a very nice team and I think people are reasonably happy there. I don't think you'd be making a bad choice by going there (unless your sole goal was to go do lev fin / i-banking, in which case Cahill's your spot)

Great, thanks a lot. It's very difficult to find information about the NY office in particular.

[Anonymous User]

How late does your firm give out offers? I notice a lot of people on the forums are still waiting to hear either way..... when is the game officially over?

[Anonymous User]

Thoughts on Covington NY? Assume other choices are more in the vein of Sidley/Willkie/Cahill.

Edit: reading your post that follows, I pretty much feel the way about Covington that you felt about your firm, in terms of being happy.

how long after cb did you get your offer?

[itbdvorm]

How late does your firm give out offers? I notice a lot of people on the forums are still waiting to hear either way..... when is the game officially over?

We're still interviewing. Game's not over til you get the no.

[Anonymous User]

Thoughts on DPW vs Cleary for FIG/Dodd Frank or possibly securities lit?

[Anonymous User]

On a CB, what kinds of questions are the interviewers looking for? For juniors I try to ask about the types of work they have, their summer experience, and their day to day work.
For partners I try to ask specific questions about the summer program and the responsibilities given to juniors/summers. Many times I am paired with a partner who is not in the practice group that I am interviewing for (for example, firm knows I want litigation but they put me with a tax law or very specific transactional guy). I don't have any questions I can really ask about that partner's specific line of work, especially because the firm knows I have no interest in it. Is it ok to simply ask the partner about his experience with the firm, how he got into the type of work he is in, etc?

[itbdvorm]

Thoughts on DPW vs Cleary for FIG/Dodd Frank or possibly securities lit?

Both have great practices in both areas as far as I know (not really my area of expertise). You'll be fine w/either. Go with fit, gut, geography (midtown vs. downtown does make a difference)

[itbdvorm]

On a CB, what kinds of questions are the interviewers looking for? For juniors I try to ask about the types of work they have, their summer experience, and their day to day work.
For partners I try to ask specific questions about the summer program and the responsibilities given to juniors/summers. Many times I am paired with a partner who is not in the practice group that I am interviewing for (for example, firm knows I want litigation but they put me with a tax law or very specific transactional guy). I don't have any questions I can really ask about that partner's specific line of work, especially because the firm knows I have no interest in it. Is it ok to simply ask the partner about his experience with the firm, how he got into the type of work he is in, etc?

That's exactly what I'd ask about. Even if you have no interest in someone's story, they will probably still be interested in telling it to you. Ask good questions (including follow-ups) and get them to tell you how they got to where they are...