V15 Partner/OCI Interviewer Answering Questions... Forum

[Anonymous User]

If someone accepts an offer for an SA, what kind of things on a background check will get that offer rescinded?

Not sure. What are you worried about?

Petty theft charge in highschool (misdemeanor). Charges were dismissed after community service and have since been expunged.

[itbdvorm]

If someone accepts an offer for an SA, what kind of things on a background check will get that offer rescinded?

Not sure. What are you worried about?

Petty theft charge in highschool (misdemeanor). Charges were dismissed after community service and have since been expunged.

I really don't know the answer to this. If an explainable story / prank, I'd tell them about it. If a real thing...I don't know...

[itbdvorm]

I've read on this site that it's relatively much easier to lateral after a few years from a V15 to a V100, but nearly impossible to go the other way from a V100 to a V15. I've also read on here that this is a myth. What are your thoughts/experiences on this notion?

I'm deciding between a V15 and a V100, I liked the V100 slightly more but liked both firms a lot, and several people have told me to take the V15 because of the fact that I would have a good chance lateraling to the V100 later on if I wanted to because of the help of the great V15 resume line, but if I take the V100 then my chances of eventually ending up at the V15 are slim to none if I ever wanted to change.

There are V100s and V100s. I'm not sure offhand where places like Munger, Irell, Keker, Morvillo, Robbins, Kellogg, etc. are ranked, but none of those would give you much trouble lateraling in the future. If comparing someplace like the V81st firm (picked randomly - Blank Rome) vs. the V12th firm (picked randomly - Debevoise), then yeah - your options going forward are going to be much, much better coming from Debevoise.

That said, many top firms (including mine) often hire laterals from less-highly-ranked firms (you get people killing it at their old firms who want an upgrade). But overall, unless there's a very good reason or a specific practice area rationale, yeah, I'd generally recommend going for the V15 over the V100. V5 vs. V25 is a more realistic area for discussion.

Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss specifics.

[itbdvorm]

bumping this, why not

[Anonymous User]

bumping this, why not

Not sure if this has been answered before, but what is your firm's position on interviewing 3Ls at OCI? Obviously there is a big difference b/t those that did a 2L SA at a different firm and might want to trade up, or were no offered, and those that struck out at OCI...

Specifically what do you consider for 3Ls that want to trade up from a lower ranked firm? Does area of practice matter such that you might be looking to fill a niche group, or are you willing to take those for general practice groups like Corporate/M&A? What do you look for in such an interview?

[Anonymous User]

bumping this, why not

Not sure if this has been answered before, but what is your firm's position on interviewing 3Ls at OCI? Obviously there is a big difference b/t those that did a 2L SA at a different firm and might want to trade up, or were no offered, and those that struck out at OCI...

Specifically what do you consider for 3Ls that want to trade up from a lower ranked firm? Does area of practice matter such that you might be looking to fill a niche group, or are you willing to take those for general practice groups like Corporate/M&A? What do you look for in such an interview?

On a related note, what about 3Ls that want to change cities? I will have done two summers at big firms in one market and, due to personal circumstances, will want to switch markets once I graduate. Will it be a negative that I have spent two summers in a different city than where I want to work post-grad?

[Anonymous User]

I am a 2L headed to a V5 in NYC this summer. In the mid-term (3-5 yrs), I'd like to head back home to a big firm in a secondary market. Is there downside lateral risk to specializing in a field like Dodd-Frank or would I be better off staying in a more general corporate group? My interests are in financial institutions, but I don't want to get stuck. The big firms in the secondary market that I'm looking at do advertise a "Financial Institutions" practice group on their firm pages, but I'm not sure how extensive the group is and to what extent I would have better lateral chances coming from a more general field.

Thanks.

[imchuckbass58]

I am a 2L headed to a V5 in NYC this summer. In the mid-term (3-5 yrs), I'd like to head back home to a big firm in a secondary market. Is there downside lateral risk to specializing in a field like Dodd-Frank or would I be better off staying in a more general corporate group? My interests are in financial institutions, but I don't want to get stuck. The big firms in the secondary market that I'm looking at do advertise a "Financial Institutions" practice group on their firm pages, but I'm not sure how extensive the group is and to what extent I would have better lateral chances coming from a more general field.

Thanks.

Yes, especially for something like Dodd-Frank. Dodd-Frank work is done almost exclusively by big NY firms.

Most flexible is general corporate/M&A. Banking/finance is probably second most portable.

[desertlaw]

How often do you talk to former classmates that are at firms in NYC comparable to yours? If you do, do you think there's actually a big difference between the cultures or does it more just depend on the partners they work for?

[itbdvorm]

bumping this, why not

Not sure if this has been answered before, but what is your firm's position on interviewing 3Ls at OCI? Obviously there is a big difference b/t those that did a 2L SA at a different firm and might want to trade up, or were no offered, and those that struck out at OCI...

Specifically what do you consider for 3Ls that want to trade up from a lower ranked firm? Does area of practice matter such that you might be looking to fill a niche group, or are you willing to take those for general practice groups like Corporate/M&A? What do you look for in such an interview?

On a related note, what about 3Ls that want to change cities? I will have done two summers at big firms in one market and, due to personal circumstances, will want to switch markets once I graduate. Will it be a negative that I have spent two summers in a different city than where I want to work post-grad?

For 3L interviewing, more than anything else (by far) you fall into a "luck of last year's summer class." If we wanted a class of 30 and got 40, your odds will be incredibly rough at my firm. If we wanted 50 and got 40, you probably will have a real shot assuming you meet our standards. Certainly niches, particular expertise, etc., matter - but less so unless you've got extreme expertise (think engineering/science background for IP, tax LLM, etc.).

I do know in the past we've hired all sorts of 3Ls. But, again, our standards are quite high. Would be surprised if most folks who struck out entirely were able to meet our grade criteria (but certainly could be wrong).

For changing cities, I think having a real reason for a different city is presumably fine, though you might want to tell someone you worked with closely during your summer (assuming the firm doesn't have an office there) - especially if someone went to school in the area you want to move to. Personal recommendations always help - especially in this context.

[itbdvorm]

I am a 2L headed to a V5 in NYC this summer. In the mid-term (3-5 yrs), I'd like to head back home to a big firm in a secondary market. Is there downside lateral risk to specializing in a field like Dodd-Frank or would I be better off staying in a more general corporate group? My interests are in financial institutions, but I don't want to get stuck. The big firms in the secondary market that I'm looking at do advertise a "Financial Institutions" practice group on their firm pages, but I'm not sure how extensive the group is and to what extent I would have better lateral chances coming from a more general field.

Thanks.

Yes, especially for something like Dodd-Frank. Dodd-Frank work is done almost exclusively by big NY firms.

Most flexible is general corporate/M&A. Banking/finance is probably second most portable.

agree, though would add DC to that. though if you want to move to a firm that has multiple offices they might be willing to take you in a different office if you have true expertise (so long as that's something they do elsewhere).

[itbdvorm]

How often do you talk to former classmates that are at firms in NYC comparable to yours? If you do, do you think there's actually a big difference between the cultures or does it more just depend on the partners they work for?

often. and yes, i do think a big difference in cultures. partners obviously influence that too (you'd presumably rather work for the nicest partner at a firm w/a horrible culture than vice versa) but there are serious differences.

[opX]

Could you please provide some examples of "seperator" questions?

- What do you look for in a transfer student to have confidence that s/he can be a great hire for your summer program?

Thank you for sharing your time and wisdom.

[Anonymous User]

From what you've seen, how easy would it be to lateral from a firm's satellite office to its main office after a few years? Assuming the same practice area exists at both locations, would a firm prefer to transfer internally or find someone externally?

[Anonymous User]

There's so much emphasis on just having a natural "conversation" with interviewers, but it doesn't seem to add up to me. Especially, when I meet people and have a conversation with them, it's a lot of back and forth questions. So if they ask me how I like lawschool, I'd give an honest and slightly detailed answer, and then immediate follow it up by asking them what their law school experience was like, and if they said something I thought was worth commenting on about their experience or adding to, I'd make a remark on it, etc. In interviews I always feel like asking a question for almost every question you get asked wouldn't be appropriate, but without doing this, I have a hard time feeling like I'm in conversation mode, and I find it really awkward to be answering a bunch of questions from a person while not being able to simultaneously get a sense of who they are.

I guess my question is what kind of rhythm do you find your good/callback worthy interviews have? Is it actually like a conversation with a lot of reciprocal questions, or is it mostly the interviewer answering your questions in a charming and friendly way? Would you describe their general tone as more professional, or more candid and friendly (of course, still hopefully staying polite and avoiding anything indecent)?

On a similar note, when an interviewer specifically invites you to ask questions, how much of a professional-sphere should your questions stay in? Would asking about things like how the interviewer gets along with his/her coworkers be awkward? What about continuing on something earlier mentioned (for example, if an older interviewer mentioned his son randomly, and you asked questions about how old his son was and what his son was doing, etc... i realize that's more likely to be awkward but just trying to get a sense for the spectrum)?

[Anonymous User]

Does your firm care if a 2L Summer associate experiences a grade drop during 2L year? Does your firm take that into account when making job offers for summer associates?

[itbdvorm]

Could you please provide some examples of "seperator" questions?

- What do you look for in a transfer student to have confidence that s/he can be a great hire for your summer program?

Thank you for sharing your time and wisdom.

i have no idea what you mean by your first question.

on the second, mind-numbingly crushing grades at the first institution (i'm somewhat skeptical of transfers - sorry - we've had a bunch of bad experiences) and awesome personalities. despite my parenthetical i have given many callbacks/offer recommendations to transfer students - but since we would only give so many callbacks to a student at the initial institution i would expect that student's performance to meet those criteria

[itbdvorm]

From what you've seen, how easy would it be to lateral from a firm's satellite office to its main office after a few years? Assuming the same practice area exists at both locations, would a firm prefer to transfer internally or find someone externally?

pretty easy as long as you're in good standing and there's a need/desire. might take a little time but if you're reasonably well-regarded not too tough. possibly tougher if you're more senior than 5th-6th though as different considerations come into play.

[itbdvorm]

There's so much emphasis on just having a natural "conversation" with interviewers, but it doesn't seem to add up to me. Especially, when I meet people and have a conversation with them, it's a lot of back and forth questions. So if they ask me how I like lawschool, I'd give an honest and slightly detailed answer, and then immediate follow it up by asking them what their law school experience was like, and if they said something I thought was worth commenting on about their experience or adding to, I'd make a remark on it, etc. In interviews I always feel like asking a question for almost every question you get asked wouldn't be appropriate, but without doing this, I have a hard time feeling like I'm in conversation mode, and I find it really awkward to be answering a bunch of questions from a person while not being able to simultaneously get a sense of who they are.

I guess my question is what kind of rhythm do you find your good/callback worthy interviews have? Is it actually like a conversation with a lot of reciprocal questions, or is it mostly the interviewer answering your questions in a charming and friendly way? Would you describe their general tone as more professional, or more candid and friendly (of course, still hopefully staying polite and avoiding anything indecent)?

On a similar note, when an interviewer specifically invites you to ask questions, how much of a professional-sphere should your questions stay in? Would asking about things like how the interviewer gets along with his/her coworkers be awkward? What about continuing on something earlier mentioned (for example, if an older interviewer mentioned his son randomly, and you asked questions about how old his son was and what his son was doing, etc... i realize that's more likely to be awkward but just trying to get a sense for the spectrum)?

it is a conversation, but a particular type of conversation. i'd find it incredibly weird for you to ask that question re: my son (not that i have one - but along those lines) at the end. but around when i mentioned it? totally reasonable.

i think "professionally friendly" nails it, if you can. a normal conversation but with someone you're trying to impress but not overly suck up to.

but the questions at the end, IMHO, are for things about the firm / attorney's career. co-worker question like that is totally reasonable. asking about attorney's decision to go to that firm is always a winner. probably could ask attorney's favorite thing to do outside of work and get away with it.

[itbdvorm]

Does your firm care if a 2L Summer associate experiences a grade drop during 2L year? Does your firm take that into account when making job offers for summer associates?

depends on how big a drop.

[opX]

Could you please provide some examples of "seperator" questions?

Thank you for sharing your time and wisdom.

i have no idea what you mean by your first question.

Thank you for answering.

To explain the first question:
What are some questions that you ask students, which you particularly consider in order to separate "potential winners" from those students who are "not what the firm is looking for." I understand that the entire interview process is geared toward this, but if you were on the fence about a candidate, are their any questions you might go to see what s/he is made of or to test the student.

[Anonymous User]

Could you please provide some examples of "seperator" questions?

- What do you look for in a transfer student to have confidence that s/he can be a great hire for your summer program?

Thank you for sharing your time and wisdom.

i have no idea what you mean by your first question.

on the second, mind-numbingly crushing grades at the first institution (i'm somewhat skeptical of transfers - sorry - we've had a bunch of bad experiences) and awesome personalities. despite my parenthetical i have given many callbacks/offer recommendations to transfer students - but since we would only give so many callbacks to a student at the initial institution i would expect that student's performance to meet those criteria

Can you elaborate on your bad experiences with transfers? Are you talking in terms of work product being a lower quality or something else? I'm a transfer going to a firm this summer (lower-ranked Vault firm) and I don't want to be a "bad experience".

[Anonymous User]

Does your firm care if a 2L Summer associate experiences a grade drop during 2L year? Does your firm take that into account when making job offers for summer associates?

depends on how big a drop.

What about a drop by about 0.2? More specifically from top 10% to top 33%. Began with high GPA and got nothing lower than B.

[Anonymous User]

Thank you for your time.

Question: When you are looking at a transfer applicant and their previous grades, are there certain t14 institutions that "slide the scale" more favorably towards the applicant in relation to others?

To explain: Take someone who can transfer into MPBV and desires to work at your firm. Do you treat an interviewee more favorably from Penn compared to UVA? The guy who got into Penn with Straight A's and a B from their former T2 compared to someone with the exact same numbers who decided to take UVA instead? Or take DNCG, would D weigh more that G?

In other words, are there institutions which are ranked as piers that have more comparative sway?

Sorry if this is a completely irrelevant question because the difference I am trying to address is so negligible or all together nonexistent.

[Anonymous User]

how talented do you have to be to last 6-7 years? suppose i started in a class of 10 in my department, do I need to be in the top 10%, or really just the top 80% (if we must speak in those terms)?