Bad Interview Moments Forum

[RickyDnwhyc]

Partner: no, I'm not going to tell you the bullshit that we love junior associates. Junior associates are worthless the don't know a damn thing and cost more of the firm's resources than they bring in. We will take in a few every year just to staff our work and with the hope that some stick around and actually make money for us.

I'm really sick of this flame. There is virtually no way it's true unless MAYBE they are talking about first years. The big law model makes Zero sense, and wouldn't be profitable, if it was true.

Sounds like he is pretty much directly contradicting everything I've heard about the BigLaw model with that statement. I thought incompetent associates actually bring in MORE money than efficient ones since they take more time (aka: more hours billed to the client).

[Anonymous User]

Partner: no, I'm not going to tell you the bullshit that we love junior associates. Junior associates are worthless the don't know a damn thing and cost more of the firm's resources than they bring in. We will take in a few every year just to staff our work and with the hope that some stick around and actually make money for us.

I'm really sick of this flame. There is virtually no way it's true unless MAYBE they are talking about first years. The big law model makes Zero sense, and wouldn't be profitable, if it was true.

Sounds like he is pretty much directly contradicting everything I've heard about the BigLaw model with that statement. I thought incompetent associates actually bring in MORE money than efficient ones since they take more time (aka: more hours billed to the client).

Not entirely true. Many firms write off a significant portion of a first-year's billables, especially for particularly inefficient first-years. Clients are increasingly unwilling to pay for significant blocks of first-year time ITE, and firms are willing to write off that time in order to keep the client.

That said, mid-levels (3rd-5th years, especially) are incredibly valuable for firms, and one of the easiest/cheapest ways to get well-trained and competent mid-levels is to train them yourself. Some firms seem to think they can fill voids by attracting skilled mid-levels, but that can be difficult (good mid-levels rarely lateral to other firms) and it takes time for laterals to get up to speed. I can see why a partner frustrated by falling PPP might take it out on the juniors, but the truth is one of the best ways for a firm to thrive is to make sure you get the best crop of juniors and train them right.

[thegrayman]

2 interviewers in the room. 1 senior partner 1 associate. Partner was an asshole the entire time, took a call during the interview, then after that went to the bathroom. Then when I said I was more interested in corporate work (partner was a litigator), he just looked at the other interviewer and was like "well, this one's for you" and got up again to get some snacks from the table by the sink.

Later, after he had sat down again, they asked if I had any questions. The partner had worked on a very high-profile case, it took up his whole bio, so I asked him about it. He just rolled his eyes and was like "yeah, that took about 5 years of my life." I just paused because I was expecting an actual discussion about it, but nope, that was it. He just stared at me blankly until I asked another question to the other guy.

No cb

[Gorki]

2 interviewers in the room. 1 senior partner 1 associate. Partner was an asshole the entire time, took a call during the interview, then after that went to the bathroom. Then when I said I was more interested in corporate work (partner was a litigator), he just looked at the other interviewer and was like "well, this one's for you" and got up again to get some snacks from the table by the sink.

Later, after he had sat down again, they asked if I had any questions. The partner had worked on a very high-profile case, it took up his whole bio, so I asked him about it. He just rolled his eyes and was like "yeah, that took about 5 years of my life." I just paused because I was expecting an actual discussion about it, but nope, that was it. He just stared at me blankly until I asked another question to the other guy.

No cb

Is it the credited response in these situations to ignore the unhappy/angry interviewer and focus 100% on the one not acting out? I mean it seems trying to be diplomatic and win them back is screwing over a lot of TLSers.

On the other side, if you are shutting out the partner and focusing only on the associate, it seems just as likely the partner will toss your file.

[071816]

I've always wanted to wait until the end of an interviewer's long answer to one of my questions,then pause while making eye contact with the interviewer, and casually say "fuck you."

[Anonymous User]

Senior partner arrogantly walks into my interview and the first thing he says is "We help clients do things that most people would consider illegal, how does that make you feel?"
Completely flustered, I come up with what I thought was a decent response. "Well, it's an attorney's job to help a client determine what conduct is legal and illegal. So as long as we are trying to help them do legal things, I don't see what the problem."
Partner- "I'm not talking about stuff that is legal. The client is doing something illegal, and we help them keep doing it. How does that make you feel?"
Me (after 10 seconds of silence)- "I wasn't aware that I was interviewing for the tax practice group."
Partner tilts his head and then bursts out laughing and leaves me in the interview room by myself until the next interviewer comes in.

Offer

[traehekat]

Senior partner arrogantly walks into my interview and the first thing he says is "We help clients do things that most people would consider illegal, how does that make you feel?"
Completely flustered, I come up with what I thought was a decent response. "Well, it's an attorney's job to help a client determine what conduct is legal and illegal. So as long as we are trying to help them do legal things, I don't see what the problem."
Partner- "I'm not talking about stuff that is legal. The client is doing something illegal, and we help them keep doing it. How does that make you feel?"
Me (after 10 seconds of silence)- "I wasn't aware that I was interviewing for the tax practice group."
Partner tilts his head and then bursts out laughing and leaves me in the interview room by myself until the next interviewer comes in.

Offer

epic pressure performance.

[Rocío]

Senior partner arrogantly walks into my interview and the first thing he says is "We help clients do things that most people would consider illegal, how does that make you feel?"
Completely flustered, I come up with what I thought was a decent response. "Well, it's an attorney's job to help a client determine what conduct is legal and illegal. So as long as we are trying to help them do legal things, I don't see what the problem."
Partner- "I'm not talking about stuff that is legal. The client is doing something illegal, and we help them keep doing it. How does that make you feel?"
Me (after 10 seconds of silence)- "I wasn't aware that I was interviewing for the tax practice group."
Partner tilts his head and then bursts out laughing and leaves me in the interview room by myself until the next interviewer comes in.

Offer

Awesome response.

[UnamSanctam]

Senior partner arrogantly walks into my interview and the first thing he says is "We help clients do things that most people would consider illegal, how does that make you feel?"
Completely flustered, I come up with what I thought was a decent response. "Well, it's an attorney's job to help a client determine what conduct is legal and illegal. So as long as we are trying to help them do legal things, I don't see what the problem."
Partner- "I'm not talking about stuff that is legal. The client is doing something illegal, and we help them keep doing it. How does that make you feel?"
Me (after 10 seconds of silence)- "I wasn't aware that I was interviewing for the tax practice group."
Partner tilts his head and then bursts out laughing and leaves me in the interview room by myself until the next interviewer comes in.

Offer

You deserve that offer.

[bjsesq]

Senior partner arrogantly walks into my interview and the first thing he says is "We help clients do things that most people would consider illegal, how does that make you feel?"
Completely flustered, I come up with what I thought was a decent response. "Well, it's an attorney's job to help a client determine what conduct is legal and illegal. So as long as we are trying to help them do legal things, I don't see what the problem."
Partner- "I'm not talking about stuff that is legal. The client is doing something illegal, and we help them keep doing it. How does that make you feel?"
Me (after 10 seconds of silence)- "I wasn't aware that I was interviewing for the tax practice group."
Partner tilts his head and then bursts out laughing and leaves me in the interview room by myself until the next interviewer comes in.

Offer

Remove anonymous, dude/miss. You should be proud of that shit.

[A12345]

Senior partner arrogantly walks into my interview and the first thing he says is "We help clients do things that most people would consider illegal, how does that make you feel?"
Completely flustered, I come up with what I thought was a decent response. "Well, it's an attorney's job to help a client determine what conduct is legal and illegal. So as long as we are trying to help them do legal things, I don't see what the problem."
Partner- "I'm not talking about stuff that is legal. The client is doing something illegal, and we help them keep doing it. How does that make you feel?"
Me (after 10 seconds of silence)- "I wasn't aware that I was interviewing for the tax practice group."
Partner tilts his head and then bursts out laughing and leaves me in the interview room by myself until the next interviewer comes in.

Offer

epic

[shock259]

Takeaway: when flustered, make a jab at tax attorneys.

Awesome, though.

[Anonymous User]

during cb i met with a partner who practices real estate and energy law. i mentioned that i had a very difficult project from my 1L summer working on a real estate deal. he asked me to describe the project. real estate transaction that had some petroleum contamination and i had to look at funding options for clean up as well as litigation options. he asked if i had to look at RCRA. said yes, but that i read RCRA to have an exclusion for petroleum clean up. concluded that meeting and went on my merry way.

one week later, i realize RCRA definitely covers petroleum clean up. i worked on CRCLA.

expecting a ding any day now.

fml.

[Anonymous User]

At a cocktail reception where the named partners of the firm turned out, after a day of great interviews:

Named Partner: [some question I couldn't really hear and misunderstood]
Me: "Yes, I think so."
Named Partner: "So you'd be happy to be poor and anonymous? I don't think this is the firm for you. Hey John!" [grabs the other named partner] "This guy says he'd be happy to be poor and anonymous!"
Me: [tries and fails to backpedal and explain I misunderstood question]

Waiting on the ding...

[nevdash]

At a cocktail reception where the named partners of the firm turned out, after a day of great interviews:

Named Partner: [some question I couldn't really hear and misunderstood]
Me: "Yes, I think so."
Named Partner: "So you'd be happy to be poor and anonymous? I don't think this is the firm for you. Hey John!" [grabs the other named partner] "This guy says he'd be happy to be poor and anonymous!"
Me: [tries and fails to backpedal and explain I misunderstood question]

Waiting on the ding...

Hope you used a fake name. Otherwise, obvious Quinn Emanuel.

[Anonymous User]

Waiting in the lobby for a CB - running a bit late. Ask to use the bathroom - there's no obvious one for visitors, so I'm given directions through the halls to a regular office bathroom. I open the door, and there are some incredibly loud, unholy, sloppy, and aggressive shit noises coming from the stall. I'm talking shitting-your-colon-inside-out-from-ebola awful. It's loud and messy-sounding enough that I stopped in my tracks as soon as I entered.

Now, this firm for some reason waxes and buffs the FUCK out of its granite floors - they are pretty reflective. Think a completely fogged up bathroom mirror - can't make out features, but definitely shapes and other things. Well, the entrance to the bathroom at eye level is about a perfect 20 degree angle from the floor in the stall, and the stall has walls that are situated a few inches higher than the average restroom's.

This means that, looking at the bathroom floor, I can clearly make out in a reflection the general form of the attorney wearing a canary yellow shirt and blue pants that is pounding the toilet bowl with disgusting audible buttpunishment. And I can also tell his head turned when he heard the door open and probably saw the shape of a probable interviewee in a dark suit and dark green tie frozen in the doorway. The buttpunishment didn't stop at this point, either. I'd imagine he had no power to do so.

I hurriedly pissed, washed my hands, and went to sit back in the lobby and read firm brochures.

A really nice attorney in the litigation group in a yellow shirt and blue pants was my first interviewer of the day.


No offer.

[romothesavior]

^ lol, excellent description of the business being done in the stall.

[Radioheader]

Waiting in the lobby for a CB - running a bit late. Ask to use the bathroom - there's no obvious one for visitors, so I'm given directions through the halls to a regular office bathroom. I open the door, and there are some incredibly loud, unholy, sloppy, and aggressive shit noises coming from the stall. I'm talking shitting-your-colon-inside-out-from-ebola awful. It's loud and messy-sounding enough that I stopped in my tracks as soon as I entered...

Better hope he washed up afterwards. I wonder if he would have been offended if you slathered hand sanitizer after shaking hands.

[TTH]

Lost it at "disgusting audible buttpunishment."

[Anonymous User]

Waiting in the lobby for a CB - running a bit late. Ask to use the bathroom - there's no obvious one for visitors, so I'm given directions through the halls to a regular office bathroom. I open the door, and there are some incredibly loud, unholy, sloppy, and aggressive shit noises coming from the stall. I'm talking shitting-your-colon-inside-out-from-ebola awful. It's loud and messy-sounding enough that I stopped in my tracks as soon as I entered.

Now, this firm for some reason waxes and buffs the FUCK out of its granite floors - they are pretty reflective. Think a completely fogged up bathroom mirror - can't make out features, but definitely shapes and other things. Well, the entrance to the bathroom at eye level is about a perfect 20 degree angle from the floor in the stall, and the stall has walls that are situated a few inches higher than the average restroom's.

This means that, looking at the bathroom floor, I can clearly make out in a reflection the general form of the attorney wearing a canary yellow shirt and blue pants that is pounding the toilet bowl with disgusting audible buttpunishment. And I can also tell his head turned when he heard the door open and probably saw the shape of a probable interviewee in a dark suit and dark green tie frozen in the doorway. The buttpunishment didn't stop at this point, either. I'd imagine he had no power to do so.

I hurriedly pissed, washed my hands, and went to sit back in the lobby and read firm brochures.

A really nice attorney in the litigation group in a yellow shirt and blue pants was my first interviewer of the day.


No offer.

LOL - can't stop laughing. This beats the dishwasher

[Anonymous User]

I was sent to lunch with a girl who mentioned that she had attended harvard law school about 5 times in the first 5 minutes. This was annoying and I intentionally didn't ask her any questions about harvard. She kept bringing it up more and more, trying to tie harvard in to every topic. I started asking the other guy all these questions about his law school (some TTT). The lunch was basically me grilling this guy about his TTT while the harvard girl became more and more flustered that I didn't seem to care about her having attended harvard law school. It was really funny and I think the other guy that was interviewing me realized what I was doing and thought it was funny too.

No offer though. The girl was fucking pissed by the end of lunch. Totally worth it though.

[ben4847]

I was sent to lunch with a girl who mentioned that she had attended harvard law school about 5 times in the first 5 minutes. This was annoying and I intentionally didn't ask her any questions about harvard. She kept bringing it up more and more, trying to tie harvard in to every topic. I started asking the other guy all these questions about his law school (some TTT). The lunch was basically me grilling this guy about his TTT while the harvard girl became more and more flustered that I didn't seem to care about her having attended harvard law school. It was really funny and I think the other guy that was interviewing me realized what I was doing and thought it was funny too.

[nevdash]

I was sent to lunch with a girl who mentioned that she had attended harvard law school about 5 times in the first 5 minutes. This was annoying and I intentionally didn't ask her any questions about harvard. She kept bringing it up more and more, trying to tie harvard in to every topic. I started asking the other guy all these questions about his law school (some TTT). The lunch was basically me grilling this guy about his TTT while the harvard girl became more and more flustered that I didn't seem to care about her having attended harvard law school. It was really funny and I think the other guy that was interviewing me realized what I was doing and thought it was funny too.

No offer though. The girl was fucking pissed by the end of lunch. Totally worth it though.

lol 180

[Icculus]

I was sent to lunch with a girl who mentioned that she had attended harvard law school about 5 times in the first 5 minutes. This was annoying and I intentionally didn't ask her any questions about harvard. She kept bringing it up more and more, trying to tie harvard in to every topic. I started asking the other guy all these questions about his law school (some TTT). The lunch was basically me grilling this guy about his TTT while the harvard girl became more and more flustered that I didn't seem to care about her having attended harvard law school. It was really funny and I think the other guy that was interviewing me realized what I was doing and thought it was funny too.

No offer though. The girl was fucking pissed by the end of lunch. Totally worth it though.

Yes, totally worth throwing away a potential offer to get at some socially awkward and probably snobby associate. Odds are you got no offered for some other reason, but why risk it in this economy? I mean we have people on here who took the blame for parter's passing horrific gas in order to get a job. WHere is your dedication?

[Tanicius]

At the end of the lunch you should have finally turned to the girl and asked where she went to school.