V5 Summer Associate Taking Qs (OCI, SAs, etc) Forum

[Anonymous User]

V5 summer in NYC. From a lower T14 school. Taking questions on OCI, SAs, etc.

[Anonymous User]

grades/journal?

Did you have a lot of other offers?

[Anonymous User]

How was your work experience? How many of your fellow SAs went straight through from undergrad?

[Anonymous User]

Q #1: I was top 10%, secondary journal. It's hard to tell, but I think I may have outperformed my grades. I interviewed with a lot of different firms across the V50 (only 2 V5s). I had an 85% conversion rate for screener to callback and a 100% for callbacks to offers. But I didn't go on all of my callbacks.

[Anonymous User]

How was your work experience? How many of your fellow SAs went straight through from undergrad?

I wasn't crazy about the work at first as I felt somewhat out of my league to be honest. My pedigree is somewhat less impressive than those of my peers and I was was working in an area with which I had no experience. However, I've come to really like it and I'm happy to have been challenged. I've also come to feel I can hold my own.

My peers are all very smart, capable and friendly. I haven't spent much time socializing with them out of the office, but everyone is professional and friendly.

Most summers have 1-2 years of work experience, although there are those with more and less. I haven't noticed much difference in intellectual capabilities although it seems like those who are a little older have a better work ethic. This is anecdotal though.

[Anonymous User]

Have you noticed anyone that is obviously going to get no offered? Even at v5's there always seems to be that 1 person that doesn't get offered every year. Was wondering if it was that obvious.

[Anonymous User]

Have you noticed anyone that is obviously going to get no offered? Even at v5's there always seems to be that 1 person that doesn't get offered every year. Was wondering if it was that obvious.

No. While I come into contact with very few summers on a daily basis, everyone seems pretty well behaved at the social events. That said, I'm not going to after-parties...but neither are the people capable of no-offering a summer. I haven't heard any horror stories so I expect everyone to get an offer.

[Anonymous User]

How'd you handle the: "what type of work you want to do?" question? (litigation/corporate)

Also, what contributed to your great success rate for CBs/offers?

[Anonymous User]

How'd you handle the: "what type of work you want to do?" question? (litigation/corporate)

Also, what contributed to your great success rate for CBs/offers?

I went into school knowing I wanted to do litigation, but i didn't have strong feelings about specific practice areas. I was honest and my background made me a natural fit for litigation so no one ever really questioned my stated interest.

As for my interview success, I attribute it to a combination of preparation and maturity developed after working for a few years before school. I did a lot of prep work ahead of time researching firms. I also anticipated the major questions I expect to face and I prepared answers. I didn't memorize anything b/c I didn't want things to sound to rehearsed. I treated these question/answer sessions like practice exams before finals. Having fully thought through and answered the questions once, I found it easier to do so spontaneously in an interview.

Lastly, I'm relatively normal. I don't mean this to sound odd, but I'm a reasonably attractive person with a normal voice who dresses well but not too well. Looking around during OCI, you see a lot of people who either are awkward socially or physically or simply don't know how to dress in a professional manner that conveys some personality. While I doubt these issues alone are ever enough to sink someone's chances, any blemishes or negatives can be enough to warrant a ding when you consider the incredible qualifications and capabilities of the people going in for callbacks at top firms. I was not so stellar a candidate that I could skate by simply on my resume. I think I just projected the image of a normal person who interviewers could see working with in a team environment.

[Anonymous User]

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[IAFG]

Q #1: I was top 10%, secondary journal. It's hard to tell, but I think I may have outperformed my grades. I interviewed with a lot of different firms across the V50 (only 2 V5s). I had an 85% conversion rate for screener to callback and a 100% for callbacks to offers. But I didn't go on all of my callbacks.

Wat. I had 30 screeners at OCI; that'd be 25 CBs...

[Anonymous User]

How'd you handle the: "what type of work you want to do?" question? (litigation/corporate)

Also, what contributed to your great success rate for CBs/offers?

I went into school knowing I wanted to do litigation, but i didn't have strong feelings about specific practice areas. I was honest and my background made me a natural fit for litigation so no one ever really questioned my stated interest.

As for my interview success, I attribute it to a combination of preparation and maturity developed after working for a few years before school. I did a lot of prep work ahead of time researching firms. I also anticipated the major questions I expect to face and I prepared answers. I didn't memorize anything b/c I didn't want things to sound to rehearsed. I treated these question/answer sessions like practice exams before finals. Having fully thought through and answered the questions once, I found it easier to do so spontaneously in an interview.

Lastly, I'm relatively normal. I don't mean this to sound odd, but I'm a reasonably attractive person with a normal voice who dresses well but not too well. Looking around during OCI, you see a lot of people who either are awkward socially or physically or simply don't know how to dress in a professional manner that conveys some personality. While I doubt these issues alone are ever enough to sink someone's chances, any blemishes or negatives can be enough to warrant a ding when you consider the incredible qualifications and capabilities of the people going in for callbacks at top firms. I was not so stellar a candidate that I could skate by simply on my resume. I think I just projected the image of a normal person who interviewers could see working with in a team environment.

Isn't top 10% at a lower t14 about as high as you can go to skate by on your resume?

[Anonymous User]

Q #1: I was top 10%, secondary journal. It's hard to tell, but I think I may have outperformed my grades. I interviewed with a lot of different firms across the V50 (only 2 V5s). I had an 85% conversion rate for screener to callback and a 100% for callbacks to offers. But I didn't go on all of my callbacks.

Wat. I had 30 screeners at OCI; that'd be 25 CBs...

Yeah. I didn't have quite so many, but I was very fortunate. Like I said, I had a weird/terrible bidding strategy so I interviewed with a lot of less selective firms. I didn't just run through the V20 and selective lit boutiques. While I got many callbacks, I only went on about 1/3 of them.

[Anonymous User]

How'd you handle the: "what type of work you want to do?" question? (litigation/corporate)

Also, what contributed to your great success rate for CBs/offers?

I went into school knowing I wanted to do litigation, but i didn't have strong feelings about specific practice areas. I was honest and my background made me a natural fit for litigation so no one ever really questioned my stated interest.

As for my interview success, I attribute it to a combination of preparation and maturity developed after working for a few years before school. I did a lot of prep work ahead of time researching firms. I also anticipated the major questions I expect to face and I prepared answers. I didn't memorize anything b/c I didn't want things to sound to rehearsed. I treated these question/answer sessions like practice exams before finals. Having fully thought through and answered the questions once, I found it easier to do so spontaneously in an interview.

Lastly, I'm relatively normal. I don't mean this to sound odd, but I'm a reasonably attractive person with a normal voice who dresses well but not too well. Looking around during OCI, you see a lot of people who either are awkward socially or physically or simply don't know how to dress in a professional manner that conveys some personality. While I doubt these issues alone are ever enough to sink someone's chances, any blemishes or negatives can be enough to warrant a ding when you consider the incredible qualifications and capabilities of the people going in for callbacks at top firms. I was not so stellar a candidate that I could skate by simply on my resume. I think I just projected the image of a normal person who interviewers could see working with in a team environment.

Isn't top 10% at a lower t14 about as high as you can go to skate by on your resume?

Perhaps, but I never got the impression that my interviewers were completely bowled over by my resume. My undergraduate degree is from a not terribly impressive school and I don't attend a T6 law school, so for my V5 I'm not particularly well credentialed. Who knows though, perhaps I'm just being insecure and maybe I did skate by on my resume.

[Anonymous User]

Q #1: I was top 10%, secondary journal. It's hard to tell, but I think I may have outperformed my grades. I interviewed with a lot of different firms across the V50 (only 2 V5s). I had an 85% conversion rate for screener to callback and a 100% for callbacks to offers. But I didn't go on all of my callbacks.

Wat. I had 30 screeners at OCI; that'd be 25 CBs...

30 screeners at NU OCI? What's the average?

[IAFG]

Q #1: I was top 10%, secondary journal. It's hard to tell, but I think I may have outperformed my grades. I interviewed with a lot of different firms across the V50 (only 2 V5s). I had an 85% conversion rate for screener to callback and a 100% for callbacks to offers. But I didn't go on all of my callbacks.

Wat. I had 30 screeners at OCI; that'd be 25 CBs...

30 screeners at NU OCI? What's the average?

Iono, probably less than that, but it's gotta be ~20 if you pick up any at all. I just don't know anyone with any set of grades and softs that anywhere near that batting average, so I found OP's rate strange. Particularly because quite a few of the less selective firms didn't do many CBs. It makes sense though if he had fewer screeners and a large proportion of them at firms with big classes.

[Anonymous User]

Q #1: I was top 10%, secondary journal. It's hard to tell, but I think I may have outperformed my grades. I interviewed with a lot of different firms across the V50 (only 2 V5s). I had an 85% conversion rate for screener to callback and a 100% for callbacks to offers. But I didn't go on all of my callbacks.

Wat. I had 30 screeners at OCI; that'd be 25 CBs...

30 screeners at NU OCI? What's the average?

Iono, probably less than that, but it's gotta be ~20 if you pick up any at all. I just don't know anyone with any set of grades and softs that anywhere near that batting average, so I found OP's rate strange. Particularly because quite a few of the less selective firms didn't do many CBs. It makes sense though if he had fewer screeners and a large proportion of them at firms with big classes.

I had approximately 18-22 screeners and they were generally at firms with larger class sizes, although not all were. I realize my experience was not typical.

[Anonymous User]

How are the social events at your firm? Do certain practice areas tend to go out drinking together after work more than other groups?

[Anonymous User]

My understanding is that the firm events this year weren't as lavish as they used to be in the glory days (pre-2008) but there were a number of firm-wide events and smaller events summers could opt into. As for afterwork socializing, I didn't do much with co-workers after work, but I also didn't really seek it out. I got the impression that associates work long ours and have lives outside the firm that don't revolve around relationships with other associates.

My understanding is that corporate partners are more into socializing with associates and summers than the litigation partners. I got the impression that litigators are a little more socially awkward than corporate attys. However, I can't speak to any distinctions between the different corporate practices.

[zomginternets]

How'd you handle the: "what type of work you want to do?" question? (litigation/corporate)

Also, what contributed to your great success rate for CBs/offers?

I went into school knowing I wanted to do litigation, but i didn't have strong feelings about specific practice areas. I was honest and my background made me a natural fit for litigation so no one ever really questioned my stated interest.

How did you handle the "why do you want to work at our firm?" question if you didn't know what type of litigation you wanted to do?