1L needs advice re call with employment help Forum

[Anonymous User]

I'm a non-trad with about 5-10 years work experience in a particular industry and I want to focus my legal career on that industry. A friend forwarded my resume to the former General Counsel of a Fortune 500 company which is one of the biggest names in the field. He wrote back with people to contact, both at his company, a few competitors, and a few biglaw firms. I've got a call scheduled with him in a little over half an hour, and I don't have the slightest clue what to ask him. How do I not screw this up? Please help me.

[2014]

Get him talking about himself. Ask about his day to day as GC, his career trajectory, whether he has advice for you in the job hunt, etc.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Just say what you said here (minus the "I have no idea part" ) - you have work experience in that industry, you want to practice in that area, how did he get into the field, what does he like/dislike about it, what advice would he give someone in your position, what are useful law school courses/experiences (internships etc.). If you want to get away from "me me me" questions, you could ask how he's seen the field change over his career, where does he see it going in the next 5-10 years, that kind of thing. Since this guy has already scheduled a call with you and sent you these useful contacts, I suspect he likes mentoring/connecting up people, and is probably prepared to do a lot of the talking, so I wouldn't worry much.

[Lwoods]

Craft at least one or two questions that display your knowledge of the industry. For example, when I met with the GC of a major fashion retailer, I asked how the pressures of "fast fashion" and success at quicker turn-around times at [subsidiary] affected/impacted the legal department. Since you have years of experience in the industry, you can just pull from that knowledge (over extensive research, which you don't have time for now).