1L with an interview at a V30 Forum

[Anonymous User]

Hi All, i managed to secure, through a distant connection, an "series of interviews", with a V30 firm. My grades are good not amazing at CCN(3.48) and I want to impress as best as I can in the interview.

Anyone have any advice on call backs specifically ie the interview part? I read through some of the advice on TSL but nothing was specific to call backs that occured not through OCI.

Any help would be greatly appreciated since i am coming into this cold

[MinEMorris]

First, congratulations.

I don't think there's any special advice for 1L callbacks out there, the process should be the same as 2L callbacks. I know it's imposible not to be, but I think it's important to not be nervous. Really, all you have to do is go in there and be personable.

Specific advice:
1. Wear a well-fitting suit, charcoal or navy are the classic conservative colors. White or blue dress shirt and a matching tie. Assuming you're a guy, of course. If you're a woman, I won't pretend to know how to dress appropriately.
2. Bring a padfolio (preferably one with no obnoxious logos or anything) that contains multiple copies of your application materials. Generally, this includes your resume, your transcript, a list of references and a writing sample. They probably won't ask for copies of any of these things, but you should always have them ready. I always offered a copy of my resume at the start of each interview, though, again, most people already had a copy in hand. The writing sample can be on normal printer paper, but your resume and list of references should be on firmer resume paper. You can consult your local kinkos for stuff like this. Usually padfolios come with some sort of notebook inside, and you should also have a pen with you. Generally, though, you should never write (i.e. "take notes") during an interview unless they're telling you something you really obviously need to write down, like the name of a restaurant they're inviting you to tonight or something. The only time I ever wrote something down was during a conversation about the best places in town to write a certain dish, and this partner was swearing by one obscure restaurant with a difficult name, so I wrote down the name.
I also liked to create a one page (usually reduced font and margins to squeeze everything in) memo about the office/firm, and an additional memo with the names and short bios on each of my interviewers. I had these memos tucked in the back of my padfolio, and I usually ended up reviewing the list of interviewers and their bios before I went in. Showing that you really did your research about the office and the firm, and that you bothered to study the firm profiles of interviewers, is a classic way to impress.
3. Arrive early. I think ~15 minutes early is fine. I've heard employers complain about students arriving too early (like 45 minutes or an hour early) and it made them feel awkward. I usually shot to arrive ~45 minutes early to the area and then just chilled and reviewed my notes on the office before I went in.
4. Anticipate questions they're likely to ask you before hand and have a general sense of how you'd respond. The easiest way to do this is to look at your resume and think of anything people might ask you about what's on it. Also definitely think of a list of questions you might ask to different interviewers (e.g. "I saw that you switched from X practice to Y practice later in your career-- what motived that?"). I always liked to have a set of "stock" questions in the back of my mind to ask in case there's still time left and I can't think of anything interviewer specific to ask. You can find a lot of this stuff on the forums/google. Remember, the best interviews really flow like a conversation, not an interrogation.
5. Smile, laugh at people's jokes, be friendly and be a normal person. You'd be surprised how many people just lock up in shyness and nervousness. Coming off as relaxed and comfortable can go a long way.

I think 1Ls typically freak out too much about feeling like they don't know jack shit (which is true, of all law students really). You're a 1L, no one expects you to know anything. Instead of trying to hide your obvious ignorance, use it to your advantage. For example, instead of pretending like you understand what transactional work entails (though you should research and know a little bit), you can bring up the fact that you really haven't had any exposure to transactional work and use that as a basis to ask transactional partners/associates about what it's like and why they decided to go the transactional route instead of litigation. On a related point, you'll probably be asked whether you're more interested in transactional work or litigation. It's perfectly fine to say that you aren't really sure, but I'd always explain a little bit as to why you might prefer one over the other.. e.g. "So far I haven't had any exposure to transactional work or what it entails, so I don't feel I can really say if I prefer one over the other. My intuition and the small amount of research I have done on transactional work tells me, though, that I will probably end up preferring litigation. For one thing, I've always enjoyed the process of research and writing..." Usually when I got this question I'd also finish my answer by asking them about how they ended up picking one over the other.

Good luck. I'm sure you'll do great. Again, I think most of the 2L sources out there will be equally helpful for you, so don't be afraid to rely on them.

P.S. Small random tip, but it's good to read the news the few days leading up to your interview, including the morning of. It can give you conversation fodder during something like the lunch, and that way if they mention something from the news you can look with-it.

[ph14]

Hi All, i managed to secure, through a distant connection, an "series of interviews", with a V30 firm. My grades are good not amazing at CCN(3.48) and I want to impress as best as I can in the interview.

Anyone have any advice on call backs specifically ie the interview part? I read through some of the advice on TSL but nothing was specific to call backs that occured not through OCI.

Any help would be greatly appreciated since i am coming into this cold

First, don't use the term V30 as it is a meaningless distinction. Second, 1L interviews are pretty huge softballs. Be prepared to answer questions concerning your favorite and least favorite classes and why, what type of law you want to practice, how you are liking law school/extracurricular activity, etc.

[Anonymous User]

First, congratulations.

I don't think there's any special advice for 1L callbacks out there, the process should be the same as 2L callbacks. I know it's imposible not to be, but I think it's important to not be nervous. Really, all you have to do is go in there and be personable.

Specific advice:
1. Wear a well-fitting suit, charcoal or navy are the classic conservative colors. White or blue dress shirt and a matching tie. Assuming you're a guy, of course. If you're a woman, I won't pretend to know how to dress appropriately.
2. Bring a padfolio (preferably one with no obnoxious logos or anything) that contains multiple copies of your application materials. Generally, this includes your resume, your transcript, a list of references and a writing sample. They probably won't ask for copies of any of these things, but you should always have them ready. I always offered a copy of my resume at the start of each interview, though, again, most people already had a copy in hand. The writing sample can be on normal printer paper, but your resume and list of references should be on firmer resume paper. You can consult your local kinkos for stuff like this. Usually padfolios come with some sort of notebook inside, and you should also have a pen with you. Generally, though, you should never write (i.e. "take notes") during an interview unless they're telling you something you really obviously need to write down, like the name of a restaurant they're inviting you to tonight or something. The only time I ever wrote something down was during a conversation about the best places in town to write a certain dish, and this partner was swearing by one obscure restaurant with a difficult name, so I wrote down the name.
I also liked to create a one page (usually reduced font and margins to squeeze everything in) memo about the office/firm, and an additional memo with the names and short bios on each of my interviewers. I had these memos tucked in the back of my padfolio, and I usually ended up reviewing the list of interviewers and their bios before I went in. Showing that you really did your research about the office and the firm, and that you bothered to study the firm profiles of interviewers, is a classic way to impress.
3. Arrive early. I think ~15 minutes early is fine. I've heard employers complain about students arriving too early (like 45 minutes or an hour early) and it made them feel awkward. I usually shot to arrive ~45 minutes early to the area and then just chilled and reviewed my notes on the office before I went in.
4. Anticipate questions they're likely to ask you before hand and have a general sense of how you'd respond. The easiest way to do this is to look at your resume and think of anything people might ask you about what's on it. Also definitely think of a list of questions you might ask to different interviewers (e.g. "I saw that you switched from X practice to Y practice later in your career-- what motived that?"). I always liked to have a set of "stock" questions in the back of my mind to ask in case there's still time left and I can't think of anything interviewer specific to ask. You can find a lot of this stuff on the forums/google. Remember, the best interviews really flow like a conversation, not an interrogation.
5. Smile, laugh at people's jokes, be friendly and be a normal person. You'd be surprised how many people just lock up in shyness and nervousness. Coming off as relaxed and comfortable can go a long way.

I think 1Ls typically freak out too much about feeling like they don't know jack shit (which is true, of all law students really). You're a 1L, no one expects you to know anything. Instead of trying to hide your obvious ignorance, use it to your advantage. For example, instead of pretending like you understand what transactional work entails (though you should research and know a little bit), you can bring up the fact that you really haven't had any exposure to transactional work and use that as a basis to ask transactional partners/associates about what it's like and why they decided to go the transactional route instead of litigation. On a related point, you'll probably be asked whether you're more interested in transactional work or litigation. It's perfectly fine to say that you aren't really sure, but I'd always explain a little bit as to why you might prefer one over the other.. e.g. "So far I haven't had any exposure to transactional work or what it entails, so I don't feel I can really say if I prefer one over the other. My intuition and the small amount of research I have done on transactional work tells me, though, that I will probably end up preferring litigation. For one thing, I've always enjoyed the process of research and writing..." Usually when I got this question I'd also finish my answer by asking them about how they ended up picking one over the other.

Good luck. I'm sure you'll do great. Again, I think most of the 2L sources out there will be equally helpful for you, so don't be afraid to rely on them.

P.S. Small random tip, but it's good to read the news the few days leading up to your interview, including the morning of. It can give you conversation fodder during something like the lunch, and that way if they mention something from the news you can look with-it.

Wow thank you for this! especially the padfolio gonna go buy one this weekend, i guess im just going to do my HW and hope for the best.

[Anonymous User]

Hi All, i managed to secure, through a distant connection, an "series of interviews", with a V30 firm. My grades are good not amazing at CCN(3.48) and I want to impress as best as I can in the interview.

Anyone have any advice on call backs specifically ie the interview part? I read through some of the advice on TSL but nothing was specific to call backs that occured not through OCI.

Any help would be greatly appreciated since i am coming into this cold

First, don't use the term V30 as it is a meaningless distinction. Second, 1L interviews are pretty huge softballs. Be prepared to answer questions concerning your favorite and least favorite classes and why, what type of law you want to practice, how you are liking law school/extracurricular activity, etc.

Thanks, and oh so what is the correct terminology?