Best way to prepare for callback with unfamiliar practice area/group? Forum

[Anonymous User]

So I received a callback with a particular practice group that I know almost nothing about. My screener interviewer really did all of the talking so I’m pretty positive that my interviewing skills didn’t get me here. Do you all have any advice for how best to prepare? I’m worried about trying to make substantive comments about this area of the law and sounding like I have no idea what I’m talking about. Thanks in advance.

[target_corp]

So I received a callback with a particular practice group that I know almost nothing about. My screener interviewer really did all of the talking so I’m pretty positive that my interviewing skills didn’t get me here. Do you all have any advice for how best to prepare? I’m worried about trying to make substantive comments about this area of the law and sounding like I have no idea what I’m talking about. Thanks in advance.

You're gonna have to give people more to work with here. What's the practice area?

Also, your screener interviewer probably liked you from your resume and was doing you a favor.

[hdr]

OCI or lateral? No one expects law students to know much about particular practice groups beyond what you can figure out through basic research. If you're lateraling then think of ways to show you've gotten exposure to the new practice area while at your current firm.

[Anonymous User]

if you're a law student, just contrive a believable story for why you're interested and put on your best show of enthusiasm. you can glean enough info to do that from here/any friends in biglaw/google.

no one expects you to actually understand what practice entails unless you have substantive work history that is related

[Anonymous User]

OCI or lateral? No one expects law students to know much about particular practice groups beyond what you can figure out through basic research. If you're lateraling then think of ways to show you've gotten exposure to the new practice area while at your current firm.

Yes, it’s through OCI. Thanks.

[Anonymous User]

If you've taken a class that has even marginally touched on the subject, mention it as something you enjoyed studying (only if believable. I have a feeling people would be able to see through something like "well we read about one tax case in civ pro and I thought it was the most interesting thing in the world," but if it's a regulatory group talk about enjoying leg reg, etc.).

If you're going to come up with reasons why you're interested by doing research, just make sure you're not getting it egregiously wrong (e.g., "I'm interested in M&A because of the predictable workflow").

If you talked to someone else in the group and they were talking about why they liked it, I've always found a good reason to be "I heard practice group associate so-and-so talking about why they liked X group and it made sense to me, sounded like something I'd say to a law student in a few years."

[Anonymous User]

If you've taken a class that has even marginally touched on the subject, mention it as something you enjoyed studying (only if believable. I have a feeling people would be able to see through something like "well we read about one tax case in civ pro and I thought it was the most interesting thing in the world," but if it's a regulatory group talk about enjoying leg reg, etc.).

If you're going to come up with reasons why you're interested by doing research, just make sure you're not getting it egregiously wrong (e.g., "I'm interested in M&A because of the predictable workflow").

If you talked to someone else in the group and they were talking about why they liked it, I've always found a good reason to be "I heard practice group associate so-and-so talking about why they liked X group and it made sense to me, sounded like something I'd say to a law student in a few years."

Thanks for this. My screener interviewer was super helpful and said he wanted me to be as informed as possible so really just spent our time answering questions. Do you think it would be okay to mention my screener interviewer and some of the things he said as coming from him in that context?

[Anonymous User]

So I received a callback with a particular practice group that I know almost nothing about. My screener interviewer really did all of the talking so I’m pretty positive that my interviewing skills didn’t get me here. Do you all have any advice for how best to prepare? I’m worried about trying to make substantive comments about this area of the law and sounding like I have no idea what I’m talking about. Thanks in advance.

You're gonna have to give people more to work with here. What's the practice area?

Also, your screener interviewer probably liked you from your resume and was doing you a favor.

Private equity/investment management

[Anonymous User]

If you've taken a class that has even marginally touched on the subject, mention it as something you enjoyed studying (only if believable. I have a feeling people would be able to see through something like "well we read about one tax case in civ pro and I thought it was the most interesting thing in the world," but if it's a regulatory group talk about enjoying leg reg, etc.).

If you're going to come up with reasons why you're interested by doing research, just make sure you're not getting it egregiously wrong (e.g., "I'm interested in M&A because of the predictable workflow").

If you talked to someone else in the group and they were talking about why they liked it, I've always found a good reason to be "I heard practice group associate so-and-so talking about why they liked X group and it made sense to me, sounded like something I'd say to a law student in a few years."

Thanks for this. My screener interviewer was super helpful and said he wanted me to be as informed as possible so really just spent our time answering questions. Do you think it would be okay to mention my screener interviewer and some of the things he said as coming from him in that context?

Quoted anon here. In my experience doing that and/or mentioning someone else you've spoken to at the firm is almost always beneficial (unless you're misquoting or you never actually spoke with the person, of course). Like someone else mentioned, the fact your screener took a lot of time talking instead of asking you questions probably means they liked you, it's likely they mentioned you/advocated for you strongly at the recruiting committee meeting. Just saying something like "My screener, so-and-so, said a lot about [insert practice group here] and it sounded like something I would enjoy doing, [insert analogy to something you already know you like to do here to back up your statement]. I'm really excited to be speaking to someone else who does [insert practice area here] to learn more about it."

Bringing up your screener and saying you enjoyed the conversation might also lead to a broader chat about your screener/firm culture. In one of my "Why X's" I mentioned I had really enjoyed my screener, turns out she had advocated for me a ton, told the partner I was speaking with at the time to interview me specifically, and had a great relationship with said partner (who was on the hiring committee). When you have a good screener (which this sounds like it was) take it and run with it as far as you can possibly go.

You could even use it to spark more questions by saying something like "my screener said antitrust work had a litigation, regulatory, and transactional component. Do antitrust associates usually pick one aspect to specialize in or do you do a little bit of everything?"

[Anonymous User]

If you've taken a class that has even marginally touched on the subject, mention it as something you enjoyed studying (only if believable. I have a feeling people would be able to see through something like "well we read about one tax case in civ pro and I thought it was the most interesting thing in the world," but if it's a regulatory group talk about enjoying leg reg, etc.).

If you're going to come up with reasons why you're interested by doing research, just make sure you're not getting it egregiously wrong (e.g., "I'm interested in M&A because of the predictable workflow").

If you talked to someone else in the group and they were talking about why they liked it, I've always found a good reason to be "I heard practice group associate so-and-so talking about why they liked X group and it made sense to me, sounded like something I'd say to a law student in a few years."

Thanks for this. My screener interviewer was super helpful and said he wanted me to be as informed as possible so really just spent our time answering questions. Do you think it would be okay to mention my screener interviewer and some of the things he said as coming from him in that context?

Quoted anon here. In my experience doing that and/or mentioning someone else you've spoken to at the firm is almost always beneficial (unless you're misquoting or you never actually spoke with the person, of course). Like someone else mentioned, the fact your screener took a lot of time talking instead of asking you questions probably means they liked you, it's likely they mentioned you/advocated for you strongly at the recruiting committee meeting. Just saying something like "My screener, so-and-so, said a lot about [insert practice group here] and it sounded like something I would enjoy doing, [insert analogy to something you already know you like to do here to back up your statement]. I'm really excited to be speaking to someone else who does [insert practice area here] to learn more about it."

Bringing up your screener and saying you enjoyed the conversation might also lead to a broader chat about your screener/firm culture. In one of my "Why X's" I mentioned I had really enjoyed my screener, turns out she had advocated for me a ton, told the partner I was speaking with at the time to interview me specifically, and had a great relationship with said partner (who was on the hiring committee). When you have a good screener (which this sounds like it was) take it and run with it as far as you can possibly go.

You could even use it to spark more questions by saying something like "my screener said antitrust work had a litigation, regulatory, and transactional component. Do antitrust associates usually pick one aspect to specialize in or do you do a little bit of everything?"

Thanks so much, I really appreciate you taking the time to help. I will try to work in the pointers he gave me!