Lateral interview questions Forum

[Anonymous User]

Have a lateral interview coming up and I have a few questions. (ftr I used the search feature before posting, couldn't find anything relevant recently)

1. Is full suit and tie still the uniform?

2. What's the style of the interview usually? Same OCI conversational? More practice group specific?

3. How much do you talk about your current work? Is it OK to describe your deals and list clients you've worked with?

4. How many rounds of interviews are typical?

[Anonymous User]

Nobody here has done a lateral interview huh. Guess I'll have to find out and report back.

[Lawman1865]

Have a lateral interview coming up and I have a few questions. (ftr I used the search feature before posting, couldn't find anything relevant recently)

1. Is full suit and tie still the uniform?

2. What's the style of the interview usually? Same OCI conversational? More practice group specific?

3. How much do you talk about your current work? Is it OK to describe your deals and list clients you've worked with?

4. How many rounds of interviews are typical?

1) When I interviewed remotely a little while ago, I wore a full suit and tie, you certainly can't go wrong with that, and would strongly suggest it if going in person. Can you ditch the tie maybe if remote, perhaps, but better safe than sorry in my view.

2) Same style, kind of conversational, but depends if you are a junior/midlevel/senior, etc. If junior/midlevel, maybe they'll ask you questions with a bit more substance, but mostly similar to OCI. Be prepared to have a good answer as to why you are moving and what you are looking to get out of the new firm.

3) Similar to 2), you might talk broadly about what you have done, including some of your daily/general responsibilities, I mean if you have something on your resume you should always be able to articulate your experience there well. That being said, I don't think it's typical for them to dive into the specifics. You should be aware of what might be confidential, otherwise you can probably drop a few client names/deals if they are useful in describing your experience.

4) It really varies, standard biglaw firms might do the classic 2 rounds, or other boutiques may do up to 3-4 rounds. That also may depend somewhat on your seniority. You can probably ask the recruiting person after your initial interview about the process and they should tell you how many rounds are expected.

Good luck.

[Anonymous User]

Yes to formal dress. Type of questions depends, but you will definitely be asked why you are looking to leave/why the new firm. You should also be able to talk intelligently about the legal issues in at least one case and the (hopefully) substantive work you did on those issues. If you have a specialization and/or are applying to a particular group, the case should ideally be in that area. Depending on class year, you might also be asked about business development experience/ideas. Also people still ask random questions about your resume, so even if you are a 7th year, you might get a question about something on there so be sure you can talk about it all (including, for example, any publications).

[Anonymous User]

Have a lateral interview coming up and I have a few questions. (ftr I used the search feature before posting, couldn't find anything relevant recently)

1. Is full suit and tie still the uniform?

2. What's the style of the interview usually? Same OCI conversational? More practice group specific?

3. How much do you talk about your current work? Is it OK to describe your deals and list clients you've worked with?

4. How many rounds of interviews are typical?

I lateraled for a V10 M&A role early last year.

1. It's an interview. Wear the suit and tie.

2. My interviews were very conversational. They all started with "so why are you leaving your current firm" and then evolved from there based on my responses. I only received one technical question on law in my practice area, but it was something that someone with my level of seniority could easily answer.

3. A common interview question that I received was to describe the type of work I am doing at my current firm (e.g., private equity vs pubco deals vs joint ventures).

4. I had two rounds. First round had two interviewers. Second round was like two weeks later and had four interviewers.

Good luck.

[umichman]

Have a lateral interview coming up and I have a few questions. (ftr I used the search feature before posting, couldn't find anything relevant recently)

1. Is full suit and tie still the uniform?

2. What's the style of the interview usually? Same OCI conversational? More practice group specific?

3. How much do you talk about your current work? Is it OK to describe your deals and list clients you've worked with?

4. How many rounds of interviews are typical?

I lateraled for a V10 M&A role early last year.

1. It's an interview. Wear the suit and tie.

2. My interviews were very conversational. They all started with "so why are you leaving your current firm" and then evolved from there based on my responses. I only received one technical question on law in my practice area, but it was something that someone with my level of seniority could easily answer.

3. A common interview question that I received was to describe the type of work I am doing at my current firm (e.g., private equity vs pubco deals vs joint ventures).

4. I had two rounds. First round had two interviewers. Second round was like two weeks later and had four interviewers.

Good luck.

Are most firms doing their interviews in person now? or still zoom?