OCI Interviewer Taking Quesitons. Forum

[PwnLaw]

1.) Do you ask people what their greatest weakness is?

1a.) If yes, do you want to choke them when they respond with some BS line like "I'm just too hard-working and detail-oriented, and I wish I spoke more than 3 languages."?

No. I don't ask that question. Very few people are that self aware, and they have no upside to being candid.

[PwnLaw]

Any more questions? I'll be around for an hour and then there's a good chance I'll disappear for a few months. As is my way.

[20160810]

What would you say the most important questions you like to ask are, and what are some of the better responses you've gotten?

[Duralex]

Is coming from a non-Biglaw legal family generally a plus, minus or non-issue? Should work experience (research, discovery etc) at a family firm be played up or understated? Does it depend upon the area of practice and/or plaintiff/defense orientation?

[PwnLaw]

What would you say the most important questions you like to ask are, and what are some of the better responses you've gotten?

I try to avoid asking a lot of questions. I'm more interested in seeing whether a person can carry on a conversation for 20 minutes and how they steer a conversation. It's also telling to see what people do when a lull in the conversation pops up.

For me, humor plays very well. Other attorneys are very serious and expect the same from associates. Unfortunately, you don't know that up front. My general advice is to follow the cues of the interviewer but keep it professional.

[PwnLaw]

Is coming from a non-Biglaw legal family generally a plus, minus or non-issue? Should work experience (research, discovery etc) at a family firm be played up or understated? Does it depend upon the area of practice and/or plaintiff/defense orientation?

Makes very little difference, particularly since biglaw practice is very different than mom and pop shops. I don't put a lot of weight on prior legal experience or a legal family. Paralegal experience at a top firm is useful though -- shows a capacity for attention to detail and an understanding of what an associate position calls for.

[mollie]

How long after a screening interview do you extend a callback? It's been two weeks, and I still haven't heard anything (rejection or callback) from this one firm I interviewed with.

[PwnLaw]

How long after a screening interview do you extend a callback? It's been two weeks, and I still haven't heard anything (rejection or callback) from this one firm I interviewed with.

Depends a great deal on the firm and the office within that firm. 2 weeks is a bit on the long side, but for a firm that has a recruiting committee meeting once a month, it's conceivable.

[OperaSoprano]

How important is undergrad school and major to you? I am an FIT graduate who used to work in fashion, and I've been getting some strong responses from interviewers. I do get the sense that this immediately takes me out of the running at some firms where I might otherwise have a shot. Do you think very unusual backgrounds like this make a difference? (I am the only fashion merchandising major in my class, so I really have no idea what to expect!)

[PwnLaw]

It's pretty rare for someone to have a major that will make much of a difference for me. I work primarily in entertainment/video games so a person with a programming background might be useful. Undergraduate major means very little outside of patent though. If you studied something interesting it might be a good conversation piece.

[Duralex]

...I work primarily in entertainment/video games....

If you're ever bored again, I'd be curious to hear more about what this kind of practice entails.

[Burger in a can]

...I work primarily in entertainment/video games....

If you're ever bored again, I'd be curious to hear more about what this kind of practice entails.

Judging by his username, it entails pwning. And law.

[apper123]

...I work primarily in entertainment/video games....

If you're ever bored again, I'd be curious to hear more about what this kind of practice entails.

Judging by his username, it entails pwning. And law.

Likely n00bs as well.

(pwning them)

[20160810]

...I work primarily in entertainment/video games....

If you're ever bored again, I'd be curious to hear more about what this kind of practice entails.

Judging by his username, it entails pwning. And law.

Likely n00bs as well.

(pwning them)

Perhaps going into one's base and/or killing one's d00ds as well.

[PwnLaw]

In general, all of their legal work are belong to me.

I spend most of my time with game startups and larger media companies. My work is a combination of IP licensing, tech contracts, privacy issues, and things I would consider "core game" work.

[Adjudicator]

So, let me get this straight... you do IP work and other stuff for video game companies?

How do I get that job? Would extensive experience with video games be something that I should mention in an interview?

[PwnLaw]

Certainly something I would be interested in if you were interviewing with me. Prior game experience and being a gamer are two biggies in my book.

[seespotrun]

Certainly something I would be interested in if you were interviewing with me. Prior game experience and being a gamer are two biggies in my book.

I can't imagine that there are too many IP candidates who lack gamer experience. It seems like a very interesting field, though! Thanks again for taking our questions (although I didn't ask one).

[Bosque]

I would like to reiderate the thank you's after callbacks question. What is your opinion on them? Also, if you want to see them, would you rather get an email or a letter/thank you card?

Also, now I am curious where you work, as I am extremely interested in video game law (Seriously interested, not interested as a tourist-EE with programing experience looking to do IP, and also still a gamer). I understand if you cannot disclose that though, even in private message.

[upgrade]

Certainly something I would be interested in if you were interviewing with me. Prior game experience and being a gamer are two biggies in my book.

I had an interview last year with someone who handles a decent amount of work in the gaming industry. We spent the entire interview discussing one of his clients, for which I had done a lot of beta testing in the past, and the nature of his work. It was my most enjoyable interview last year. I didn't receive a callback and wonder if it could have been, in part, because I appeared to not be serious about about work.

[OperaSoprano]

In case you are still around, just wanted to thank you again for taking our questions. It is much appreciated!

[PwnLaw]

I would like to reiderate the thank you's after callbacks question. What is your opinion on them? Also, if you want to see them, would you rather get an email or a letter/thank you card?

Also, now I am curious where you work, as I am extremely interested in video game law (Seriously interested, not interested as a tourist-EE with programing experience looking to do IP, and also still a gamer). I understand if you cannot disclose that though, even in private message.

Think I answered this before. I don't much care about whether I receive a thank you. I have already submitted my feedback to the recruiting committee by the time they come in generally. On the whole, I generally think they're more likely to hurt you than help you.

As for tracking me down -- it's pretty easy with a bit of research. I've already talked to 5-6 people on the board.

[PwnLaw]

Certainly something I would be interested in if you were interviewing with me. Prior game experience and being a gamer are two biggies in my book.

I had an interview last year with someone who handles a decent amount of work in the gaming industry. We spent the entire interview discussing one of his clients, for which I had done a lot of beta testing in the past, and the nature of his work. It was my most enjoyable interview last year. I didn't receive a callback and wonder if it could have been, in part, because I appeared to not be serious about about work.

A lot of the folks that do gaming work in larger firms don't have enough work to sustain another person, so it could just be that they were concerned they wouldn't have enough for you. Who knows though? I don't try to read those tea leaves.

[Bosque]

I would like to reiderate the thank you's after callbacks question. What is your opinion on them? Also, if you want to see them, would you rather get an email or a letter/thank you card?

Also, now I am curious where you work, as I am extremely interested in video game law (Seriously interested, not interested as a tourist-EE with programing experience looking to do IP, and also still a gamer). I understand if you cannot disclose that though, even in private message.

Think I answered this before. I don't much care about whether I receive a thank you. I have already submitted my feedback to the recruiting committee by the time they come in generally. On the whole, I generally think they're more likely to hurt you than help you.

As for tracking me down -- it's pretty easy with a bit of research. I've already talked to 5-6 people on the board.

Hmm... well what about just for your perception of the person? The big reason I have been sending thank you notes is not because I think it will help me actually get a job, but because I would like to be courteous to the people I will work with and (possibly even more importantly) the people I might end up across the table from some day. I am genuinely thankful that these people took the time out of their day to talk to me, and I would like them to know it. In that sense, it doesn't really matter if the note gets there before the interviewer submits it, because the effect is on more of the long term relationship. If you still don't care, do you get the sense that some people might? I know that if I were in the interviewer's shoes, I like you would not really let a thank you letter (or the absence of one) effect my recommendation for hiring. However, the person who sent one would have a leg up on my internal list of folks I wouldn't mind dealing with on a daily basis.

[savagedm]

Being a lifelong gamer and transplanting from SoCal up to Seattle, I am curious if you know much about the industry up here? I know the tech market on the whole is insane in Seattle but I have not had much of a chance to research the gamelaw market up here. The kind of an environment a firm in this industry would provide is a huge plus in my book as I am typically laid back but take work seriously and a job that is super uptight isnt necessarily on my short list. Thanks!