Interview Tips

1L summer associate interviews are in full swing. If you’re interviewing, keep these things in mind:

💡Being yourself is most important. Take a deep breath and be you. We know when you’re trying to be whatever it is you think we are looking for rather than genuinely you. Showing personality is welcomed. We want to know that you’d be a decent human to go into the trenches with.

💡Be ready to talk about something that was a challenge for you. You’ve likely succeeded at most things, but it couldn’t have all been roses. We want to know about a time you overcame something.

💡You will be asked what area of law you want to go into. You don’t have to know with certainty but you should be able to intelligently discuss some areas of interest or have questions that help you suss out what practice areas might fit you best.

💡Have questions. Standard ones are fine, but the most interesting candidates have targeted questions—about the firm, about the specific interviewer, about the city you’re interviewing for, etc.

💡Expect to be asked what you attribute your success in law school to. We want to know how that’ll translate to an entirely new challenge (law firm life).

💡 Send a thank you email and quickly. Personalize it. It doesn’t have to be long but it should be tailored to the interviewer. We know when you’ve copy and pasted to all of us (or worse, just bcc’d all of us on a single email).

💡You’re interviewing us as much as we are interviewing you. Trust your gut on what feels right and what clicks. And don’t hesitate to follow up afterwards if you need more information to make an informed decision.

💡1L spots are particularly competitive. Don’t read too much into things if you don’t land somewhere or at your top choices this summer.

My two cents on this mid-winter Saturday. What’s your advice to law students? Memories from the process?

I’ve always been a good interviewer and yet: on campus interviews (OCIs) were the only part of law school that made me cry. What I’m doing today has no connection to my OCI or summer experience so stay persistent and hopeful. You got this.

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