Interview Stories, Law Schools

Master Class Douchery: 3L Gunner Schools Classmates in Interviewing

Sometimes the line between helpful and annoying is hard to see.

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UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON SCHOOL OF LAW — A 3L’S INTERVIEW TIPS FOR 1LS

It’s OCI time everyone. If you have any questions, need for advice, or anything else, give me a shout. Thoughts:

1) Make sure to sign up for a mock interview ASAP. Like now. Do all the options. Don’t choose your dream firm. Choose one similar to it.

2) (not going to renumber below): Lock down your references. Some firms it’s a big deal. Law professors ideal.

2) Network. Take people out to coffee. Do anything you can do get the name of someone at the firm into your cover letter. Go straight to the junior associates that graduated from your undergrad/UW Law. If you’re not comfortable with that, start with a summer associate there now, who can probably connect you with a junior associate. I can provide SA contacts for a few firms to get you started.

3) Other than litigation/transactional, stay broad in your cover letter, unless your firm specializes in the area you want to go into. Lane Powell does not take people interested in transactional work. And even then, make sure that it’s realistic. Perkins Coie really frowns on people saying they are interested in political law. Probably sports law too. You don’t really “do” that. Ask me if you want more detail. Other places are really only looking for “one” thing. Seriously, at one screening interview the partner was just excited that I actually understood what the firm did and was interested in it, because everyone else that had gone earlier in the day had blown it by saying that they were open to pretty much anything. It’s up to you to figure that out.

4) Bidding won’t really matter. Just go in order of preference. It will shake out like this, more or less, according to GPA: the top of the class will get interviews everywhere as pre-selects… top 10%. The next 20% or so will get a lot of interview slots on pre-select. Beyond that, some firms will focus on median and above for pre-select. Lottery matchups will be pretty random. If you’re on the lower, much lower side of things, you will only get lottery matchups, and there are almost no slots for that. So try and be a little realistic.

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5) If you want to be at a firm, bid everything. All 30. I seriously considered a firm that I bid #26 or something like that. You have no idea how OCI/interviews/things will turn out. And even if you have great credentials, it’s hard to say where things will shake out.

6) If you don’t want to be at a firm, still bid a few. You’ll want to go through the interview process. The more the merrier. It sucks to take that spot from someone that wants it, but you need that experience. And you never know, maybe you’ll fall in love with a firm.

7) Hiring is on a rolling basis. Anyone that tells you different is an idiot. Schedule callbacks ASAP. You should have your phone on and with service when that is happening, otherwise you’ll end up at the back of the line and you could be interviewing without the chance to get an offer. That being said, you will get much stronger as an interviewer the more that you do.

8) You’ll get hard, sometimes no-win questions. I was asked point blank more than once why I was not on LR. You should be able to see these things coming and have a solid answer.

9) Dress for success. Men: you should have a well-fitted, as in tailored, dark suit. Charcoal or navy. No/subtle pinstripes. Black captoe shoes… Google Allen Edmonds Park Avenue, and either buy that, or something that looks like it. And either a white or light blue, tailored shirt. Cotton Cleaners near Lake City is a very good, relatively inexpensive tailor. Women: sucks but wear a skirt w/ pantyhose. No one will ever say that they care, but subconsciously, it matters to some people. Sorry. Men and Women: Getting decent, tailored clothes is important, because it will help you project confidence, ability, and fit. Look like you belong.

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10) BE YOURSELF. Be the funny/smart/intelligent individual you are in everyday life.

11) Get over your resume. It’s not a top secret document, and if you treat it that way, you’ll blow it in an interview. If you want to go over it with me, I’d be happy to. Don’t be embarrassed or afraid. Embrace whatever is on there.

12) I will not be here, starting on August 8th, (SE Asia!), so if you want any feedback before then, give me a shout. Happy to do mock interviews and meet for lunch/coffee.

13) You will know absolutely nothing about being a lawyer when you graduate from law school, and the most realistic option for most people to develop those skills is at a firm. Yes, it’s long hours, yes, it can be a difficult environment, but it’s a really incredible opportunity to become a lawyer. You should really consider this if you haven’t already.

14) Don’t undersell the small firms. One of my best friends who could have gone anywhere went to an incredible small firm and let me tell you, that’s a great option if you want to work at a firm with lower stress, a sense of community, and just general awesomeness. Not all small firms are like that, again, you’ll have to figure this out as you go! Another example: Karr Tuttle has a ridiculously low billing requirement, is a great firm and pays market if you are willing to work that much. On the other hand, making 90k (scales to 130 or whatever market is now), working incredibly reasonable hours, and still having firm training and resources? That’s a great option, and you should seek those kind of things out.

15) the satellite firms pay NY lockstep or close to it. This should be more than about money. Again, however, it’s a unique, small and close knit environment that some people thrive in. That’s something to consider.

16) For actual OCI, have a compelling narrative/traits that is exactly what the law firm wants to hear. Then build it so that you can use it as a response to common questions.

Example: DO NOT USE THIS. Loves steep learning curves.

Interviewer: Do you like law school?

Me: I’m not sure whether anyone really likes law school *ha… ha*, but I like it in a sense that it presents a steep learning curve. You’re placed in an entirely foreign environment and for the most part, left to fend for yourself. You have to be resourceful, resilient, and dedicated to the task at hand. The work itself ranges from fun to monotonous, but I love that opportunity to work hard each and every day at building up the type of incremental knowledge and proficiency that leads to results. That type of challenge is exactly what I’m looking for as a legal career, and what I hope to take on at xxx firm. I know the hours won’t be easy, but I’m okay with that, in fact, I thrive in that type of environment.

Example. AGAIN DO NOT USE THIS. Team Player.

Interviewer: Do you like law school?

Me: Honestly, I didn’t at first. I found out almost immediately it was a very competitive, isolating experience. I love working with others, collaborating to help build something that’s better than the sum of its parts, and law school unfortunately didn’t present that. So I went out and built it myself. I created a section list serve that is still being used today. We, as a section, communicated about assignments, upcoming exams, and bailed each other out in class when someone was struggling during cold calling. I took that a step further by building a study group of 5 people. We all did well in our classes, helped hold each other accountable, and are now great friends. A terrible assignment isn’t so bad when you’re doing it with people that you trust and can count on. They help make the experience fun and more satisfying. Sure, sometimes I ended up doing more work than everyone else, but that’s just the way that works. I’m really looking forward to doing that at xxx firm, building the relationships and working with both junior and senior associates and partners to get the job done.

When you build your traits, make a list of things that firms are looking for. Then, shoehorn your experiences/strengths into those listed items. Take something you did this summer and communicate a trait with it.

It shouldn’t take a brainiac to figure out how, in my two examples, those traits could be translated into a variety of questions, such as what my favorite class is, why I wanted to go to law school, why I want to work at the firm, whatever. The key is to have a trait that you are communicating to the firm when they ask you a question. Once you master that, you’re set. You’ll already have an answer to virtually every question. And by repeating those narrative traits, you’ll make it better each and every time. By the end of OCI I had an incredibly compelling narrative that I could glue into any series of questions.

20-whatever) Have a good list of stock questions you can always go to. Come up with something original/unique/thought provoking. I had one ACE question like that and went to it, every time. No one had heard it before, and it was a fun, engaging question. Figure something out like that.

Alright, that’s all I’ve got for now. Good luck and I’m looking forward to seeing all of you succeed!

— HARRY HUSKY

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