Law Firm Interviews: The First Answer Is The Key!

Getting that first answer down solidly will put you in the best position to land your dream job.

Matt Ritter

Ed. note: This is the latest installment in a series of posts from Lateral Link’s team of expert contributors. Matt Ritter is a Director based in California where he focuses on moving partners and associates into prominent positions with elite firms and companies throughout the U.S., with a focus on the California and New York markets. Matt has a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and was a corporate associate at both Kirkland & Ellis and Mayer Brown in NYC. Matt has also toured as a comedian, and wrote and produced a few hit TV shows… now he’s trying to help lawyers find their dream jobs! I guess you could say he’s not your typical recruiter.

Most candidates I talk to spend an adequate amount of time polishing their résumé, researching firms and partners, and generally preparing themselves to interview. However, I have found that very few candidates specifically think of how they plan to answer the first interview question. This is a big mistake that should be corrected, so I’m here to help!

While it’s true that no one knows what a partner or associate will ask you first during your interview, it’s a pretty safe bet that the questions “what you have been working on” or “walk me through your résumé” will come up early on in the interview. Knocking your initial answers out of the park is the key to the entire interview.

Let’s face it, most partners are extremely busy and don’t necessarily relish taking time out of their schedules to conduct lateral interviews. As such, they can become irritated when a candidate stumbles out of the gate. Conversely, if the candidate can check many of the firm’s boxes right off the bat, the rest of the interview will generally be pretty easy. It will also prevent the partner from asking a bunch of unexpected questions, and will allow you to control the interview. So what are those boxes to tick in the first interview question? This is not an exhaustive list, but if you can hit many of these, you’ll separate yourself from any less prepared ramblers you’re competing against. Ask yourself the following:

  1. Have I been doing work that fits this role?

If you are interviewing for a structured finance role, have you worked on structured finance deals? If you are a corporate generalist, it may not be apparent on your résumé that structured finances is 50% of your workload. If you are interviewing for a trademark role and your résumé screams general lit, now is the time to address that, not 20 minutes into your interview.

  1. What is my role on the transactions?

You need to clarify if you are doing more (especially as a junior) than simply running ancillary documents. Perhaps you are revising sections of operative documents. On the litigation side, have you conducted depositions or shown other skill sets beyond your class level? If you are midlevel, you need to make it clear you are now running deals or serving as second chair (or even first chair) on cases now.

Other things to succinctly address up front:

  1. Can I step in right away and be an asset to this firm? What evidence is there to support that?
  2. Why am I looking to leave my current firm? Is there something about this new firm’s practice that I’m not getting at my current firm? 
  3. Am I passionate about this practice?

Do you write for your firm’s IP blog? Have you seen this partner speak at a seminar?

  1. Am I someone this partner will be able to tolerate for hours on end?

Nobody wants to hear a candidate drone on for five minutes uninterrupted or ramble incoherently; it shows a lack of social cues. Be a good listener and figure out when your interviewer wants you to chime in.

A concise (say, one minute) first answer that checks off many of these boxes will set you up for a successful interview and a likely callback, and should also set you at ease.

You may be thinking, “But I usually like to start with undergrad and tell them where I went to law school and what journal I worked on.” I have news for you: It’s already on your résumé. You’re only wasting precious real estate on something they can already see. What they want to know about is your current job, and that’s pretty much it.

Check out two first answers I put together, one that is the wrong approach and one that is the much better way to dive right in. You can make it your own and figure out what works for you. But getting that first answer down solidly will put you in the best position to land your dream job.


Lateral Link is one of the top-rated international legal recruiting firms. With over 14 offices world-wide, Lateral Link specializes in placing attorneys at the most prestigious law firms and companies in the world. Managed by former practicing attorneys from top law schools, Lateral Link has a tradition of hiring lawyers to execute the lateral leaps of practicing attorneys. Click ::here:: to find out more about us.