What will happen in interview for lawyer job?

February 10, 2008 9:32 PM

Lawyers: I spent the first part of my law career self-employed, so have never been through the interview process. Now I'm looking for a "real" job. Please hold my hand.

Background: During law school, I worked in my father's solo law practice, and after graduation went directly into practice with him, so I know nothing about the interview process for law jobs. Now I want to get a regular job at a firm, and am terrified at the prospect of interviewing.

It seems that most places will do a telephone interview first, then follow up with a real interview if they are still interested after that. What kinds of questions can I expect in the phone interview? In the real interview? Do they ask for specific examples of cases you've worked on? Numbers of cases? Average caseload? Billable hours? Proof of billable hours worked? Do they give you hypotheticals? I'm no hotshot and despite having practiced for several years, am probably looking at coming in as a 2nd-year associate or staff attorney, if that helps.

Also, how do I deal with references? We practice in a small community, and if people get wind that I might be moving, they will stop hiring me, which would be disastrous. I really don't even want to ask anyone if they will give me a reference until I'm sure I have a job offer. Is this reasonable?

I have heard of firms just picking up the phone and randomly calling people in your legal community to see what they think of you, and this, too, would be Very Bad. How do I stop this from happening without seeming like the paranoiac I really am?

The bigger problem regarding references is finding them when the time comes. I've been doing almost exclusively transactional work or research and writing for cases that my father actually litigates, so no judges really know me very well. For the same reason, I haven't had a lot of interaction with other attorneys. I've been out of school for too long to use professors. And, obviously, I don't have any employer to give me a recommendation. What is the best way to handle this?

Submitted anonymously due to aforementioned paranoia about losing business due to people finding out I'm job hunting.

posted by anonymous to work & money (7 comments total)

Law job interviews are as different, and idiosyncratic, as lawyers themselves.

There's no way to generalize about how interviews are done.

I've known of interviews where it was essentially a "get to know you" session, where the employer was just trying to make sure the applicant wasn't an obvious social misfit, since they had decided that the applicant's credentials passed muster on paper.

I've known of interviews where the partner spent the whole time bragging about his excellence. I was just talking with a lawyer the other day, who was subjected to an interview where the partner spent the whole time talking about what a badass he (the partner) is, how lucky the applicant would be to work for him, and his passion for liquor and cigars (yes, awful).

I have never had an interview where they threw a hypothetical or a quiz at me. I would find that very strange and off-putting.
posted by jayder at 10:05 PM on February 10, 2008

I've had interviewers ask all of the questions you identified. Their first question is going to be why you are looking. I'd also be prepared to answer questions about what you've been paid in the past and what salary you are seeking.

A good employer ought to understand that you don't want your references checked willy nilly. Typically, I've had firms give me an offer contingent on my references checking out. After I accept, they call my references. I've never heard of prospective employers calling around the legal market to ask about an interviewee without their permission.

I suggest that you contact your law school's career services department. Despite the years that have passed since you graduated, they should still be willing to help. Their professionals can talk you through your questions about interviews, and they should have a better idea of what to expect in the market you want to break into. They can also help you improve your resume to highlight the good experience you do have.

On a parallel track, see what you can do about getting more of the right kind of experience at your current job. It sounds like your father is doing you a disservice by having you do only the prep work and keeping you out of court. Would it be feasible for you to ask him if you can cover some hearings for him so you can get the lay of the land? It would seem to make sense from a business perspective to have more than one of you able to go to court so you can double the amount of litigation you can take on. If he's not willing to give you court time, see if you can take on some pro bono cases to give you the court experience you need.

I think you might be overestimating the number of clients who would not give you business if they heard that you're looking (if we accept the premise that they might find out). Clients don't care who you work for - if they like you, they'll generally follow you to your new firm.

This might be too forward, but is this about you being afraid of your dad finding out that you're looking?
posted by slmorri at 10:07 PM on February 10, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Oh, and as for my advice:

Just be yourself, don't put on airs, and try to come across as easy to get along with. The fact that you have been practicing for several years will likely be viewed as a positive by a lot of firms. You'll have a lot to bring to the table.
posted by jayder at 10:08 PM on February 10, 2008

If you can live as a solo, you can handle this. Life's easier over there in a lot of ways. I got my first firm job talking about Big Ten football. I let my boss know I rooted for a rival.

What job interviewing is about "do I like this person enough to work with them." Be a polite version of you and spend plenty of time learning about the place where you are thinking about working at.

Resume's are good, but what will solve your resume problem is a writing sample from a case that you litigated.

For your transactional work, in the real world its a lot more about being able to get along with a lot of people, because your work is more about getting people who are supposed to do shit get off their asses and do it than it is about drafting the nuke-proof contract. No such animal exists. So make a good resume, include a writing sample and be yourself at the interview.
posted by Ironmouth at 10:30 PM on February 10, 2008

slmorri is right about the clients. I was amazed that they followed me to my solo practice. But they pretty much did, with a few exceptions. They trust you. That's a huge thing in this game--its basically everything.
posted by Ironmouth at 10:33 PM on February 10, 2008

I'm in house now, but I was on the recruiting committee at my big law firm employer. I agree with jayder that how you are interviewed will largely depend on who is interviewing you. But overall I think firms want to know (1) why you are looking for a change, (2) whether you are capable of doing the work they need, (3) whether you would be a good return on their investment (from a hit-the-ground-running standpoint and from a billable hours standpoint), and most of all (4) whether they would like to work with you.

As to (1), be honest. You are going from a solo office to a firm, so the difference in challenges/opportunities/etc. should not be an issue. It was the 1st and 2d years from other big firms that we were curious about.

As to (2), be ready to talk about specific projects that you did and responsibilities that you have had. A mix of small projects where you were primarily responsible and large ones where you were part of a team is ideal, though your solo work may make that impractical. Still, expect to be asked real questions about the kind of cases you worked on, and use those questions to talk up your skills and how you could add value straightaway and without a big training investment on their part. Poke through your files to remind yourself of the different issues you've dealt with.

As to (3), the hit-the-ground-running point is dealt with above. For billable hours, you will want to get the point across that you expect to work hard and that you are committed to putting the client's needs first, always. I would not ask what the minimum hours requirement is or whether it is enforced, even if you really want to know that. There are other ways or times to find that stuff out.

As to (4), this is really the most important one. You can be the most qualified candidate they have, but if you are awkward or unlikeable you will likely get dinged. When I talked to other lawyers who had interviewed the same candidate as me, the majority of our time was spent on how the lawyer interacted with us and whether we wanted to work with them. You signal that through your dress (don't be sloppy or ostentatious), through your attitude (try to relax and take your cues from the interviewer, but take the interview seriously), through your preparation (know something about the firm and ask questions that show you are not trying to impress but instead trying to understand the firm culture and work), and generally through your answers (be thoughtful, avoid shoehorning your talking points where they don't naturally fit). A good crutch to give interviewers is something personal on your resume. Your rock band membership, a college team you avidly follow, your record in the hot dog eating contest, whatever. It may seem cheesy, but it's a nice gift for interviewers.

I've heard stories of hypotheticals, but think that they are pretty rare. I've never heard of asking for proof of billable hours. At our firm, references were never called until after we had made a conditional offer or at least signaled that once references were clear an offer would come. (For my jump to in-house, the same was true. I didn't ask anyone to be a reference until I knew I had the job.)
posted by AgentRocket at 8:27 AM on February 11, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

It also depends on who you are interviewing with at the big firms. My firm has candidates interview with a number of people - generally two from the recruiting committee, two partners from whatever area they are interested in, and at least two associates. The associates are chosen because they are trusted to give good feedback - and that feedback is taken extremely seriously, on the theory that its important that the associates like each other - we'll be working together, hopefully become partners some day, etc. and it's bad mojo if we don't get along. Unless the candidate is extremely exceptional, the associates feedback is key.

When I interview people, I always notice 1. how the person dresses; 2. how the person sits/gestures during an interview; 3. how the person addresses questions about his or her background (especially if their grades weren't good - if they're still in law school, do they have a plan for fixing it? if they aren't, what was the problem? and either way, what is their writing like, because that's important); 4. do I think the person will stick around at the firm (connections to the city, the firm, desire to do our kind of work); 5. does the person have good questions about the firm (having no questions is bad. I'm happy to discuss billable hours and our salaries if the person is still in law school; less so if the person has been out a while. I appreciate questions about the type of work I do, the responsibility I get, the training and mentoring I receive, and expectations of the firm beyond billable hours); 6. whether or not I get the impression I could send this individual into a meeting with a client without being embarrassed by them (which is largely the result of the first few things, including dress).

One question that another person I've conducted interviews with has asked that I have heard before is "what's one thing you're proud of doing that isn't on your resume". There have been lots of interesting answers - from "helped raise my sister's twin children" to "hiked the Appalachian trail" to "finished my thesis." Sort of like the "whats a challenge you've overcome."

At most big firms, if you've gotten an interview, it's mostly going to be about the fit - they're already convinced you'll make a decent enough lawyer. So try to be comfortable. And go to a firm you're comfortable at - you'll be seeing a lot of these people.
posted by dpx.mfx at 2:01 PM on February 11, 2008