Big Law OCI Interviews — Common Questions (Part I)
Recently during pre-OCI interviews with law students I’ve noticed a few repeat questions come up. Given that on-campus interview season is right around the corner, here are a few topics and my responses I’ve discussed with law students.
1. How did you choose your practice area? I was a paralegal in an investment funds group prior to law school, so I had experience. However, I didn’t choose investment funds because it was the obvious choice — it also “works” for my brain.
You should consider how your brain works — beyond just your interest in a particular area of law, certain topics will just “click”. In my case, investment funds involves structure charts and carefully orchestrated processes and steps. In law school, all of my outlines were flowcharts and checklists that kept me organized and focused, so investment funds naturally fit well with how I typically prefer to organize my work. You should consider which assignments/classes “click” for you at law school and consider related areas of law when the time comes.
2. How do you choose one firm over another? One word: “vibes”. It always feels unprofessional to say that, but it’s the best description. After moving between several top law firms, I realized that every big law firm generally has the best attorneys working for the most prestigious clients. There is some variability of course (certain firms excel in certain practice areas), but for the most part the “Big Law” firms are relatively homogenous.
I advise students to look beyond the rankings and instead get a real feeling for the attorneys you are interviewing with. Do they seem like somebody you’d like to work with on a difficult matter? When it’s 2am and you’re struggling, will this person help? If your immediate gut-reaction is “no” to any of these questions, perhaps consider whether this firm is the right fit (or try to meet additional attorneys to get more data points).
3. How did Covid-19 change in the legal field? The pandemic simultaneously increased two elements in every lawyer’s life: flexibility and accessibility.
Attorneys enjoy more flexible schedules which allow for more personal (or family) time. Before, it was expected that attorneys would be in the office Monday through Friday and generally log off around 6 p.m. Now, the expectation is that attorneys will be in the office when necessary (or when required due to client obligations or other meetings), but are mostly free to define their own schedules.
Greater flexibility had the unintended consequence of greater accessibility. Before, an attorney’s job was mostly confined to their physical office. Now, we all have a home office which means we are more likely to fully plug-in from home. Instead of saying “I am heading home for the day” I now say “I am transitioning home,” which really means I will be offline for my transit but then back online afterwards (I really need to kick this habit, personally). The wall between a lawyer’s professional and personal life was always incredibly thin, but the pandemic knocked that wall down.
4. What’s the top “skill” you look for in a potential new associate? Accountability. It’s a difficult skill to master, but it’s something that attorneys at all levels, from associates to senior partners, appreciate from a junior associate. “Accountability” gets thrown around a lot, but rarely defined — it is the willingness to take responsibility for a task and be liable for its outcome. For a junior associate, this can be as simple as taking good notes when a task is assigned or double-checking your work before submitting it for review. Accountability is a tough skill to teach, so if you can arrive on the first day with motivation to be accountable, your efforts will be appreciated by other lawyers.
