Nail Your Law Job Interview: The Essential Guide to Firm, Clerkship, Government, In-House, and Lateral Interviews

225 Pages·2009·5.969 MB·English

by  Natalie Prescott, Oleg Cross

Natalie Prescott & Oleg Cross
The Essential Guide
to Firm, Clerkship,
Government, In-House,
ijjf ד H ::
and Lateral Interviews
“A thorough and down-to-earth resource for those serious about pur-
suing a legal career. The authors offer valuable insights and strategies to
maximize the reader’s success in interview and social situations.”
—Howard Armstrong, Partner, Latham & Watkins LLP
“Natalie Prescott and Oleg Cross have produced a volume that will
surely fill a need for new law school graduates and experienced attorneys.
Plenty of books on the market cover job interviewing, but Nail Your Law
Job Interview comprehensively explains the nuances of interviewing in the
law sector. Mini case-studies and the authors’ own experiences enhance
their advice. The chapters on timing of law interviews, limiting the disclo-
sure of candidate information in interviews, gap-fillers for awkward mo-
ments, and bold moves to help the candidate stand out, provide excellent
and little-known information. The authors have clearly thought of—and
covered—every contingency that can arise in a law interview, including
distinguishing among types of law interviews and types of law positions.
No aspiring attorney should be without this book.”
—Katharine Hansen, PhD, Associate Publisher/Creative Director of
Quintessential Careers, and author of Top Notch Executive Resumes
“After surviving law school and the bar exam, many attorneys downplay
the difficulty of the job search, and, more specifically, the job interview. In
reality, the interview always means the difference between getting passed
over and landing your dream job. This book provides candidates with sue-
cinct advice, elucidating anecdotes, and inside tips that will allow them to
take the guesswork out of the interview process and nail their interviews.”
—T.J. Duane, Principal, Lateral Link Group LLC
“This book goes beyond the cookie-cutter guidance found in most other
legal job-hunting publications. Its in-depth research and in-the-know, su-
perb Teal world’ advice is particularly helpful to candidates interviewing
in an increasingly competitive job market.”
—Alan D. Surchin, Esq., Executive Recruiter, Pittleman & Associates
“Nail Your Law Job Interview is well-written and wonderfully com-
prehensive. It provides specific examples, directions, and instructions in
every aspect of finding a law job. In fact, although it’s written for the new
grad, experienced lawyers will benefit from it as well. Too many Tow to’
books are mostly theory. This one isn’t.”
—Judi Perkins, “The Renegade Job Coach,” founder of Find the
Perfect Job, and contributor to Vault.com’s career blog
Nail Your Law Jo b Interview
The Essential Guide to Firm,
Clerkship, Government, In-FHouse,
and Lateral Interviews
By Natalie Prescott & O leg Cross
!^ C A R E E R
יי P R E S S
The Career Press, Inc.
Franklin Lakes, NJ
Copyright © 2009 by Natalie Prescott & Oleg Cross
All rights reserved under the Pan-American and International Copyright Conven-
tions. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form or by any
means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any
information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, with-
out written permission from the publisher, The Career Press.
Nail Y our Law Job Interview
Edited by Kirsten Dalley
Cover design by Rob Johnson, Johnson Design
Printed in the U.S.A.
To order this title, please call toll-free 1-800-CAREER-1 (NJ and Canada: 201-
848-0310) to order using VISA or MasterCard, or for further information on books
from Career Press.
{ )
c a r e e r
p P R E S S
The Career Press, Inc., 3 Tice Road, PO Box 687,
Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417
www.careerpress.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Prescott, Natalie.
Nail your law job interview : the essential guide to firm, clerkship, government,
in-house, and lateral interviews / by Natalie Prescott & Oleg Cross,
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 9 7 8 -1 -6 0 1 6 3 7 ־053־
1. Law—Vocational guidance—United States. 2. Practice of law—Vocational
guidance—United States. 3. Employment interviewing—United States. I. Cross, Oleg.
II. Title.
KF297.P74 2009
650.144—dc22
2008053974

A
ckn o w ledgm en ts
We owe the success of this book to many legal and recruiting professionals
who shared their wisdom and devoted significant time to reviewing and com-
menting on various chapters. The unique perspectives of many lawyers, judges,
law clerks, recruiting coordinators, law students, and legal recruiters helped us
shape the contents of this book and transform it into a comprehensive inter-
viewing guide for a diverse group of readers. We are especially grateful to the
following people:
To Kate Epstein, Epstein Literary Agency, and Michael Pye and Adam
Schwartz of Career Press for believing in and appreciating the importance of
this book and for contributing their countless efforts to this project. Thanks
also to our editor, Kirsten Dailey, and to Kristen Parkes, who designed the
interior of the book.
To the Honorable Roger T. Benitez, U.S. District Court for the Southern
District of California, for being such a wonderful mentor and for passing on
his knowledge and inspiration during a challenging editorial process.
To Chief Judge Irma E. Gonzalez, U.S. District Court for the Southern
District of California; Judge John A. Houston, U.S. District Court for the South-
ern District of California; Magistrate Judge Cathy A. Bencivengo, U.S. District
Court for the Southern District of California; Judge David R. Thompson, U.S.
Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; Judge J. Clifford Wallace, U.S. Court
of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; and Judge Barry G. Silverman, U.S. Court of
Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, for sharing their knowledge and collective wis-
dom on the subject of clerkship interviews, which we now pass on to our
readers.
To Michael Allen, cofounder of Lateral Link Group LLC; T.J. Duane,
principal of Lateral Link Group LLC; Alexis Dixon Johnson, managing director
of Major, Lindsey, and Africa, LLC; and Alan Surchin, executive recruiter at
Pittleman & Associates, for their invaluable input into a broad array of subjects
affecting the lateral market, in-house interviewing process, and tips for using
headhunters. Their in-depth knowledge of the intricacies of lateral interviews
and the challenges facing lateral candidates helped us gain a deeper under-
standing of these important subjects.
To Roei C. Campos, partner-in-charge, Cooley Goodward Kronish LLP,
and former Commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission;
Peter Hyun, Assistant Attorney General, Office of the Attorney General, State
of New York; Kim Lagotta, Deputy District Attorney, San Diego County,
California, Chief of the Family Protection Unit, and member of the Hiring
Evaluation Panel; Elizabeth Porterfield, Deputy District Attorney, San Diego
County, California; and Michael Skerlos, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern
District of California, and Chair of the Hiring Committee, for their input into
the chapter on government interviews.
To Katharine Hansen, author of Top Notch Executive Resumes, creative
director of Quintessential Careers; Judi Perkins, the “Renegade Job Coach,”
founder of Find the Perfect Job, recruiter, author, and contributor to Vault.com’s
career-related blog; Debra Strauss, professor at the Charles F. Dolan School of
Business at Fairfield University, author of Behind the Bench: The Guide to
Judicial Clerkships; and Joe Turner, recruiter, author of Paycheck 911 and Job
Search Secrets Unlocked, for their significant written contributions to various
chapters in this book, invaluable expertise, and tireless editorial efforts.
To Howard Armstrong, partner and recruiting committee member, Latham
& Watkins LLP; Margie Cartwright, Associate Director of Career Services at
University of San Diego School of Law; Carlos Davila-Caballero, Assistant
Dean for Career Development at Tulane Law School; Bruce Elvin, Director of
Career and Professional Development at Duke University School of Law; Cara
Mitnick, Assistant Dean for Career Services at University of San Diego School
of Law; and Michael G. Rhodes, Litigation Department Chair, and member of
the management committee, Cooley Godward Kronish LLP, for fascinating
discussions, illuminating interview stories, and feedback regarding law-firm
interviews.
To attorneys Elena Bojilova, Jones Day LLP; Albert Chang, law clerk to the
Honorable Roger T. Benitez; Kamyar Daneshvar, Bullivant Houser Bailey PC;
and Scott McGee, Motley Rice LLC, for spending countless hours reviewing
chapters and offering an insider’s perspective to the subjects of lateral and call-
back interviews.
To Katherine Paculba, a recent graduate of the Thomas Jefferson School of
Law, for her help with and extensive editing of the networking chapter.
To David Lat, founder of the legal tabloid Abovethelaw.com, for allowing
us to draw on the wisdom and experience of his readers in several interview
stories throughout this book.
To Jennifer Black, Counsel at Energy Capital Partners; Alice Detwiler,
Senior Attorney at Microsoft Corporation; and Stacey Spain, Vice President,
Counsel, and Assistant Corporate Secretary at Amback Financial Group, for
inspiration, thoughtful discussions, resource materials, and tips on the in-house
interviewing process.
To attorneys Brian Brook, Greenberg Traurig LLP; Adam Garson, DLA
Piper U.S. LLP; Veronica Jackson, DLA Piper U.S. LLP; Nataliya Johnson,
Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP; Angie Kim, Cooley Godward Kronish LLP;
JoAnn Koob, DLA Piper U.S. LLP; Olga May, Fish & Richardson LLP;
William Northrip, Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP; and Aryn Thomas, Latham &
Watkins LLP, for their edits and thoughtful comments regarding the challenges
facing young attorneys interviewing for jobs in a diverse legal market.
To attorneys Stephen Dang, Latham & Watkins LLP; Kiera Gans, DLA
Piper U.S. LLP; Tamara Katz, Latham & Watkins LLP; Colin Levere, Clifford
Chance LLP; Daina Selvig, DLA Piper U.S. LLP; and Brandee Shtevi, Cooley
Godward Kronish LLP, for taking the time to educate us on the unique chal-
lenges facing foreign job applicants in the United States, for sharing their sto-
ries, and for offering useful tips to our readers.
To Theresa DeLoach, Recruiter at Lateral Link Group LLC; Heather Lodahl,
Recruiting Coordinator at Latham & Watkins LLP; Septina McDonnell,
Recruiting Manager at Cooley Godward Kronish LLP; and Allison Shanahan,
Manager of Attorney Recruitment and Development at Latham & Watkins LLP,
for their helpful advice on the law-firm interviewing process.
To current and former clerks Marwan Elrakabawy, Robert Firpo, Joseph
Goodman, Erin Goodsell, Sasha Johnson, Christin Hill, Alison Kaisler, Jennifer
Kaplan, Michael Leggieri, Katie Lieberg, Robert Newmayer, Jin Ohta, and Glenn
Rivera, for their advice, edits, and support.
To the numerous other colleagues, attorneys, students, law schools, and
recruiters who have sought advice on job interviews, exchanged ideas, and
shared their stories, and who, in doing so, helped us shape the content of this
book.

C
o n ten ts
Qjms
Introduction 11
Part I: Getting Started
Chapter 1 How to Network With Ease 17
Chapter 2 Timing Is Everything 23
Chapter 3 How to Do Your Homework 29
Chapter 4 What to Bring 37
Chapter 5 What to Wear 43
Chapter 6 How to Sell Yourself Effectively 53
Chapter 7 Body Language and Demeanor 57
Part II: Tackling the Questions
Chapter 8 Questions to Ask 65
Chapter 9 What Not to Ask 73
Chapter 10 Limited Disclosure 79
Chapter 11 Gap-Fillers for Awkward Moments 83
Chapter 12 Answering Inappropriate or Illegal Questions 87
Part III: Interviewing Etiquette Do’s and Don’ts
Chapter 13 Bold Moves 97
Chapter 14 Rude Behavior 103
Chapter 15 Discussing Law, Politics, and Religion 107
Chapter 16 Dealing With Arrogant Interviewers 111
Chapter 17 Lunch, Dinner, and Retreat Interviews 117
Part IV: Interview Scenarios Throughout Your Career
Chapter 18 Big Firms vs. Small Firms 127
Chapter 19 On-Campus Interviews 133
Chapter 20 Callback Interviews and Thank-You Letters 137