This was my experience - I have no idea how typical it might be. If yours was markedly different, I'd love to hear about it in the comments. The things that surprised me most were the length, only twenty minutes, and that I was in control most of the time. They only asked me a few short questions about my resume and then turned things over to me - I was glad I had thought of lots to ask ahead of time.
I got an e-mail from Summer Employer saying to get in touch with them and set up a time for an interview on Monday. I do that. Summer job hunting 1L year involves carpet-bombing the area you want to work with resume/cover letter mailings and all law firm names sound more or less the same, so by this point I don't remember a thing about these people. I spend about an hour reading everything I can find on their website, especially the bio of the lawyer who I'll be interviewing with. I try to come up with three or four questions I can ask the interviewer. I actually really like what I see, and decide that worst case scenario, I want to use the oportunity to learn more about the firm for next year. I think of what about the firm sounds good to me, and how to get more details about those things.
I hike through the snow to the hotel, and when I get there the concierge gives me a room number. I go up and knowck on the door and they let me in - there's the firm lawyer and a 2L who will be summering with them too. The student is in a blouse and a conservative skirt, the lawyer is in jeans and a sweater. I feel way overdressed wearing my gray suit and a bright tie, but they don't say anything. Erring on the side of too much formality doesn't seem to be that bad.
They only ask about three minor things on my resume. They want to know what the Sixth Man Club (basically just student season ticket holders for Stanford basketball) is, and I talk a bit (and a bit dismissively) about hoops. They ask about my opinion pieces in the Record, and I explain that I'm going more for "humor columnist" than "opinion columnist." They want to know if I use my own name - I do. They want to make sure that I'm not Fenno - I'm not. They ask about my time in Germany and I talk for a bit about Berlin and Potsdam, and I kvetch about those deconstructionist papers I had to write in German for my Sports and Culture class there. I'm just playing for laughs, but the lawyers sounds impressed and says I would havbeen useful in some case they just finished were all the docs were in German, so I guess he was impressed.
So it's only been about five minutes when and they say that they're done and do I have any questions for them. I'm glad I prepared some. This is the first firm I've talked to so I'm really treating it as an information gathering trip, but it would have been really awkward to just sit there and not have anything to ask. I ask both interviewers when they decided on their practice areas and on what grounds. I asked the lawyer why he went to Summer Employer from another firm. I asked about turnover and how it affected their training program, since every firm claims to have a great training program. They claimed a West-Coast sensibility (music to my ears), and I asked whether that was still the case in the New York office. Their answers sound good to me.
Before I go the lawyer asks what elective I'm taking. I say "Law of Democracy" and he chuckles and says, "Yeah, our current administration could do with some of that." Because I'm interviewing for a job the lawyer is a pretty intimidating authority figure, so I don't even get the mild anti-Bush joke right away. I had just assumed "conservative" wihtout thinking through that a self-described trial lawyer from New York city who wears jeans to a job interview is probably a liberal. Still, I recover. Luckily, the 2L was Professor Democracy's research assistant last semester and gushes about how great he is. We wrap up - it's been just over twenty mintutes, and I head home.
When I get back I have a voicemail that they thought I was "fantastic" and want to give me a job. I call home first, then ring the number they gave me and accept. Turns out I know almost everyone else they interviewed that day, and talking to them I learn that I was the last interviewee (I had a red-eye that landed at 5 a.m. that morning and had asked for the latest slot available) and after I left they made their decisions and sent out calls right away.
Again, this is my sample size of one here, so I have no idea how much is typical or which of the things I did were good or bad. The only thing I'm sure of is I'm glad I spent some time beforehand coming up with questions I wanted answers to.
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