Interviewing Tips for Law School Graduates

So with this tight legal market, it seems finding a law job continues to be hard.

Fancy firms have taken a "hiatus" from their summer programs and are "being more discerning" (read: we can't pay our equity partners what we used to pay them and are desperately trying to find money, including by restricting temporarily the flow of new blood into the firm and hoping it does not permanently damage our ability to function.)

Smaller, lesser known regional firms come right out and admit that they have terminated their summer associate program because they cannot afford it if they wish to survive.

When or if the legal market enjoys a slow uptick, landing a job as a summer will be even more perilous.

In addition to the Ten Commandments of interviewing (which you should never forget) law grads are confronted with stealth behavioral interview tactics.

Consider these prodding inquiries certain to yield insight:

"Law firm interviewers are being trained to ask questions like "How did you handle the last time you received an unexpected project?" or "What was an innovative idea you came up with in the workplace?"

Are you shittin' me? That's it? Now it's obvious why after 5 years 80 percent of big law associates leave for the county attorney's office, the S.E.C., or to hang their shingle on Flagler Street.

As I've said before, you just have to be yourself. That's either good enough, or it's not. And no amount of faking it will carry the day, at least not for very long.

N.B. She never fakes it.

And did you notice how Lynn couldn't remember "adultery" as one of the 10 Commandments?