V10 Hiring Partner Taking Questions Forum

[V10HP]

In transit returning from an OCI this morning and have some time to kill. AMA.

[Anonymous User]

Not related to hiring or OCI, which I hope is okay. What was your path to partnership and did you always know you wanted to make partner?

[Anonymous User]

Best interview story?

How important is school rank?

Most common mistake in screeners?

What do you look for in candidates?

[V10HP]

Not related to hiring or OCI, which I hope is okay. What was your path to partnership and did you always know you wanted to make partner?

Going to pass on the first half of the question other than to say that I've been at a firm my entire career.

As to the second half, I knew pretty early on (middle of 2nd year? beginning of 3rd?) that I was pretty good at this and if I wanted to do it long term it would probably be an option for me as long as (a) I was strategic about taking the right opportunities and working with the right people and tactfully avoiding others and (b) it was the right fit for my family. Wife and I had our first of several children in 4th year and once it was clear that we could find a way to make it work for our family it was a no brainer because I really enjoy practicing.

[Anonymous User]

(a) I was strategic about taking the right opportunities and working with the right people and tactfully avoiding others and (b) it was the right fit for my family.

Can you expand on this a little on generic terms? Is it clear from the beginning or at least a couple of years in who the power players are? What traits do the right people typically have?

[V10HP]

Best interview story?

Lottery candidate with grades far below our cutoff (who at least had the social intelligence to realize it) came to screener with 10 page slidedeck outlining why I should hire him. He was lit candidate and my firm was very grade sensitive on lit so it wasn't a fit but was very impressed with the initiative and slide deck itself was really clever. Connected with him on LinkedIn and was pleased to say he found a job in biglaw; last I checked he was still there (approx 5 years later).

How important is school rank?

My firm (and others like it) tend to be pretty focused on school rank because of the law of large numbers - folks who have what it takes to get admitted to HYS etc tend to be more likely to succeed than folks at T3 schools. That said, in most of our offices we will at minimum flyback the top 1 or 2 students from less highly ranked schools in our respective markets.

Most common mistake in screeners?

Not coming prepared with at least 2 questions about my firm. It requires almost no effort but demonstrates that you are serious enough about your job search to put in at least a little time prepping for an interview.

What do you look for in candidates?

In my practice being a self-starter is absolutely critical, so that's the most important attribute I'm looking for. At the top schools where we are interviewing, if someone has met our cutoffs (or is close) intellectual ability to do the job is very rarely going to be an issue, so I'm generally more focused on whether or not I think the person will be a good representative of the firm and our brand and whether or not I can put the person in front of a client without supervision.

[V10HP]

(a) I was strategic about taking the right opportunities and working with the right people and tactfully avoiding others and (b) it was the right fit for my family.

Can you expand on this a little on generic terms? Is it clear from the beginning or at least a couple of years in who the power players are? What traits do the right people typically have?

Sure. Every firm and every practice is different, but generally most firms (and more specifically most offices) are going to have client relationships that are viewed as mission critical to the enterprise. Some of them can be pretty horrible to work for relative to other clients, but it's important to take a hard look at your group and what work is crucial over your first 1-2 years and then do whatever you can to make yourself an irreplaceable part of the team that services that work.

[Anonymous User]

Any insights on how difficult or unpredictable it is to get an offer? 0/4 on callbacks so far. Have the credentials and my interviews seem to be going pretty good from my perspective. Any advice is appreciated!

[V10HP]

Any insights on how difficult or unpredictable it is to get an offer? 0/4 on callbacks so far. Have the credentials and my interviews seem to be going pretty good from my perspective. Any advice is appreciated!

Already got dinged on all 4 or just haven't heard? Keep in mind that every firm does things a little differently and some may be bringing in a wave of 15-20 folks before extending offers.

There's a thin red line between excited and over-eager but most firms are not that stupid and so the folks they are asking to interview candidates generally like the firm; accordingly, if you don't give them the impression that Firm X is one of your top choices, you're very excited to be there, etc., they're going to feel like you are looking at them as a backup option.

Flipside is that it is always very suspicious when a candidate goes on and on about your firm being their absolute top choice and dream job.

[Anonymous User]

Any insights on how difficult or unpredictable it is to get an offer? 0/4 on callbacks so far. Have the credentials and my interviews seem to be going pretty good from my perspective. Any advice is appreciated!

Already got dinged on all 4 or just haven't heard? Keep in mind that every firm does things a little differently and some may be bringing in a wave of 15-20 folks before extending offers.

There's a thin red line between excited and over-eager but most firms are not that stupid and so the folks they are asking to interview candidates generally like the firm; accordingly, if you don't give them the impression that Firm X is one of your top choices, you're very excited to be there, etc., they're going to feel like you are looking at them as a backup option.

Flipside is that it is always very suspicious when a candidate goes on and on about your firm being their absolute top choice and dream job.

Good to know. 3 email dings and one CB that i've been waiting to hear back from for 1-2 weeks. I still have a few callbacks left so there is still hope (targeting CA). This whole process has left me feeling very inadequate. Despite strong grades, work experience, etc., I've been getting a ton of rejections left and right. Maybe its my personality or how I am coming across in interviews, but I like to think I am a pretty normal person and am definitely capable of holding a conversation.

I guess my real question is how perfect do you have to be to get an offer. Assuming you're already a good candidate on paper, can one slower or choppier interview during the callback stage derail your chances?

[Anonymous User]

Do people at v10 NY firms care about thank you notes?

[Anonymous User]

As someone who’s spent plenty of time at a V10 law firm, do you think there are large differences between firms in terms of quality of work, or should fit be a large consideration once you’re choosing amongst the V10? Would it be (almost) foolish to pick another V10 over CSM with a desire to do transactional work?

[Anonymous User]

i'd really like some insight into the hiring committee and callback process in general (just had a callback..so naturally i'm freaking out). But how are candidates evaluated? Is it usually an evaluation form that says "yes/no" or is it typically more in depth? What other traits are we evaluated on (maturity, ability to hold conversation, answers to behavioral questions, etc)? And does any one interviewer have more say over another (such as an associate vs. partner)? Lastly, do screener interviewers have any say in the final decision to give out offers? Thanks in advance!

[Anonymous User]

What can a below median student at a t-14 exhibit in an interview to receive a callback?

[Anonymous User]

Are you considering 3Ls/what would be your approach to evaluating one

[Anonymous User]

How do you evaluate the grades of transfer students at T14s?