What You Need to Know Before OCI

Noor-ul-ain Hasan is a 2L at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. She is Editor-in-Chief of the California Law Review (Volume 108) and a member of the Jessup International Moot Court Team. Previously, she served as an Academic Support Tutoring Fellow for first-year law students in Civil Procedure, Torts, and Criminal Law, as a research assistant to Professor Andrew Bradt. She also founded and served as the inaugural director of the Academic Empowerment Program with the Coalition for Diversity -- an entirely student-run initiative focused on helping 1Ls of color thrive academically.

Noor-ul-ain is an alumna of Allstate Insurance Company's Business Leadership Development Program. She earned a B.A. in English, Legal Studies, and a minor in Asian American Studies from Northwestern University.

After going through the On-Campus Interview process, Noor has compiled the following article to help guide you through the process:

1. Do your research.

There are lots of employers out there – with different cultures, practice groups, locations, and organization structures. It can be difficult to discern between law firms, so make use of resources online to equip you in navigating the recruitment process.

For a general overview on law firms, my go-to resources are the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) website and Chambers Associate. This is where you start with the basics – what are the firm’s practice groups? Where are they located? What kind of development opportunities do they offer for new associates? Do they have a strategic commitment to diversity and inclusion? Do they have a two-tier partnership track or a one-tier track? What sorts of wellness benefits and perks do they offer? Who are the recruiting contacts?

For more specific information on particular law firms. such as leadership changes, recent promotions to partnership, practice innovations, or interesting litigation matters pending in the courts, visit Law360 (you should have free access through LexisNexis).

For rankings, evaluations, and the latest news, visit Vault, The American Lawyer, and Above the Law.

2. Organize your research.

It is inevitable that all of the employers will blur together. Reduce your stress and uncertainty by organizing the materials and information you’ve gathered. In my experience, I found that the best way to avoid getting overwhelmed with firm research was by using an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of information that I learned about each firm–either through meaningful conversations with attorneys, online articles about firm news, or other recruiting resources.

First, determine what your priorities are. Prioritizing is a great way to narrow your list down. An easy way to start is location. If you have location preferences, address those first. After that, think about what else is important to you.

What if you don’t know what’s important to you?

Ask yourself some questions. Do you want to be in a particular practice group? Would you prefer being “unassigned” between litigation and transactional work in your first year or two of practicing law? Would you prefer an open-assignment system or a traditional assignment system? Finally, think about the expectations (billable requirements) and benefits (health, wellness, salary, etc.). If you’re having trouble answering these questions, bookmark them for later and consider bringing them up at firm receptions over the summer (see #4).

3. Craft your story.

It might seem daunting to describe who you are in 60 seconds. But if you have something prepared (not rehearsed, just internalized), it will serve you well at receptions and other networking events as well as OCI itself.

Remember that everyone’s story is different. Maybe you had some formative childhood experience that shaped your decision to seek a rigorous education, and that’s what brought you to law school. Maybe you are a problem solver and have had the opportunity to demonstrate that skill in your 1L summer job. Whatever your story is, find a compelling way to share it on the fly and in a genuine manner so that potential employers can generate a sense of who you are and what qualities you might bring to their firm.

Have “small-bite” stories, too. During the interviews, you might be asked a series of questions that you can answer with a story. When you are confronted with an open-ended question (e.g., “how was your 1L experience?”), take that opportunity to tell a unique story. Maybe you developed an unexpected interest in a doctrinal area that taught you to be open-minded about your future. Maybe you found a new appreciation for teamwork and camaraderie after signing up for a journal. Share that anecdote with your interviewer and make sure your experience connects back to some kind of skill, ability, or contribution that you could bring to the firm.

4. Make the most of your time at the summer receptions.

It is very easy to walk into a reception and feel overwhelmed, especially when there is one attorney for every three or four law students. Here are two tips to make the best use of your time.

-Before the reception: If you’ve met someone from this firm before, even in a different city, ask them who you should look out for at the reception.

During my 1L year, law firms would come to Berkeley Law and do presentations. Sometimes, I would follow up with them and asked if I could stay in touch. Almost always, the answer was yes (If the answer is ever no, don’t take it personally—they’re probably just very busy).

I was only looking at opportunities in Chicago, so a few days before the reception, I would e-mail the person I met from the firm’s San Francisco or Silicon Valley office and communicate two things (1) let them know that I was attending the reception in Chicago and (2) ask them if there’s anyone in the Chicago office that they think I should meet. Almost every associate and most partners e-mailed me back and said something along the lines of “You’ve gotta meet X, they are a great associate/partner in Y group.” Even if you are not interested in practicing in that area, it’s a good idea to meet practitioners that other folks at the firm hold in high regard so you can get a sense of what the firm’s best leaders and contributors are like (and so they know who you are too – way ahead of OCI!).

-At the reception: Approach the recruiting team.

Typically, the recruiting coordinators are standing somewhere toward the entrance. Don’t be afraid to approach them and ask their perspective on who to talk to. Maybe you are really interested in Mergers & Acquisitions and there is an M&A partner in attendance. They might even walk you over to that person and introduce you.

5. Stay true to yourself.

Everyone has different desires, motivations, and expectations for their career. You are on your own journey. Your unique circumstances, family obligations, financial considerations, and long-term goals will impact where you decide to go. It’s easy to forget what is important to you when you hear about what’s important to everyone else. What makes this exceptionally challenging is how much prestige is emphasized during the recruitment process.

If prestige is important to you, by all means, take it into account, but it’s important to pay attention to other things. Here’s why:

Selecting a workplace is not like selecting a law school. The workplace you choose isn’t just a transient place where you churn out three years and get a degree in the end. Sure, there are folks who only spend a couple of years in Big Law. But, no matter how many years you spend in an organization, it’s a place where you will develop meaningful professional relationships and spend a lot of your time. And the legal world is really small – you have an opportunity to maintain these relationships no matter where you go, even if the experience is short-lived. Be wary of making decisions on a superficial basis – think critically about what’s important to you and follow your gut.

There were certain things that were important to me in my decision-making process. I really wanted hands-on, intensive trial experience in an environment that rewards self-starters and go-getters. By the end of my 1L summer, I was pretty set on pursuing litigation and wanted to deepen my understanding of the different types of opportunities within litigation, so choosing a firm that would allow me to dive right in and craft my own path was key. I also wanted to go to a firm that makes a meaningful impact on Chicago’s underserved communities. Before law school, I was involved with a number of Chicago nonprofits and the firm that I ended up selecting is engaged with nearly all of those organizations—either through financial contributions or with partners/associates serving on the boards.

6. As you get closer to OCI, make a cheat sheet for the top 6 or 7 law firms that you are most interested in. This should include…

The list of people you’ve met different firms. Maybe these are alumni from your law school that you’ve been introduced to or associates and partners that you’ve met at firm receptions. It’s likely that some, if not all of these people, have encouraged you to stay in touch as you navigate the recruitment process. When you get a screening interview with their law firm, send them a message and let them know.

The standout factors. Maybe it’s a particular practice group that you’re interested in, a new initiative that the firm has launched for attorney development, the pro bono initiatives, or the commitment to diversity and inclusion. Whatever it is, document it. The interviewing process can be lengthy and your interactions with different firms can easily blur together. Keeping track of who you’ve met and what stood out during those conversations will help you when it’s decision time.

Get down to the nitty gritty. It might not seem important to you now to think about the details. For example, whether you want to go to a firm that recognizes pro bono hours as a one-to-one match for billable hours or one that has a pro bono hour cap. Details like these could be important later when you’re weighing different options. You want to make sure that you are as informed as possible early on in the process so that you can weigh the pros and cons of these finite differences between law firms when you are comparing your offers.

In hindsight, I found PracticePro extraordinarily helpful because Niki and Julie’s personalized coaching added a unique perspective to the process. When navigating the summer job search, I relied on a lot of resources such as career advice from my law school, from professors, and from friends and mentors who are lawyers. PracticePro helped me put together all of these resources and prompted me to make the decision that was best for me!

When dealing with the 1L summer job search it's important to have someone to discuss your options with. PracticePro can help you troubleshoot, formulate a strategic plan, and provide ongoing support in executing it. PracticePro offers a free 20-minute consult to all law students. You can schedule your consultation here.