Lateral Lawyer - 3 Topics to Avoid in Lateral Partner Interviews

Avoid three topics during lateral interviews: Difficult questions Money Anything suggesting negativity Your interview with a firm is your opportunity to impress them as someone they want to work with. It is NOT an opportunity for you to do hard due diligence on the firm; that can be done later, AFTER you have an offer. Or, better, due diligence can be done by the recruiter, whose relationship with the firm is different from your relationship with the firm. For example, the recruiter can ask difficult questions, leaving your relationship with the prospective firm all sweetness and light. “Difficult” questions include, for example: Why partners or others may have left the firm recently - A malpractice claim against the firm Anything that might cause embarrassment to the firm or the person with whom you are interviewing - Compensation — absolutely, positively, categorically, DO NOT RAISE THIS ISSUE. It is considered presumptuous and indelicate if the issue is raised too soon. Leave criticism of your current firm at the door. It is not your place to complain about your current firm during a lateral interview. Plus, a lawyer listening to you gripe about your current firm might wonder if you would complain about them as well should you be extended an offer and join. Further information about preparing for interviews at law firms is available in "The Lateral Lawyer®: Opportunities & Pitfalls for the Law Firm Partner Switching Firms." www.LateralLawyer.com