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Being a Top Pianist or a Traveling Do-Gooder Gives Job Hunters an Edge at Paul Weiss

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Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison sees lots of would-be associates with law review and good grades.

While the firm looks for people with academic achievement, it also seeks something more, according to hiring partner Valerie Radwaner. “We also look for nonlegal achievement—what their greater interests are, leadership roles they’ve had,” Radwaner tells the Careerist in a Q-and-A interview.

“We look for someone who’s gone the extra mile in certain areas—like being a top pianist, someone who wrote a thesis that’s been published, or volunteered for Habitat for Humanity in Costa Rica. We see people on law review, so it’s a question of looking beyond that.”

Radwaner also told the Careerist that the firm looks for someone “who’s smart, personable, and interesting—someone who has intellectual curiosity that goes beyond the mundane.”

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