Summer Associate Faux Pas Include Chewing Gum, Checking Phones, Closing Eyes
Paul Hastings summer associates, beware. The hiring partner doesn’t like it when you chew gum or check your cell phone for text messages during client meetings.
And don’t close your eyes during depositions and meetings or show up late, advises hiring partner Leigh Ryan. She spoke with the Careerist blog in a Q-and-A about mistakes she sees in on-campus interviews and in the summer associate program.
Those who don’t make a good impression during interviews get the name of the law firm wrong, freeze up and don’t ask any questions, or have a sense of entitlement. Just who has that sense of entitlement? “Often those at the top law schools who have done well,” Ryan answered. “But sometimes people have that sense of entitlement even when they haven’t performed at the top of the class.” And men are more likely to display arrogance than women, “though I probably shouldn’t say that,” she said.
Those who do well in interviews show drive, have a commitment to law, and know a lot about the law firm. “Anyone who realizes this is a service business gets a lot of points,” she told the Careerist. The firm also likes candidates with business experience and a history of leadership positions.
Paul Hastings interviewers might ask about situations where candidates set an aggressive goal and how they reached it. They might also ask why candidates went to law school. “We try to get them talking about their school experience,” she said, probing, for example, to see “if they get excited about evidence class.”
