As a law student going through the legal recruitment process, whether in Ottawa or elsewhere, it’s normal to feel overwhelmed and stressed. It is a competitive process that doesn’t necessarily reflect the success you may have had in law school or other areas of life.
The OCI and in-firm interviews, in particular, are perhaps the most dreaded experiences for prospective summer students. You don’t know what to expect, are given little guidance and are unsure about how to prepare. Much of the advice is also anecdotal. It is typically provided by a friend or a lawyer who has gone through the process themselves. Whether that person succeeded or failed, they likely weren’t given clear and honest feedback about why. This makes for a less-than-ideal sample-size to draw conclusions from.
The truth is, students aren’t provided with any concrete data or criteria that will guarantee success. The process can feel like it is determined by luck. However, there are certain universal strategies and tips that students can use to maximize their chances of succeeding in an interview. I have detailed three of them below.
Tip #1: Know Your Resume
For many students going through the summer student interview process, the biggest source of anxiety they face is not knowing what type of questions they will be asked. Students often hear ‘horror stories’ which suggest that they will be asked questions that are out of left field—completely unrelated to the practice of law. Questions like “what type of dog are you?”, for example, are occasionally used by employers to see how the student will react on their feet.
Students who have been through the interview process will agree that these questions are actually quite rare. The plurality of questions that students receive are directly from their resume. As a result, you should prepare for your interviews by thinking about your resume.
Think about all of the information you have on your resume. In each heading, section and bullet point, you have interesting stories from university, old jobs, or hobbies. These stories define who you are. They are what make you unique and what differentiates you from the crowd.
So, for each bullet point on your resume, I recommend that you have a story to tell. Practice and refine your stories so that when you’re asked, you know exactly what to say. This will not only relieve some anxiety, but it will also help you present yourself as prepared and personable.
Ultimately, an interview is a conversation. Why not use some interesting stories to make yourself stand out from the crowd?
Tip #2: Prepare, But Don’t Become a Robot!
Tip #2 functions as a caution to Tip #1. Many law students have preparation in their blood. If there’s a gene for preparation, lawyers certainly have it.
Throughout law school, I helped many students with their interviews—both as a friend and as a mock interviewer. I was impressed by everyone’s dedication. The vast majority of the students demonstrated meticulous preparation. Anyone who has attended law school will not be surprised by this.
The paradox with law interviews, however, is that you have to present yourself as prepared without sounding overly practiced. Employers do not want to listen to a robotic story that has been repeated verbatim countless times. Humans can tell when someone is repeating a memorized pitch or story—the tone and delivery aren’t natural.
As a result, do not overly-memorize what you are planning to say in your interviews. Prepare, but do not tell the same story each time. Each time you practice, try telling the story in a new way. Add or remove minor details, change your inflection, or emphasize different aspects. That way, each time you tell the story to an interviewer, it comes across like you are telling it for the first time. Instead of a robot, you will sound like yourself. Plus, you won’t sacrifice the necessary preparation that helps build your confidence.
Tip #3: Ask the Employer Questions
Some students will roll their eyes at this tip. When you are going through the legal recruitment process, it’s normal to be more concerned about getting a job than where you get that job. Law students are often given this tip but it can be easy to ignore.
However, asking questions to employers is very important. It’s your way of demonstrating your interest in the employer. If you don’t ask your interviewers questions about their practice or their firm, you risk giving the impression that this is ‘just another interview’ for you. If you’re serious, asking questions is a good way to show it.
Asking employers questions is also another way to show them what is important to you. Questions about mentorship, diversity, corporate culture, or other topics that matter to you help demonstrate your values and priorities. This is another tool that you can use to help stand out and show your personality.
Lastly, it is very important to know where you want to work! The recruitment process is as much about you as it is about your employer. Asking basic questions to interviewers about their law firm will teach you a lot. Their answers will invariably impact your decisions on call day. Some of you may find yourself fielding multiple calls on call day, or at least ranking multiple firms against one another. Asking questions will help make this process easier.
Conclusion
There is no special formula for success in a legal interview. There are many factors at play, many of which are not in your control. The point of this article is not to provide you with tips that will guarantee you a job—nobody can do that. Instead, I hope that by using these tips, you will present the best version of yourself to employers.
As you go through the summer 2025 recruitment process, feel free to contact myself, or any of the articling students and articling committee members at Soloway Wright LLP. We are happy to discuss our experience at the firm and/or the legal recruitment process in general.
Best of luck!
Author: Nicholas Kruiper, Articling Student, Soloway Wright LLP