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5 Things You Should Never Say In A Lateral Interview

By Zachary Zagger

Law360, New York (February 06, 2015, 3:38 PM ET) -- You're headed into a lateral hire interview with a new firm and thinking you have spent almost the last decade or more honing your lawyering skills, fostering good client relationships and building your practice, but it has been years since you have interviewed for a job with a new firm. Though you're here at this interview because you've built up your skills and practice as an attorney, you're unsure how to answer the questions you are about to face and how to sell yourself as the right fit for this new firm without making any gaffes. Here, attorneys and legal hiring experts talk about what you definitely shouldn't say in your lateral hire interview and why. 'My Boss Is a Jerk' There may be plenty of reasons you want to leave your current firm, like the people you work with or the lack of opportunities for you to grow your practice, but experts say you should be careful not to overly voice your frustrations during a lateral interview. “I think for anyone considering a new position it is always better to focus on the positive attractions of the people you are talking to rather than dwell on the negative aspects of the the people you are leaving,” said Jon Lindsey, a founding partner in the legal recruiting firm Major Lindsey & Africa. “It’s like when you are dating, no one wants to hear about how your ex-girlfriend was mean to you.” While it is necessary to explain why you are looking to make a move, there is a professional way to do so without being perceived as whining about your current situation. “It is never nice to hear if someone is criticizing their current firm or the partner or practice group they are working with,” said Margaret M. Gloyeske, the director of lawyer and consultant recruiting at Faegre Baker Daniels LLP. “There is a way to share concerns diplomatically without being completely unprofessional about it.” Experts say it is better to focus on the potential benefits that both you can bring to the firm and that the firm can bring to you, rather than frustrations with your current firm. “There is a demarcation between a legitimate complaint and the way you are being treated or the way

things are done at a firm and being a whiner,” said Jesse H. Diner, a partner with Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC. “Quite frankly, if you get the sense that somebody is complaining about things they shouldn’t be or that they are telling tales out of school, it might be a turnoff to hiring somebody.” 'I Won That Case Single-Handedly' While an interview is an opportunity to sell your skills, abilities and potential business you can bring to a firm, you must be cautious not to cross the line into sounding obnoxious, experts say. The interviewers at your prospective firm are looking for someone who is not only going to bring something to the firm but who is also going to be a quality member of their team. “It is one thing to show confidence but it is another to show something that is a turnoff,” Diner said. “There is a fine line between showing your abilities and being over the top.” Some unsuccessful lateral candidates tend to talk too much about themselves and their accomplishments during an interview, instead of what they can add to the firm. It is not just about your accomplishments; it is about showing that you can add to the firm both professionally and culturally. “You always want to accentuate the positives and what you can do together,” Lindsey said. “There are people who come across as team players and who you want to partner with, and others who, once you get to know them, you think: ‘I don’t know. Do I really want to spend the rest of my career looking at this guy in the conference room?’” 'I Used To Work With So-and-So, Maybe You Know Him?' Going hand in hand with not being obnoxious is being careful not to come off in an interview as one of those people always looking to impress by dropping names of important people or cases. “The best thing that candidates can do is be authentic and be genuine,” Gloyeske said. “Let us see the real person and what it would be like to work with them. Gloyeske warned that trying to impress by throwing out names or even big name cases that you did little work on will come off as fake. It can also backfire if the people interviewing you do not have the same opinion of the person you are name dropping, or even worse, if you get called out and don’t really know the person or the details of the case. “It’s really a sales job, but there is a very fine line between putting a good foot forward and overplaying the individual’s hand,” Diner said. 'Of Course I Can Bring All My Clients' Experts say that while it is important to be confident, you have to be careful not to oversell your abilities and your ability to bring business to the firm. Ron Chapman, a shareholder with Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC who sits on the firm’s board of directors, said that some lateral candidates have a tendency to overpromise and underdeliver. This is not a recipe for long-term success, and law firms will be wary of promises that seem unrealistic, which will hurt your chance of getting an offer.

“I advise candidates to be realistic with their projections for the near term, get assimilated into the new firm, and then take advantage of the resources and support the new firm has to offer, to the mutual benefit of both the lateral and the firm,” Chapman said. “That is what generates long-term success.” 'I Can Leave Tomorrow If You Need Me To' The market for lateral hires is hot right now as firms are looking to grow strategically to fill gaps or needs, meaning many attorneys are on the move. In this climate, experts said it is imperative that you do not give the impression that you are moving for the wrong reasons. Gloyeske said that her firm, Faegre Baker, finds many of its best laterals from the pool that is not actively seeking a change. Those are candidates who are successful where they are but who maybe can benefit from opportunities that another firm can provide. Experts warned not to be vague or evasive with answers to why you are moving because those can be a red flag that you are moving not of your own volition. Also, it is important not to be too eager to move because that may come off as disrespectful to your current firm, which in turn gives the interviewers at your prospective firm a bad impression of your professionalism. Diner said that he is of the attitude that he wants to treat other firms the same way he wants his firm to be treated, and that means don’t be too eager to join the new firm and leave your current firm in the lurch. “If somebody said to me that I can leave tomorrow or leave in a week, that would not sit well with me,” Diner said. “There has to be a proper wind-down and transitioning of work when someone is leaving a firm. If somebody doesn’t have that kind of regard for his or her firm, then that person would probably not have regard for the firm that I work with. That tells me something about the person’s professionalism.” --Editing by Jeremy Barker and Mark Lebetkin.

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