OCI Tips - How do you pick the firms you like the most?

[traintogo]

Hi all, 

I got my OCIs (yay!) for big law firms in both Vancouver and Toronto. 

Do folks have any tips on how they decided which firms they liked the most or tips on how to decide which firm you want to prioritize/first choice?

Right now, I am wanting a firm that will hire me back to article, where I can have a semblance of a work/life balance, and that has a team environment (aka not too competitive). 

Thank you!

[QueensDenning]

They'll all hire you back to article

[QMT20]

Congratulations on your OCIs! 

All of the big law firms will hire you back to article. I wouldn't be concerned about that. 

Deciding which firm(s) to prioritize depends on a mix of objective and subjective factors on your part and whether the firm is interested in you. You might consider prestige, strength of practice area, compensation (for the firms that pay above market), and how much you like the people you interviewed with. How you weigh those factors is up to you. You will generally get hints from a firm if they're interested in you. If you like that firm, giving them a first-choice might put you over the edge. If you like a firm but they don't invite you back for a second or third interview, you should not prioritize them no matter how much they fit your criteria. 

In my view, the best time to first-choice a firm is during or after your second in-firm interview. That's because decisions about which students will receive offers are often made after the second interview so I think that's when it has the most effect. If you're invited back for the third day of interviews at a firm, they've generally already made a decision about you and they'll start pitching to you to go there at that time. 

I don't have an answer for how you can determine if you'll have a good work-life balance at a firm during your interviews. 

Whether you can have a "semblance" of work-life balance depends on what that means to you. No matter which big law firm you go to, you won't be able to work on a predictable 9-5 or 8-6 schedule. Urgent things will come up and you'll have to work as much as necessary to deal with them. That means you'll have to cancel plans and spend time working when you really don't want to. Big law firms all have high expectations. However, there will also be periods when you aren't as busy and you can catch your breath. 

I think the best you can do as a junior in big law is find a group of people who respect your priorities. There are people who will listen if you tell them you can't work because of something important to you. There are people who will help you if you tell them you're at capacity. I found people like that at my firm and I think there are people like that at every firm. But you won't be able to tell based on your OCI and in-firm interviews. In my experience, you have to work with people before you know what they're really like. 

I don't have an answer for how you can determine if a firm has a team environment or the people are competitive. In my view, most people are reasonable but there will also  be competitive people no matter which firm you go to. Some periods of heightened anxiety (like hire-backs at the end of articling) may make you feel competitive with your peers even if you aren't a competitive person. 

[chilly]

Just so it's clear, you won't have to worry about first choice until in-firms. In last year's Vancouver recruit, I gave my first choice after my third interview (my friends all did post-second or third interviews). Some recruiters also gave not-so-subtle hints about whether they were hoping to know about first choices by a certain day/time.

The OCI stage felt more like students and firms trying to pitch at and vibe check each other.

[Lawllapalooza]

My advice for learning about the working environment is to chat with junior associates who started as students at the firm. They will have personal and recent experience regarding summering/articling/the transition to associate. Ask the questions you want answers to - is it a particularly social work environment? What are the expectations for students and what resources are available (mentorship, formal feedback, etc.) to help students meet those expectations? I think explicitly asking if people tend to be competitive is a bit awkward, but you should be able to sense the overall culture throughout the interview process.

I wouldn't worry too much about a first choice at this stage. Give your best/an equal chance to each firm to the extent possible. Some will naturally select you out and vice versa.