/9918578/Banner

/9918578/Banner_2

/9918578/Mid

section

articleId

product

orgType

parrefer

accountID

Consulting

Banking

Accounting

Fintech

Internships

Rankings

Internship Rankings

Intern Resource Center

Explore Internships

Vault Law Home

Practice Area Resource Centers

Regional Resource Centers

Summer Program Resource Center

Vault Law Culture & Inclusion Survey

Vault Law

Guides

Events

Financial Services

Technology

Grad School

Work Relationships

Productivity

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Social Impact

Remote Work

Negotiating

Changing Jobs

Workplace Issues

Blog

Resume Samples

Cover Letter Samples

Interview Tips & Questions

A Day in the Life

International

Career Readiness

Explore Professions

Research Industries

Search Companies

Career Advice

Employers

Schools

&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;With summer associate recruiting underway, it&#39;s imperative that candidates use every resource at their fingertips to prepare. One area that may seem cloaked in mystery, however, is the&#160;recruiting team&#39;s thought process.&#160;In our newly published &lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer&quot; href=&quot;/vault-guides/vault-guide-to-law/9781438193847&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Vault Guide to the Top 100 Law Firms&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, we feature Q&amp;amp;As with several BigLaw hiring partners and recruiting professionals to give&#160;candidates&#160;a better sense of what goes into the recruiting process and how to best position themselves during this interview season. Below is one of these Q&amp;amp;As with &lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer&quot; href=&quot;/company-profiles/law/debevoise-plimpton-llp&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Debevoise &amp;amp; Plimpton&lt;/a&gt;&#39;s Nicole Levin Mesard—Deputy Chair of Debevoise’s Corporate department, a member of the firm’s Real Estate group, Chair of the firm’s Hiring Committee, and a member of the firm’s Management Committee.&lt;span&gt;&#160;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;Here, Ms. Mesard provides an inside look at Debevoise’s recruiting process and advice for legal jobseekers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p2&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1. How do you prepare for the summer associate recruiting season?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p4&quot;&gt;To keep up with recent developments that impact our candidates, my Recruiting department and I stay in contact with law schools. Being an adjunct professor at a local law school also provides me with a first-hand view of the current law student experience. Within the firm, we work throughout the year to keep our lawyers highly motivated in helping us with our summer associate recruiting efforts. I also spend time with previous summers to understand their experiences at the firm and to hear their thoughts about the recruiting process, here and at other firms, and anything new happening at their schools that is relevant to us.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p2&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2. What is the biggest mistake you see candidates make during summer associate recruiting and lateral &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;recruiting?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p4&quot;&gt;The biggest mistake I see candidates make is in not being their authentic self. Not being yourself during the recruiting process means that the fit between you and the hiring firm will be off, and that can have a negative impact when you arrive at the firm and begin navigating your career. A mistake that can also sideline your candidacy are typos in your communications, e.g., resumes, thank you notes, emails, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p2&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3. Finish the sentence: Every legal resume should have _____________________.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p4&quot;&gt;Your relevant experience, of course, but just as important are your extracurricular activities and interests to distinguish yourself from other candidates.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p2&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4. How can candidates maximize their summer experience to understand everyday practice?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p4&quot;&gt;Be sure to select a summer program that allows you to work in a variety of the firm’s practice areas and client matters so you get a real perspective of the work that each entails. Also try to meet and spend time with lawyers to get a feel for a typical day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p2&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;5. How can laterals set themselves apart when interviewing and integrating into the firm?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p4&quot;&gt;Laterals should be well-versed with the hiring firm and its practice areas. Also, be sure that your skill set and experience match what the firm is recruiting for. Once hired, be proactive about meeting people and diving into work.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p2&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;6. What sets your firm apart as an employer and recruiter?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p4&quot;&gt;What sets Debevoise apart as an employer and recruiter are the focused and innovative steps our talent development leadership has taken to provide our lawyers with professional development tools and opportunities at every stage of their career. Our Management Committee members and practice leaders regularly assess the firm’s talent and talent development offerings to identify gaps, strengthen existing programs and create new initiatives. Today, our programs appeal to lawyers at all stages of their careers, from new associates seeking insights into the legal, business, ethical and practical issues and problems they are likely to encounter, to experienced partners who can benefit from business development strategies, people management tools, and tailored guidance on how to optimize their client portfolio. Importantly, all of our talent development programs are designed to help our lawyers develop and refine their commercial knowledge and communication abilities, as well as their legal skills. Other career development tools Debevoise offers to our lawyers include formal and informal mentoring programs, real-time feedback and formal evaluations.&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p4&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Nicole Levin Mesard is Deputy Chair of Debevoise’s Corporate department, a member of the firm’s Real Estate group, Chair of the firm’s Hiring Committee, and a member of the firm’s Management Committee. She is experienced in all aspects of real estate law, including acquisitions and sales of retail and commercial properties, sophisticated financings, joint ventures, infrastructure transac- tions and restructurings of commercial real estate loans, including in bankruptcy. Ms. Mesard joined Debevoise in 2001 and became a partner in 2008. She received her B.A., magna cum laude, from the State University of New York at Albany in 1994, and her J.D., magna cum laude, from Tulane University in 1997.&#160;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p4&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;This is&#160;post first appeared in the Vault Guide to the Top 100 Law Firms, 2020 edition. To view the full guide, &lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer&quot; href=&quot;/vault-guides/vault-guide-to-law/9781438193847&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;. To view Debevoise&#39;s&#160;full profile, &lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer&quot; href=&quot;/company-profiles/law/debevoise-plimpton-llp&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Vault Law Editors

Article

Legal Networking Beyond LinkedIn

The Library