In-Firm Interview

Here are a few things you can expect at our in-firm interviews.

• You can contact Leigh-Ann a few days before your interview (e-mail is the best) and she'll tell you who's interviewing you (the interviewers are always subject to change due to unexpected shifts in their schedules).
• When you arrive at Cassels Brock, you'll be directed to the student reception area. Some of our articling students will be there to greet you. If you have any last minute questions about the firm, ask them.
• It's important to keep your energy level up. As demanding as OCIs were, the November interviews are more demanding because they're two days in length. We'll have juices and snacks in the student reception area. Sandwiches will be brought in for lunch. Please don't be shy about helping yourself.
• We keep a first aid kit in the student reception area. If those new shoes are giving you blisters, help yourself to a bandage. If Bay Street is turning your stomach, help yourself to an antacid.
• After your interview, our former articling students are available to take you on a tour, introduce you to more of our lawyers, and to answer any questions you might have.
• If you feel you need more information about us in order to make an informed decision, don't hesitate to let us know and we'd be pleased to see you again at your convenience.

Here are some tips from our articling students on how to handle your in-firm interviews.

In Firm:

Andrea Buncic: Don't be a jerk! Be just as polite and friendly to the other candidates as you are to the lawyers and articling students, because lawyers and articling students notice when you are being impolite or competitive and it's a very unappealing characteristic.

Gillian Carter: Bring lots of snacks because you may not have much time between interviews and it is important to stay nourished and hydrated.

Tali Eliav: The morning of your first in-firm interviews should be well planned. Do a walking tour of the underground so that you know where firms are located in relation to each other and which elevators to take. Try on several outfits well before hand, and wear what makes you most comfortable (especially your shoes). Most importantly, remember to take a minute between interviews to stop walking, sit down and breathe!

Afzal Hasan: Every student encounters at least one incident of embarrassment or extreme awkwardness that will catch them off guard. Make sure you don't write off the firm as a possibility once this happens. A cool and collected response to the situation may actually result in you making a more positive impression on the interviewer as compared to an interview where everything is smooth, but uneventful.

Chris Horkins: Fill up Monday and Tuesday morning with first interviews. Identify who you like, and ask to go back and meet more people. Try to connect with lawyers on a personal level. Some of the most enjoyable, and I think effective, moments of my in-firms were talking about politics, canoe tripping or basketball, not law.

Jonathan Ho: You will receive an extraordinary number of business cards. Organize them so that you remember to whom you spoke, and to whom you should write thank you notes. If necessary, write notes on the back of cards so that you can personalize your notes (e.g. Jonathan Ho - chatted with him about basketball).

Brandon Luft: Take advantage of discussions with articling students and young associates to find out about their experience at the firm; they are the easiest to relate to and offer you a great chance to learn about how you might fit into the firm.

Sarah McKinnon: Pay attention to your impressions of the articling students and the dynamics that they have with one another. It will give you some valuable insight into the firm culture.

Vanessa Quattrociocchi: Meet as many people as possible. Get a sense of who you could be working with in the practice groups that interest you because they will likely become your greatest mentors.

Carolyn Stroz: Schedule your most important interviews earlier in the day. You will have more energy and it will signal your interest to the firm.

Sean Williamson: Be yourself. All that talk of “fit” is completely true, from both their perspective and yours. You need to like them, just as much as they need to like you.