Lateral interviews take place on Kirkland s home turf. There is usually a screening interview, but it may be waived for those coming in from out of town. The next round consists of a full day of meetings with four or five partners and one associate, all from the department in which the applicant seeks employment. Interviews last from a half hour to 40 minutes per person. Insiders say that they are not very rigorous, but they are more rigorous for lateral interviewees than for others.
Lateral interviewers place the ball in the applicant s court.
The burden is on the interviewee to ask meaningful questions, a lateral points out. It is an opportunity for you to express what you re interested in. If you re serious about being a trial lawyer and still want to work at a big firm, this is the place for you. Believe it or not, that source is an associate, not a television commercial. Plenty of other associates agree, admiring the first-class reputation of their firm.