On-campus Interviews (OCI)

Much of the hiring of our students is facilitated through Duke Law’s extensive on-campus interview program (OCI) , one of the largest among all American law schools. Hundreds of employers come to Duke, eager to interview Duke law students because they know our graduates make great lawyers.

Each fall a myriad of legal employers visit Duke Law School to interview second- and third-year law students for summer clerkships and permanent employment with private firms, public interest organizations and government agencies. We also host a number of legal employers each spring for first-year on-campus recruiting.

Fall 2012 OCI Manual Fall 2012 On-Campus Interviewing Calendar

 

Fall & Spring Interview Program Frequently Asked Questions and Policies

1.What to bring to an interview (on-campus or otherwise)?

  • Updated resume
  • Writing sample (See Memo on writing sample preparation sent January 2010)
  • Law School Transcripts (Official or Unofficial). You may use an official or unofficial (downloaded from ACES) version of your transcript. You may obtain a transcript via the University Registrar's website at www.registrar.duke.edu or via ACES under Academics/Transcript Requests. (Be sure to make several copies of your transcript to bring with you to each interview.)
  • List of references; Two to three people who can recommend you for employment based on their personal experience with you as a student or employee.
    (Please refer to your Career Planning Manual and Appendix)

2. What to wear to my interview?
Conservative business attire is suggested as many legal employers maintain "traditional" dress codes. (Please refer to your Career Planning Manual)

3. How early should I arrive for my interview?
You should arrive a few minutes early to your interview and knock on the interview door at the exact time of your interview. This knock helps the interviewer keep time by indicating that it is time for your interview.

4. How do I prepare for my interview?
You should thoroughly research the employer and the interviewer. Review the employer's website and the biography of the specific interviewer (with the understanding that last-minute interviewer substitutions are common). Interviewer names may be found on Symplicity on your "Scheduled Interviews" page. (Refer to Symplicity instructions on our website)
It is also a good idea to talk to upper level students who have worked for the employer during the summer to gain helpful insight. To conduct your research via the web, you can use Lexis, Westlaw, Martindale-Hubbell, and the summer surveys on Symplicity. Be sure to also take advantage of mock interviews. If you need further assistance with this, please contact one of the Career Counselors.

5. Where are the interview rooms located?
Segment I interviews will take place at the Hilton Hotel - Durham. Segment II & III interviews will take place in the library study rooms. Please view your interview schedule on Symplicity for correct room numbers.

6. Can I miss class to attend an interview?
Pursuant to Law School Rules Policy 6-3(3), "[a] student should not miss class for an on-campus interview. As a condition of interviewing on campus, each student participating must include his or her entire class schedule as 'unavailable times' when 'bidding' for interviews and must keep the 'unavailable times' schedule current as the student's class schedule changes. The Career Center is authorized to suspend bidding and interviewing privileges for students who do not properly enter their class schedule as 'unavailable times' until such schedule is properly entered." Thus, enter your class schedule so when you sign up for interviews, you will not schedule an interview when you have class. The rule continues, "Missing a class for an on-campus interview will be treated under Rule 3.8 in the same manner as missing class for any other reason." Thus, should there be no interview times available when your schedule is free, you may 1) contact the Career Center to see if it is possible to switch times with another student; 2) approach the professor pursuant to his/her policy on missing classes under Rule 3-8 (providing that students "must regularly" attend all courses); and/or 3) contact the interviewer to see if there is another time he/she could meet you.

7. Do I need to report my summer employment to the Career & Professional Development Center?
As a Duke Law student, you "are required to promptly and completely respond to requests" for all offers and acceptances, pursuant to Law School Policy 6-5. Therefore, you should respond promptly to all Career Center e-mail requests for employment status. You may do so by entering your employment information on Symplicity under the "Employment" tab and selecting the proper category for your class and employment status. (See Symplicity instructions on our website.)

8. DROPPING SPRING INTERVIEWS:
You are expected to attend all interviews for which you sign-up for unless:

students after a conference

Helpful Links

Additional Employers (Non-OCI Firm lists)

At Duke Law School, we are fortunate to have a robust on-campus interview program. However, even the hundreds of employers that participate in Duke OCI represent only a small fraction of the thousands of legal employers available to you. Below are lists of employers in some of the geographic markets that are popular destinations for Duke Law students. These are employers that do not participate in Duke OCI, but are reputed among students to provide great summer and post-graduate employment opportunities.

Non-OCI City Lists (documents are password protected)

Job Fairs

The Law School facilitates student participation in many different job fairs throughout the year to give students opportunities to engage with a variety of employers.
Learn about off-site Job Fairs