Debevoise & Plimpton Interview Questions
& Process

It was a structured, conversational, and pretty comfortable interview process. First, I talked with two lawyers who asked a mix of behavioral and experience-based questions, then we had a more open chat about what I'm interested in and my goals. Both interviewers made me feel welcome, and it felt like a real conversation, not a stiff evaluation.

The interview process involved an FT article. There were some technical questions, and a few maths ones because the article was bad, but overall it was a smooth experience. I was interviewed by a partner and an associate. Both were very nice. They only tested me on the article, no competency or motivational questions.

We started off with a tour of the firm, and then the Training Partner gave a short talk. The interview itself lasted 30 minutes and was completely based on a recent FT article about regulations that stop a foreign company from doing a joint venture in the UK. Two partners led the interview. They pointed out a small contradiction in my reasoning and gave me a chance to switch my viewpoint, but I didn't manage to recover from it.

The initial phone screen and face to face interviews were great. The interviewers were very professional and provided great detail on the position and what was required in the role. They were really excited about my background and were eager to get me back in for the final in-person discussions with some other colleagues in HR. The second round of interviews went very well however, the firm never followed-up on the final hiring decision. It's important to provide courtesy to candidates especially with Management roles and above. No follow-up emails or calls to at least say thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to candidates is very unprofessional, especially for a prestigious law firm.