By Kathleen Pearson

OCI is over, callback interviews have happened and offers are out the door. It's official - 2009 fall recruiting is winding down. It was a different (and difficult) year for students, schools and firms across the country. Only time will tell how much the law student recruiting model will change as a result of crazy pipeline issues affecting the legal industry.

All gloom and doom aside, this is also a time for bright-eyed, bushy-tailed 1Ls to learn from the mistakes of their 2L predecessors. Career services at schools definitely prepared all students very well this year. Candidates were poised, prepared and most of all eager. However, a few missteps along the way are worth mentioning:

Top 5 Interview Disasters from 2009:

1. Nose picking in the interview . . . Ewww.
2. Not knowing anything about our firm, locations or practice groups - Seriously. It's the age of the internet. At least know how to look up a firm before darkening the door.
3. Forgetting to cut off the paper bar bracelet from the night before - I'm glad this person had a really good time last night, I just don't want to know about it.
4. Coifing hair into a very pronounced fauxhawk - While it might look awesome on campus and heighten street cred, this candidate forgot they were interviewing in one of the most conservative professions in the world . . .
5. Exaggerating on a resume - While it is good to be comprehensive about work experience, don't try to tell us you actually helped 1st chair a trial last summer during your 1L clerkship.  This candidate was not Reese Witherspoon and we are not Legally Blonde . . .

And, yes, these all really happened . . .

1. When entering your time, put yourself in the shoes of the client reading the invoice.  Confusing invoices = no payment!  Also, remember that the client contact with whom you work may not be the same person who reviews and pays the invoice.
   
   
2. Avoid trivialization of your work and be descriptive.  For example: “Prepare memorandum to S. Smith regarding Davidson County building codes” is better than “Email to S. Smith”;  “Confer with J. Doe re: strategy for completing Jones Company license agreement” is better than “Exchange emails with J. Doe.” Time entries should convey value delivered rather than the mechanics of completing a task.
    
3. Use care in billing for meetings with colleagues within the firm. While these meetings may be very productive and ultimately benefit the client, clients tend to balk at paying for a lot of internal meetings and some have policies stating that they will not pay for them.
   
   
4. Watch the shorthand.  Bills are a serious matter to clients and should not be casual.  Using a lot of abbreviations for terms that the person processing the invoice will not likely understand only creates a potential for confusion and delay in payment.
   
   
5. In the end, make certain that you follow both firm policy and client billing guidelines when entering time.

If you are careful and thoughtful with your time entries, the result will likely be a happier partner, a happier client and a more successful associate.