By Dipti Ramnarain '10
Features Editor

Overall, On Grounds Interviews (OGI) may be one of the most successful events at the Law School.

Coordinating the schedules of hundreds of law students and employers, while factoring in classes and travel time between rooms, is one of the many difficulties faced by the Office of Career Services. As with earlier years, the current year’s statistics point to a very large and complicated process, involving over 8,000 interviews and law firms from 35 states and 5 foreign countries. Credit is due to Pat Harlowe and her team in the Office of Career Services for putting together these schedules and being available for last minute changes during one of the most stressful times in a law student’s career.

Unfortunately, not all aspects of OGI are as smooth as dealing with the office’s personnel. A number of students, speaking on the condition of anonymity, voiced complaints that fell into three main categories: logistical hurdles with interviews split between Darden and the Law School, inconsistencies in information displayed on CASE, and problems with the cancellation policy.

Walking back and forth between Darden and the Law School has several obvious disadvantages. Showing up sweaty from the walk or with scruffy heels from getting caught between the cobblestones is not the best way to present yourself to a future employer. These problems, however, can be fixed by carrying a handkerchief and by slipping a pair of flip flops into your purse. Furthermore, according to Senior Assistant Dean for Career Services Steve Hopson, there is unfortunately just not enough room in the Law School. This year, student organization offices and new faculty offices helped to keep more interviews in the Law School, but many interviews were still held at Darden. Hosting Round One requires around 90 rooms per day, and Darden provides 30 of these.

Some employers echoed this dissatisfaction with Darden’s Sponsors Hall. According to some recruiters, Darden is seen as a considerably less desirable interview location, mainly because the off-site facility cuts down on the interviewing firm’s visibility.

Other complaints, however, seemed more readily addresable. Sub par conditions in Sponsors Hall prompted at least three employers to complain during interviews this semester. One came into a conference room in which the air conditioning had not been turned on. In another instance, an employer found a plate of stale cookies left over from a previous meeting in his interview room. Other employers complained of having to park far away while having to carry heavy marketing materials and of locked doors separating connected hotel hallways. The fact that the Law School charges a non-refundable $150 registration fee and up to $800 for schedules makes some employers feel shortchanged when they end up Darden.

A second problem voiced by students was inconsistent information on CASE. In the FAQ section, under the question “How many prescreening and lottery interviews may I accept?”, CASE states “In the Fall, you may accept a total of 25 interviews through the pre-screening and lottery process. Interviews that count towards this limit include interviews that you accept through prescreening or through the lottery. Lottery interviews do not count against your 25-interview limit. Interviews obtained through the Special Request process do not count towards the 25-interview limit.” The Career Services website states “When you receive a lottery interview, a deduction will also be made from your 25-interview limit. This deduction will occur even if you decline the lottery interview.” These inconsistencies led to several students wonder if there was in essence a 35-interview limit, with 25 regular interviews and a potential of 10 lottery interviews, or a 25-interview limit. Inconsistencies like this just make a complicated process that much harder for students.

Luckily for students, help is on the way. the Law School is moving from CASE to SIMPLICITY, a new online software system that will be used by students for interviews. According to Hopson, most large law schools use this system. “UVA was a leader when implementing CASE”, he said, but software for coordinating interviews has since improved drastically. The new software incorporates a whole new process, with students ranking their firm choices. Hopson expects the new system to resolve many of students’ concerns about CASE while also offering a better way to match students with prospective employers.

The final problem was with the rules for the cancellation policy. Multiple students seemed confused as to what the policy was, and exactly how it could be applied. For Round Two, students were required to cancel interviews a week in advance, even when notice of their selection came after the deadline. This left some students in the unconfortable position of sitting through interviews that they ultimately did not want but were unable to cancel. In addition, sitting through interviewws seems disingenuous for students who know they will not be taking a job offer. In the future, SIMPLICITY’s cancellation functions should prevent these types of problems from arising.

For students who have additional concerns or comments on the OGI process, Women of Color will be conducting a survey on the OGI process starting the week of October 20.

In summary, it seems that many of students’ problems are already being addressed by Career Services. Hopefully the implementation of the new system will resolve a lot of concerns by students, and the process will continue to improve.