Hundreds of Fordham Law students will participate in Early Interview Week this July, meeting and interviewing with attorneys from law firms in the hopes of landing a summer associate position next year. Thanks to the Law School’s Career Planning Center (CPC)—which offers a number of services and opportunities year-round to help students grow as budding professionals—students connected with alumni to prepare for the job market through a mock interview program.
Alexandra Haggerty ’26
“I wanted to gain experience before doing real interviews and thought it would be a good opportunity for feedback and developing connections with Fordham alumni,” said Alexandra M. Haggerty ’26, who is interested in international law and international-focused types of positions.
Haggerty was one of 118 rising 2Ls and 3LEs who sharpened their presentation skills in mock interviews with Fordham Law alumni and other attorneys from 29 large law firms. The annual event is a massive undertaking coordinated by CPC Director Deborah Dempster ’07, who says “these practice interviews and accompanying critiques are invaluable” in preparing for Early Interview Week in late July, the On-Campus Interview (OCI) Program in the fall, and large law firm recruiting in general.
“Students have this great opportunity to practice articulating what they want to say and how they want to present themselves to employers, as well as to become more familiar with the technical aspects of the virtual OCI Program,” said Dempster.
She added, “I also think this program is particularly meaningful in terms of fostering relationships between alumni and students. Fordham Law has such a strong ‘network effect’ and the willingness of our alumni to mentor students is so unique.”
Douglas DiMedio ’15
Douglas DiMedio ’15, a former partner at Kirkland & Ellis who recently joined Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff as a partner and co-chair of their private equity practice group, was paired with Haggerty at random for the 30-minute-long practice interview session. They discussed Haggerty’s interest in law, her resume, and ways in which she can highlight her strengths when interviewing, among other things.
DiMedio said his goals were to provide holistic feedback and make the interviewees feel more at ease with what he calls the “pressure cooker” feeling of OCI, “I know OCI can be incredibly stressful. I’ve experienced it firsthand when it felt like it was the be-all and end-all of your career.”
He added, “If you’re a ball of nerves, you’re not going to be a personable conversationalist. So you need to get yourself in that headspace where you can just take a breath and be yourself more—because the more you’re actually showing a true relaxed personality, the more that’s going to lend itself to a better interview.”
While she interns at Volunteer of Legal Service on the Incarcerated Mothers Law Project this summer, Haggerty says she plans to use DiMedio’s tips and insight in “real” interviews and to use DiMedio as a resource moving forward.
“I had a goal of wanting to know how to stand out and differentiate myself in the interviewing process as well as what comes across on my resume as unique, and Doug helped a lot with that,” said Haggerty. “He was very welcoming, insightful, and easy going, and I felt very comfortable sharing my thoughts and concerns [with him].”
DiMedio also pointed out the benefits of alumni like himself volunteering to give back to their alma mater, “I’ve found that Fordham Law consistently produces lawyers of a great caliber in a firm environment, and just great people generally, so you’re helping to make sure that students end up in the places that they want to be when they’re going out to practice after their time in law school. You would hate for an interview to go a little awkwardly and that be the thing that derailed the students’ career goals when they were otherwise qualified and prepared for success after all their hard work. So helping students get past that hurdle and reach their potential is of course good for the student, but also for the legal industry by getting these high-caliber individuals in meaningful positions.”
