Preparing for an interview at McDermott Will & Schulte requires more than just reviewing your resume. You must adopt the mindset of a strategic advisor who understands the business of law. Your preparation should focus on demonstrating how you can add immediate value to our partners and help them navigate an increasingly competitive legal market.

Role-Related Knowledge – You must demonstrate a deep understanding of corporate transactions, regulatory landscapes, and the specific mechanics of professional services. Be prepared to discuss how market changes—such as shifting interest rates or healthcare regulations—impact our clients' legal needs.

Partner Influence & Diplomacy – Interviewers will closely evaluate your emotional intelligence and executive presence. You need to show that you can act as a peer and strategic advisor to our partners, guiding them toward modern business development practices rather than simply taking administrative orders.

Problem-Solving & Structure – When discussing past campaigns or hypothetical scenarios, structure your answers clearly. Show how you define a target audience, analyze the competitive landscape, execute a strategy, and measure the ultimate return on investment.

Cultural Alignment – At McDermott Will & Schulte, we value collaboration, entrepreneurial drive, and high standards of excellence. You should be prepared to share examples of how you have worked cross-functionally and maintained a high level of resilience in fast-paced, demanding environments.

The interview process at McDermott Will & Schulte is structured to evaluate both your tactical business development capabilities and your cultural fit within a highly collaborative, professional services environment. The process typically moves at a steady pace, designed to respect your time while ensuring a thorough mutual evaluation.

The journey begins with an initial screening by a recruiter assigned to the specific practice or business development team. This conversation focuses on your high-level background, compensation expectations, and your understanding of the legal marketing landscape. If there is mutual alignment, you will progress to an in-depth interview with the direct hiring manager—typically a Business Development Director or a senior member of the practice group’s administrative leadership.

The final stage is a comprehensive panel or group interview. This phase allows you to meet other team members, business development specialists, and occasionally key partners you would be supporting. This round is highly collaborative and focuses heavily on situational scenarios, stakeholder management, and team chemistry.

The timeline shown above outlines the standard progression from your initial recruiter touchpoint to the final offer stage. Candidates should use this roadmap to pace their preparation, ensuring they focus on high-level alignment early on, while saving deep-dive strategy and stakeholder-influence examples for the hiring manager and panel rounds.

To succeed at McDermott Will & Schulte, you must excel across several distinct competencies. Understanding these core evaluation areas will help you structure your preparation and deliver high-impact answers during your interviews.

Partner Advisory & Influence

This area evaluates your ability to build trust and direct strategic growth alongside senior legal professionals. Law partners are owners of the business; they require business development professionals who can offer proactive, data-driven insights rather than passive support.

Be ready to go over:

• Partner Engagement Models – How to initiate strategic business development discussions with partners at different stages of their careers.
• Credibility Building – Strategies for demonstrating immediate value through market intelligence and competitor analysis.
• Objection Handling – Techniques for navigating resistance or skepticism from attorneys regarding modern sales and marketing methodologies.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – Managing lateral partner integration and helping newly lateral attorneys transition their book of business to the firm.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "A highly successful partner refuses to participate in cross-selling initiatives because they want to protect their client relationship. How do you handle this?"
• "How would you prepare a partner for a critical meeting with a prospect who has historically used a competitor firm?"

Strategic Opportunity Identification

This competency focuses on your analytical ability to spot market opportunities and translate them into actionable business development campaigns.

Be ready to go over:

• Market Intelligence – Utilizing industry databases and public filings to identify corporate triggers (e.g., regulatory changes, mergers, funding rounds).
• Client Journey Mapping – Understanding how institutional clients select, evaluate, and retain legal counsel.
• Cross-Practice Collaboration – Identifying opportunities to introduce clients of one practice group (e.g., Transactions) to other areas of the firm (e.g., Tax or Employee Benefits).

Example questions or scenarios:

• "With interest rates fluctuating, how would you position our Transactions practice to private equity clients looking to deploy dry powder?"
• "Walk me through how you would design a multi-channel campaign targeting mid-market healthcare companies facing new compliance regulations."

Pitch & Proposal Management

This practical area assesses your ability to run a disciplined, high-quality proposal process under tight deadlines.

Be ready to go over:

• RFP Lifecycle Management – Coordinating multiple internal contributors, including attorneys, pricing analysts, and graphic designers.
• Value Proposition Development – Moving past generic firm descriptions to draft highly tailored, client-specific executive summaries.
• Post-Pitch Analysis – Implementing structured feedback loops to continuously improve the firm’s win rate.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Describe a time you had to manage a complex, multi-practice RFP with a 48-hour turnaround time. How did you ensure quality and accuracy?"
• "How do you help partners determine whether we should bid on an RFP or politely decline the opportunity?"