What to Bring to the Interview - Transcripts

You should always have extra copies of transcripts with you. Employers ask for them all the time, and they expect you to bring them to an interview. Although you should include your law school transcripts in your packet, consider making your undergraduate transcripts available, as well, especially if you do not yet have law school grades or if your undergraduate transcripts are much more impressive than those from law school.

If you do not have an official transcript yet, it is acceptable to submit an unofficial version in the form of a printout of your academic profile. Just make sure you indicate that it is not an official transcript, and let the employer know that you will forward them an actual transcript as soon as it becomes available. Just be aware that this option can sometimes put you at a disadvantage.

When Mark interviewed for a summer associate position at a large firm, he provided a sloppy typed transcript to his interviewers. That same day, however, one of his classmates also interviewed with this firm. This classmate handed in an official transcript to the same interviewer who had met Mark earlier that day. According to this interviewer, Mark's “unofficial” transcript was the reason he did not get an offer. The firm decided he was either not diligent enough or, even worse, dishonest. They did not bother to find out.