Davis Polk 2028 screening and callback guide

For
2028 summer associates
Sources
13 cited

Got a Davis Polk interview for the 2028 summer program? Here is when the interview periods run, how the virtual rounds work, what Davis Polk says it values and the questions to prepare.

A law student in a dark suit on a video interview at a desk in a law school legal clinic office after hours, file trays stacked on a shelf behind, the laptop raised to eye level and a folder with a printed resume beside it.
All Davis Polk interviews are currently virtual, in main interview periods in November and January.

Key facts

  • Format: All interviews are currently virtual. Office visits, tours and events come after an offer.1
  • Interview periods: Davis Polk's main interview periods for the 2028 program are in November and January.1
  • First interview: Law firm screeners usually run 10 to 30 minutes with one or two lawyers, so lead with a clear story and a specific reason for Davis Polk.7,8
  • Callback: A callback is a series of interviews with partners and associates, with a heavy emphasis on personality: one on your interests, one on pro bono and culture, and two on common ground.6,7
  • What they look for: Davis Polk hires lawyers who embrace a team orientation and steers away from the individually minded. Its managing partner names empathy as the key skill for young lawyers.5
  • Offers: Offer decisions are made only after Davis Polk receives your first-semester law school transcript.1
  • Summer to full time: In 2025, 172 of 173 2L summer associates received full-time offers.3
  • Callback to offer: Across firms, 47% of callback interviews led to offers in the 2025 cycle (summer 2026).10

Because you apply to one office only, expect to be asked why you chose it and the department your cover letter named.1

What the Davis Polk interview looks like

  1. Before the first interview

    You apply once, to one office, with a resume, a cover letter naming your preferred department and an official undergraduate transcript. Davis Polk's main interview periods are November and January, and all interviews are currently virtual, so set up a quiet room with a steady connection.1

  2. The first interview

    Expect a short screener with one or two lawyers, usually 10 to 30 minutes, about your resume, why the firm and what kind of law interests you. Lead with the department from your cover letter and one reason for it, and be ready to say what drew you to the office you picked.7,8,1

  3. The callback

    A callback is a series of back-to-back interviews with partners and associates. Expect one interview on your legal, academic and career interests, one on pro bono, affinity groups and firm culture, and two mostly about common interests and personality. Each new interviewer is hearing your story for the first time.6,7

  4. What interviewers listen for

    Davis Polk describes itself as built around teams and says it hires lawyers who embrace that, steering away from the individually minded. Its managing partner names empathy, getting into the minds of clients, as the key skill. Show both in your stories: who relied on you, and how you read what they needed.5,4

  5. After the interviews

    Offers wait for your first-semester law school transcript. Once offers are made, Davis Polk invites you to visit, tour the office, attend events and come back to meet more lawyers before you decide.1

From application to offer, step by step

Application Rolling
One office, a cover letter naming a department, and transcripts.
First interview About 10 to 30 min
Virtual, with one or two lawyers, in the November or January period.
Callback Several interviews
Virtual, with partners and associates, back to back.
First-semester transcript Before an offer
Offers are made only once it is in.
After an offer Once offers are out
Office visits, tours, events and return visits to meet lawyers.

The virtual format, periods and offer rule come from Davis Polk's own page. The interview lengths are Intervyo's reading of law school guidance and the 2018 callback account.1,6,7,8

Before your Davis Polk interviews

  • Camera at eye level, light in front, a plain background, and a backup device charged.
  • Know why you chose your one office and the department your cover letter named.
  • Know one recent Davis Polk matter in that department, and what made it hard.
  • Prepare a team story where others depended on you, and what you did for them.
  • Have something real to say about pro bono and what you would want to work on.
  • Know every line of your resume and what you learned from it.
  • Keep your resume, transcript and writing sample open in case an interviewer asks.
  • Send a separate thank-you email to each interviewer within 24 hours.

The questions

Expect conversation more than tests: why Davis Polk and your department, your resume and what you learned, how you work on a team, pro bono, and who you are outside the law.6,5,1

  • Motivation: Why Davis Polk, why the office and why the department you named.
  • Resume: Any line on your resume, and what you took from it.
  • Teamwork: Times others depended on you, and how you worked with them.
  • Pro bono and culture: What pro bono work interests you and how you would fit in.
  • Personality: Your interests outside the law, and common ground with the interviewer.

Which division question you get

Capital markets and finance
Expect to explain what draws you to deal work and the investor or issuer side, since partners in these groups describe broad client bases and fast-paced, novel structures.1
Litigation
Summer litigators work on amicus briefs and trials among other matters, so be ready to talk through a legal issue you have worked on and your writing sample.1,12
Washington, D.C.
D.C. focuses on white collar defense and investigations, antitrust and financial regulation, so a reason for regulatory or investigations work helps.1
Northern CaliforniaBest guess
Expect a question on technology or life sciences clients, the office's focus.1

The Northern California line is our best guess from the office's stated focus: show you know why its clients are different.

Example questions and how to answer them

Motivation"Why Davis Polk, and why the department you named?"1,5,2
  1. 1Start with the department and one reason from your own background.
  2. 2Give one reason specific to Davis Polk: its teams, the Summer Program Coordinators or its training.
  3. 3Show you are open to other work in the summer.
  4. 4Close on the office and why you chose it.

Tip: Your cover letter already named a department, so interviewers can hold you to it. Davis Polk's associates say you can be candid about being unsure; just give a reason for where you would start.

Example answer, written by Intervyo (not a real candidate)

Intervyo example.

I named Capital Markets because I spent two years at a bank on the investor side of bond deals and kept wanting to understand the documents better than the models. Davis Polk's capital markets group was Law360's practice group of the year in 2024 and 2025, and I like that the summer is not assigned to one group, so I can try Finance and M&A too.

I applied only to New York because that is where most of that work sits, and where I want to build my career.

Teamwork"Tell me about a time you were part of a team that depended on you."5
  1. 1Set the scene: the team, the deadline and your part.
  2. 2Say what you did so others could do theirs.
  3. 3Give the result.
  4. 4End on what you learned about working in a team.

Tip: Davis Polk says it trains associates to be team players from the first year. Make the story about the team, with your part clear inside it.

Resume"Walk me through something on your resume and what you learned."7,9
  1. 1Pick an entry with a real challenge in it.
  2. 2Say what you did, in a few sentences.
  3. 3Name the result.
  4. 4Spend most of the time on what you learned and how you use it now.

Tip: Interviewers want the substance behind each bullet: what you learned, the challenges and the soft skills you bring. Everything on the page is fair game.

Pro bono and culture"What kind of pro bono work would you want to do?"1,6
  1. 1Name an area and why it matters to you.
  2. 2Link it to something you have done, in law school or before.
  3. 3Show you know summers work on real pro bono matters.

Tip: Davis Polk calls pro bono an essential part of the summer, from Supreme Court amicus briefs to transactions for nonprofits and small businesses, and a whole callback interview can turn on pro bono and culture.

Personality"What do you do outside of law school?"6,13
  1. 1Pick one or two interests you can talk about with energy.
  2. 2Give a detail that invites a follow-up question.
  3. 3Ask the interviewer something back.

Tip: Davis Polk callbacks lean on personality, and two of four interviews can be mostly about common interests. Specific interests on your resume give interviewers a way in.

More Davis Polk interview questions

Motivation

  • “Why are you interested in our firm?”8

  • “What area of the law are you most interested in?”8

  • “Why this office?”8,1

    You apply to one office, so expect it

Resume

  • “Can you talk about your experience and what you learned from it?”9

  • “What challenges did you face in that role?”7

Behavioral

  • “Tell me about a challenging experience in law school or another job.”9

    A common opener across firms, from another firm's interviewer

  • “Tell me about a time you took constructive criticism.”9

    Wording ours, from another firm's interviewer

  • “How did you work out what a client or colleague needed from you?”5

    Best guess

    Davis Polk's managing partner names empathy

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How long to hear back after the interview

Davis Polk interviews mainly in November and January and makes offers only once your first-semester transcript is in.1

  1. Aug 2018 (published)

    Davis Polk associate, callback

    One interview on legal, academic and career interests, one on pro bono, affinity groups and culture, and two mostly about common interests and personality.6

  2. 2025 (summer 2026)

    All firms, NALP survey

    47% of callback interviews led to offers. May 2025 was the busiest offer month, and 85% of offers went out before July.10

  3. 2025 (summer 2025 class)

    Davis Polk summer program

    172 of 173 2L summer associates received full-time offers.3

  4. Oct 1, 2026 (summer 2028)

    Davis Polk

    The listed date from which 2L resumes are accepted, with rolling review.2

  5. Jan 8 to 13, 2027 (summer 2028)

    Harvard Early Interview Program

    Virtual screeners for private sector employers, for the Class of 2029's 2L summer jobs.11

Response times vary by firm more than by candidate. If two weeks pass after your callback with no word and no timeline, a short follow-up email is reasonable.7

Best guessIf you interview in the November period, expect to wait for fall grades; offers most likely come from January 2027, as soon as your transcript is in.

What happens after the interview

  1. Online application

    One application to one office: resume, cover letter naming a department, and official undergraduate transcript.1

  2. Virtual screening and callback interviewsYou are here

    This page. All virtual, mainly in November and January.1

  3. Offer

    Made only once your first-semester transcript is in, then office visits, tours and events.1

First interview vs callback

The first interview checks your story and your reasons; the callback tests fit with the team you would work with. Both are virtual at Davis Polk.

Format

First interview

Virtual.1

Callback

Virtual, a series of interviews.1,7

Who

First interview

One or two lawyers.8

Callback

Partners and associates.7

Length

First interview

About 10 to 30 minutes.7,8

Callback

Several 20 or 30 minute interviews, often half a day.7

Focus

First interview

Your resume, why Davis Polk and your department.8,1

Callback

Interests, pro bono and culture, and personality.6

2028 summer associate status

The summer runs about 11 weeks. Two or three associates work full time as Summer Program Coordinators, and each summer has a partner mentor and an associate liaison, with formal feedback at midsummer and exit reviews.1,2,3

FAQ

Are Davis Polk interviews virtual?

Yes, all interviews are currently virtual. After offers, Davis Polk invites you to visit, tour the office and meet lawyers.1

When are Davis Polk interviews?

The main interview periods for the 2028 program are November and January, with applications reviewed on a rolling basis.1

What happens at a Davis Polk callback?

A series of virtual interviews with partners and associates. Expect one interview on legal and career interests, one on pro bono and culture, and two mostly about personality and common interests.6,7,1

What does Davis Polk look for?

Team players. Davis Polk says it hires lawyers who embrace its team orientation and steers away from the individually minded, and its managing partner names empathy as the key skill for young lawyers.5

Will they ask about the department in my cover letter?

Expect it. Your cover letter names a preferred department, so be ready to say why, while showing you would try other work: summers are staffed across practices.1,2

When will I hear back from Davis Polk?

Offer decisions are made only after Davis Polk receives your first-semester law school transcript.1

Interview at other firms

Sources

Firm pages first, then dated candidate reports. Last checked Nov 4, 2026.

  1. 1Davis Polk: U.S. Summer Program
  2. 2Flo Recruit: Davis Polk firm profile (updated Oct 2026)
  3. 3Vault: Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP: Summer Law Program · prep site
  4. 4Vault: Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP: Company Reviews · prep site
  5. 5Chambers Associate: Davis Polk & Wardwell firm profile and interview with managing partner Neil Barr · prep site
  6. 6Vault: Hiring Insights from Attorneys at the Most Selective Law Firms (Aug 2018) · prep site
  7. 7University of Michigan Law School Office of Career Planning: Guide to Firm Callback Interviews · prep site
  8. 87Sage: What I Wish I Knew before BigLaw Recruiting 101 (Aug 2022) · prep site
  9. 9Chambers Associate: OCI advice from the interviewers · prep site
  10. 10NALP: Law Student Recruiting Moves Earlier as Employer-Sponsored Hiring Expands (Jan 2026) · press
  11. 11Harvard Law School Office of Career Services: Recruiting Programs for Employers · prep site
  12. 12Yale Law School Career Development Office: Writing Samples, References & Transcripts · prep site
  13. 13Penn Carey Law Career Planning & Professionalism: Do's and Don'ts for 1L Resume Writing · prep site

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