> In the case of the lawyer, if it's a big city firm, (whether this is right or not) they'll look at where they went to school, whether they were on law review,

> In the case of the lawyer, if it's a big city firm, (whether this is right or not) they'll look at where they went to school, whether they were on law review, and who they clerked for. This, plus grades and class rank. And there is a series of interviews, obviously. For a young associate, grades/class rank are a decent proxy for how hard working they are and whether they have an aptitude for the basic practice of law.