Worst interview of my career, and it appears I'm not alone in this assessment.
From the outset, I had reservations about a law firm that claimed to have a tech practice. These concerns were validated throughout the process.
The entire process lacked professionalism and respect for the candidate. Interviews were disorganized and rushed, with multiple requests to join calls later that day or early the next morning. Four interviews took place in about 3-4 days.
The initial interview with the partner of Venable Blue was disconcerting. He arrived late, disheveled, and seemed to be reading my resume for the first time. There was no introduction to who he was or what his company did, and instead he launched into a series of questions that felt more like a deposition or a cross-examination than an interview, as he honed in on experiences from long ago and even made some questionable inquiries into my personal life. His demeanor was confrontational and dismissive.
He also failed to provide any meaningful information about what his operation actually does. My questions were met with confrontational counter-questions. I've never seen such a lack of transparency and respect in an interview process before.
The follow-up "interview" with his deputy was no better. Again, I was left with no time to discuss their work. I managed to ask one question about their overall business model, but she was unable or unwilling to answer it.
There was also confusion regarding the position I was interviewing for. Titles were used interchangeably throughout the process, and they failed to answer even basic questions, such as how their teams were organized.
In retrospect, it was clear that they were using this as an opportunity to chat with me under the guise of an interview in order to learn more about a company they one day hope to have as a client.
I would not recommend pursuing opportunities with Venable Blue. Their years-long promotion of job listings on LinkedIn suggests a high churn rate, which is consistent with the negative experience I had.