Getting into Interior Design - Portfolio Suggestions

Hi all, I am currently looking to change careers into interior design. I am coming from a legal background and I have completed both my MBA in 2004 and a MA in Interior Design in 2009. I attended a CIDA accredited school here in the Washington DC area. After taking some time to try and figure out how I will adjust to having to take a paycut, I am now ready to get out of my legal job and into interior design. I have managed to incorporate design into another passion - wedding and event planning - that I am hoping will help make up for the difference in salary that I will inevitably experience. Any advice that anyone could give me for breaking into the interior design profession would be truly appreciated. I am particularly interested in corporate firms (Gensler, Leo A. Daly, etc.) as I would like to work with commercial projects and at some point move into hospitality design. Also, when it comes to portfolios, should I only include projects that were worked on in class, or can I show a range of work? What is the best medium to show the portfolio now - when I graduated in 2009 it was via web. All comments would be truly welcome!!

take a look at this document prepared by ASID based on a survey of design professionals. The survey was done in 2005, so is a few years old...but most of the information is timeless (plus, the same people they interviewed for the study are still the ones doing the hiring now most likely).

www.asiddcmetro.org/file.asp?F=ASID_SurveyWeb.pdf&N=ASID_SurveyWeb.pdf&C=articles

my opinion:
- you can include work other than just in school.
- be sure to showcase all steps of the design process in an orderly fashion
- I still prefer hard copy during the interview (walk them through it)- it more closely replicates how you will interact with future clients, even in the digital age. Have a web based portfolio or even CD to leave after the interview, but don't put everything under the sun on it! It should just be a teaser of sorts - make it showcase only what you are most proud of (remember any errors or weakness will be amplified, especially if they choose to examine it closely - make sure it will stand up to scrutiny). If you include anything you worked on at a previous firm, be VERY sure you aren't infringing on the former employers copyright, and do NOT leave any proprietary information with their competition (or display it on your website).
- if you have both hard copy and digital formats prepared, consider asking if they have a preference when you schedule the interview. (there are varying opinions...)

other Interior Design career info:
idmyfuture.com/