Like most things, preparation is key. Here, practicing lawyers and legal advisors share their top tips on how to answer some of the most common and difficult questions that are sure to come up in your legal conversation. Interviews are inherently stressful because you can`t accurately predict which questions will be asked, but preparing for common interview questions will help you reduce stress. Whether you`re preparing for an initial or cross-interview, an OCI, or a refresher, preparing ahead of time gives you time to think about specific examples and ways to tie your experiences to the specific role and company/organization. Below are some frequently asked questions about legal interviews, as well as suggestions on how to approach them. Not all candidates encounter unusual questions, but some companies use them to get to know an interviewee better and test their way of thinking. In most cases, there is no right or wrong answer – so don`t panic. Recruiters simply want to know how you think about a problem. A common answer to the question “What is your greatest weakness” is to give an answer that is not a weakness at all. The reason candidates give such answers is simple: they are afraid of revealing a real weakness and somehow think that they can overwhelm interviewers with a false answer.
Guess what? Interviewers are not fooled. The legal profession is a competitive business and it is difficult to obtain an apprenticeship contract. To make a good impression on recruiters, learn how to answer frequently asked questions during legal interviews. The questions you encounter during an interview include general questions about your career, specific questions about the firm and the law, questions about assessing your skills and competencies, questions about business awareness, and how to assess your skills to deal with the unexpected. “You may also face a case study scenario where you look at a series of documents and then present the potential client`s risks and opportunities to the panel,” Louise adds. “The best thing I heard in practice was, `What would you do if a client asked you to do something legal but morally questionable?` The candidate`s response was that they would tell the partner that if he fell for it, the partner would also perish. The principle was correct (ask for advice), but it was expressed disastrously. They weren`t asked to come back,” Louise says. If possible, use examples from your legal work experience, but don`t be afraid to take advantage of your university time, extracurricular activities, gap year experience, or part-time job. To define a legal term, enter a word or phrase below. When asked, legal recruiters say that business awareness is one of the most important skills a candidate can possess. These questions require you to provide relevant examples of a time when you demonstrated the necessary skills and are a common feature of all interviews.
Judges have begun hearing a human rights complaint against police interrogations conducted in Scotland without legal representation. If you want to succeed as a lawyer, you have to do well under pressure, and often the first real test for that (after the first semester exams, of course) is your legal interview. Whether you`re applying for a summer partnership at a law firm or an internal position at a company, one of the most critical and stressful steps is the job interview. This may be your only opportunity to make a good impression and show what makes you the right candidate for the job. The best advice Louise can give is to remember that interviews are about people. COVID-19 is affecting the way companies recruit new candidates. While a small number of businesses are still conducting face-to-face interviews, the majority of organizations are unlikely to do so before current social distancing restrictions expire. That`s why it`s now more important than ever to make sure your phone and video interview skills are up to date. Avoid choosing something too controversial. Choosing a law or legal issue that has been in the news recently is a good option, as it shows that your legal knowledge is up to date. Alternatively, you can introduce a law that directly benefits the law firm or its clients.
Name two or three other companies you`ve applied to with a common reason for doing so – for example, that they all share a similar culture or guarantee all interns an international assignment. This shows the consistency of your applications. This shows the employer that you are committed to your area of expertise and are committed to building a career in a particular field of activity. (For more guidance on handling behavioural interview questions in legal interviews, click here.) It`s hard to tell the difference between many good resumes on paper, but that spark can shine through during a job interview, whether it`s because someone has other interests similar to mine or because they`re volunteering at an organization that seems interesting and useful. I think being a well-rounded person is something we always look for in our students and staff. A law firm has an open position for a partner position. You want to be a legal assistant. The answer seems obvious, right? This may sound like a softball question, but your answer to the question of why you want to work here could affect or break your interview from the start. Current lawyers advise candidates to do this personally. Many law students don`t have much or no legal experience when applying for a summer partner position, but that`s fine.