Whether you are preparing for 1L summer or post-grad interviews, the ultimate list of legal interview questions is sure to help you stand out.
Broken down into categories, this list has you covered!
Legal Interview Questions About You
Receiving an interview means that the employer thinks you have the skills to accomplish the job. So naturally, a lot of the questions will focus on you.
Here are some examples of what questions the employer will ask about you:
- Tell me about yourself.
- Why did you select your undergraduate major?
- How do you like law school?
- Why did you go to law school?
- What has most influenced your decision to go to law school?
- What do you like to do in your spare time?
- Do you have any hobbies?
- What makes you stand out from your peers?
- How would you describe yourself?
- What are your best qualities?
- What does success mean to you?
- How would your peers describe you?
- How do you handle the stress of law school?
- What is your greatest accomplishment?
- Why should we hire you?
- What was your favorite first-year course and why?
- What courses are you taking this semester, and why did you select them?
- Have you taken [course name] yet? Why or why not?
- What do you seek in an employer?
- What do you know about our company?
- What questions do you have for me?
Legal Interview Questions About Your Goals
Legal employers, especially those hiring for long-term positions, ask questions about your goals to assess whether they involve working with the company.
Here are some examples you can expect to receive:
- What do you hope to gain from your law degree?
- What type of law do you want to practice?
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
- Why do you want to work here?
- What sort of training are you seeking?
- What are you most passionate about?
Legal Interview Questions About Your Materials
Before every interview, you should know your resume and any other materials you submitted like the back of your hand.
You can expect questions on the following:
- Please explain your grade in [course where you did not perform as well as usual].
- Tell me about your writing sample?
- What is your topic for your Law Review/Journal note?
- What issues will you be arguing in Moot Court?
- Why did you decide to participate in [co-curricular]?
- Why did you decide to not participate in [co-curricular]?
- Tell me about your experience at [employer listed on resume].
- Tell me about [extra-curricular or scholastic experience listed on resume].
- I’d like to hear more about [specific experience with an employer listed on resume].
Behavioral Based Legal Interview Questions
Legal employers ask behavioral-based interview questions too. Examples of behavioral-based interview questions are:
- What is your greatest strength?
- What is your greatest weakness?
- If you were assigned to write a memorandum in an area you’d never researched before, tell me how you would start?
- What would you do if you realized you made a mistake after turning in an assignment?
- Tell me about a time you showed initiative on a project.
- How do you handle criticism?
- Tell me about a time you had to work in a difficult group and how you handled it.
- Tell me about a time you had to work with a difficult manager and how you handled it.
- Name a time your faced failure, and describe how you handled it.
- Please give me some examples of experiences that have prepared you to practice.
- Tell me about a goal you set and how you achieved it.
- How do you handle stressful situations at work?
- Give me an example of a time you went above and beyond to meet a deadline.
- Tell me about a time you made a mistake at work/on a project.
- Are you a self-starter? Can you give me an example?
- Tell me about a time you managed a project.
- How would you handle a case that went against your morals?
Legal Interview Questions About the Pandemic
Many employers want to know how you managed your obligations during the pandemic, especially if the position is remote.
- How have you handled the stress of the pandemic?
- How have you handled online courses?
- What do you find most challenging about remote courses?
- How have you built relationships in law school during the pandemic?
- Was your last position remote?
- What do you find most challenging about remote work?
Legal Interview Questions Designed to Assess Risks
Everyone has a “risk” on their resume. Everyone.
Risks can range from lack of previous experience in a practice area to appearing too entrepreneurial or changing “job hopping.”
Having a “risk” on your resume doesn’t mean you won’t get the job.
However, you should know your risk, and be prepared to answer questions about it. Here are some examples.
- What ties do you have to this region? (If you are relocating.)
- Why did you leave your previous employer?
- Please explain the gap on your resume.
- Please explain your GPA.
- Why do you want to practice in [area]? (If you have no prior experience in the area to which you are applying.)
On-Campus Interview Questions
This post provides an exhaustive list of on-campus interview questions (“OCI”), and you can get information about how to prepare for OCI here.
Here are a couple examples to get you in the OCI mind-frame:
- Do you want to do transactional work or litigation?
- What practice areas interest you most and why?
- What do you know about the firm?
- Why do you want to work here?
- What questions do you have for me?
Post-Graduate Legal Interview Questions
The following are examples of questions for more seasoned attorneys. Current law students, it is highly unlikely you will receive these questions within the next couple years:
- What are your salary expectations?
- Do you have experience in [insert practice area or relevant skill, like trial experience, here]?
- Why are you leaving your current position?
- Tell me about the case that taught you the most.
- Tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult client.
- How would you deliver an unfavorable outcome to a client?
Legal Interview Questions Conclusion
If you liked this list and if you would like a free downloadable PDF, let me know in the comments below. If so, I’ll work on creating one!
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