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The Top 100 Interview Questions for Lawyers

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100 interview questions for law firms interviewing & recruiting solicitors, legal executives, paralegals and law students. Click here to visit our main legal job pages

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Below you will find some of the most popular questions asked by interviewers in the legal profession. Most questions are relevant to all types of legal firm, whether interviewing or recruiting solicitors, paralegals, training contract interviews, work placements or pupillages. Please feel free to print the list off - we are aware of a number of law firms who have been using these questions as a template for their legal job interviews since 2001. 

We have included a large number of suggested answers to the questions in our legal recruitment articles.

When going for interviews, bear in mind that a large number of solicitors and particularly partners of law firms have never received formal training in interview technique. Often, therefore, it can result in an interview being more of an opportunity for the Senior Partner to advise you of the difficulties he/she had in 1991 when only one of the toilets worked, or the history of the firm's policy on coffee breaks. It can be a good idea to try to steer the conversation towards the topics you have particular strengths in, so highlighting your good points. Of course, if you get a HR specialist, things are considerably different, and you may find the interview concentrates more on non-legal issues..

100 questions - answers and discussions about the questions are available on our blog:  www.legalrecruitment.blogspot.com

1Where do you see yourself in five years time?
2Where do you see yourself in ten years time?
3Tell me about yourself?
4What is your major achievement?
5What do you consider yourself good at doing?
6What sort of person are you?
7What are your strengths?
8What are your weaknesses?
9How would you approach this job?
10How do you get things done?
11How would you decide on your objectives?
12How do you manage your day?
13What motivates you?
14How do you cope without motivation?
15How long were you at your last job?
16Why did you leave your last job?
17How have you changed in the last five years?
18What contribution do you make to a team?
19How do you react if you find that someone you work with does not like you?
20Have you ever experienced such a problem during your working life?
21If so, how did you cope and how did the matter resolve itself if it did occur?
22What would your peers say about you?
23Describe your ideal work environment?
24Describe your worst work environment?
25Tell me about a time when you successfully handled a situation?
26Tell me about a time when you felt that you dealt with a situation inadequately, and how has that changed how you would approach the same situation?
27What do you think you can bring to this position?
28What do you think you can bring to this company?
29How do you see this job developing?
30What sort of salary are you expecting?
31What was your last salary?
32If you did not have to work what would you do?
33What decisions do you find easy to make?
34What decisions do you find difficult to make?
35Do you like to work in a team or on your own?
36What would you do if you don’t get this position?
37If offered the position, how long do you plan to stay at this company?
38On taking this job, what would be your major contribution?
39How do you get the best out of people?
40How do you respond under stress?
41Can you provide a recent example of when you were under stress, and how you coped?
42What support training would you require to be able to do this job? If not, why not? Explain.
43What would you look forward to most in this job?
44In your view, what are the major problems/opportunities facing the legal industry?
45What will be your key target in this job if we appoint you?
46What makes you think you can be successful with us?
47How does the job sound to you?
48Which subjects did you enjoy during your qualifying degree?
49Why do you want to be a solicitor?
50Have you always wanted to be a solicitor?
51What is your alternative career, should law not be the avenue for you?
52Would you be able to supply any references?
53What sort of response would we get from your referees about your professional as well as social manner?
54Why would you want to do legal aid work? If not, why not? Explain.
55Why should we employ you, instead of someone else?
56What do you think about partnership prospects in the future?
57We are not willing to give partnership prospects, what are your views on that?
58What are you expecting from this firm in the future?
59What are your views on the franchising of legal aid firms?
60What are your views on the policies of the Legal Services Commission?
61What do you know about the impact of the Human Rights Act on law in this country?
62Do you think that there will be a major impact on criminal law?
63How has business/commercial/family law been affected by the change?
64Have you ever attended a court hearing or employment tribunal?
65What was the outcome?
66How much preparation on files for trial do you do?
67How much do you expect Counsel to do?
68What do you think about the launch of the Public Defence Service?
69Are you willing to do after-hour work?
70Are you willing to go through the accreditation process for police station advisors?
71In the future would you be willing to manage a branch office? If not, why not? Explain.
72What sort of advocacy experience do you have (apart from those taught on the LPC)? 
73Do you think you would need to undergo training for advocacy?
74How do you stand on equal opportunities?
75Have you ever been involved either paid or unpaid with the services of the voluntary sector?
76What do you think about law as it is practised in private practice firms?
77What are your views on commercial law firms?
78What views do you hold on private client fees?
79What is your view on the "sufficient benefit" test (or similar) in LSC-funded work?
80Are you a member of any clubs or charities?
81What sort of activities are you interested in outside of work?
82Are you a socialising person? What is your work/life balance?
83Would your social life infringe on your work commitment?
84If so, how? Explain.
85What sort of management skills do you have?
86Do you think you require training in management skills? Why?
87Do you prefer to manage yourself or let someone else do the managing?
88Are you a leader or a follower?
89Are you computer literate?
90Would you be able to do time-recording? Do you keep good time?
91What sort of employment background do you have?
92Why did you come to us through an agency?
93Have you applied anywhere else apart from us?
94Have you had any other interviews apart from us?
95Have you been offered a position yet?
96How much notice would you need to give to your present employer if you were offered a position?
97Would you be willing to branch out into any other area of law, if the need arose?
98Have you ever been abroad?
99Do you speak any other languages apart from English?
100What questions have you for us?
  
  
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Interview Hints:

As an exercise it is well worth writing out answers for each question rather than just think them through. There is a real difference between knowing what you want to say and being able to deliver a satisfactory answer despite the anxiety of the interview.

Remember to talk to yourself as this is an important part of getting through the interview.

You use different parts of your brain for thinking and talking. Have you ever had that experience of knowing what to say and yet somehow not being able to get it out of your mouth? At any interview, you are bound to feel some anxiety and this will not improve your fluency. A good tip for interviews is to ask for a glass of water at the start, and take regular sips from it whilst being asked questions - it gives your hands and your mouth something to do..

In our society it is not done to be a self-publicist, so all of us are a little out of practice in talking about ourselves, our work and our achievements. Yet the interview is structured specifically for you to do just that. Keep asking yourself those open questions – How, Why, What and Tell Me – and answer them to yourself.

Practice talking about yourself out loud – in the bath, whist driving – others might think you are rather strange, but who cares if you are more likely to get the job!

Research suggests that those who are fluent are rated as:

  • More intelligent

  • Having better interpersonal skills

  • Make better managers

So practice, and develop your fluency for talking about your achievements.

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