1. Tell us how much experience do you have with my industry?
Such issues as intellectual property, franchise agreements and service contracts require special knowledge and skills, says Leach. Find out if the attorneys you're screening have worked with a company similar to yours and if you can speak with any previous clients. While some attorneys might be offended by this request, "they shouldn't be put off if you ask them to give a couple of names," Leach says.
2. Explain me how long do you typically take to get back to people?
If you want your attorney to be prompt and easily accessible, be sure to ask how long he or she takes to get back to you when you call, Leach says. Sometimes, you have to go through a paralegal first and may not connect with the lawyer for several days.
3. Tell me how your role relates to the overall goals of your department and firm?
This not only probes your understanding of department and corporate missions by also indirectly checks into your ability to function as a team member to get the work done.
4. Tell us how do you typically communicate with your clients?
Some attorneys prefer to correspond primarily via email or phone; others don't communicate much beyond scheduled office meetings. You're likely going to want to work with someone who is available to answer your questions as they come up, so be sure to find out what their communication style is and whether it works for you.
5. Tell me in what ways has your job prepared to take on greater responsibility?
This is one of the most important questions you will have to answer. The interviewer is looking for examples of your professional development, perhaps to judge your future growth potential, so you must tell a story that demonstrates it. Other skills you may want to demonstrate here are listening skills, honesty and adherence to procedures.
To avoid surprises when your attorney's bill arrives for the first time, find out exactly how lawyers bill, Leach recommends. Some may bill for minimum increments of 10 minutes, while others might not bill for less than an hour. Also, ask about other expenses such as research and paralegal fees.
7. Explain me will there be anyone else handling my work?
Most lawyers assign work to paralegals, but Sweeney cautions against attorneys who delegate an extensive amount. Taking the time to explain something to your lawyer, then having it re-explained to a paralegal could cost you more money and might muddle the message, she says. While some work can certainly be delegated, be sure that you're clear on who will be handling which tasks.
8. Explain me how do you feel about your progress to date?
This question is not geared solely to rate your progress; it also rates your self-esteem. Be positive, yet do not give the impression you have already done your best work. Make the interviewer believe you see each day as an opportunity to learn and contribute and that you see the environment at the company as conducive to your best efforts.
9. Tell us who else are you interviewing with in Seattle?
A possible throw away, but the interviewer wants to see how serious you are. Know the list of other firms. Cold. Don't blow names. Do not infer that Seattle is one stop on your coffee tour through the Northwest.
Your answer should be, “I have contacted the 5 or 6 leading firms that match my practice interest and background most closely.” If pressed for specifics mention the names, accurately and without bravado.
10. Tell me do you have any clients who could create conflicts?
Find out if your prospective attorney is working for other clients such as competitors or former business partners, who could pose a conflict of interest. If so, problems could arise, and you may not feel comfortable sharing competitive information with the attorney.
11. Please explain a difficult problem you've had to deal with?
This is a favourite tough question. It's not so much the difficult problem but the approach you take to solving problems in general, this question is designed to probe your professional profile, specifically your analytical skills.
12. Tell me what can I contribute to right away?
One of the most frustrating things about hiring someone new is that it can take forever to get them trained and up to speed. When a candidate asks a question like this, they let the interviewers know that they will find a way to help as soon as possible, which is a major bonus. This again gives you the opportunity to sell yourself as someone who can help on those projects, and as an added bonus - it lets you know what skills you need to brush up on before your next interview or even before starting the job.
13. Tell me are there ways to reduce the cost of your services?
Don't be discouraged by what seem to be high fees. Ask if there are ways to cut down on costs, says Fred Steingold, an Ann Arbor, Mich., attorney and author of Legal Guide for Starting & Running a Small Business (Nolo, 2011). For example, you might be able to save money by rounding up documents or writing a summary of events for a legal case yourself. "There are things clients can do that are often helpful," Steingold says. "If the lawyer is not willing to explore some of those options, it might raise a red flag."
14. Tell me what is your approach to conflict resolution?
Find out how much of an attorney's time is spent battling it out in court and how much is devoted to mediating disputes. Then, decide which approach you're more comfortable with. "Sometimes attorneys who are highly litigious are hard to mold when you want to settle a case," says Deborah Sweeney, CEO of Calabasas, Calif.-based MyCorporation, a document-filing services firm that helps small businesses incorporate.
15. Tell me how do you feel about long working hours?
Part of working in the law, particularly a large commercial firm, is being in action outside standard working hours, which could mean being on the job all through the night or for a whole weekend, at short notice. Law firms want to know that you've done your research into working life in the sector and that you can explain why you're not put off.
You might think the attractive aspects of the job outweigh this downside, or you might even like the idea of the buzz that comes from working full-tilt on the kind of headline-grabbing big deals that demand this way of working.
16. Tell me have you done the best work you are capable of doing?
Say ‘yes' and the interviewer will think you're a has-been. Personalise your work history, for this particular question, include the essence of this reply: “I'm proud of my professional achievements to date, especially [give an example]. But I believe the best is yet to come. I am always motivated to give my best efforts and there are always opportunities to contribute if you stay alert”.
17. Tell me is this team empowered to find better and more efficient ways to do things?
The interview process is all about differentiation, and a question like this shows the interviewers that you are determined to be a rock star. Most companies have many folks who are perfectly happy to learn how to do the basic tasks of their job and then sit back and collect a paycheck. What they are looking for is someone who is driven to make things better, who won't just be satisfied with the status quo. By not only identifying yourself as a big time horse, but making sure that the company will give room to graze, you are guaranteed to stand out.
18. Tell us why are you leaving your current firm?
This question is posed to figure out whether it was your decision to leave or whether you are being pushed out of your firm.
Answering Strategy and Options
Remember to never say anything bad about your current firm. Instead start with, “I've learned a lot and had a great experience at Firm X. However…” It's perfectly acceptable to move firms when the workflow is unsteady or you want to expand your experience. Perhaps you want to specialize in a particular niche within your practice area or the firm you are interviewing with has a stronger corporate practice or more interesting clients.
19. Tell us how have you benefited from your disappointments?
Disappointments are different from failures. It is an intelligent interviewer who asks this question; it is also an opportunity for an astute interviewee to shine. The question itself is very positive – it asks to show how you benefited. Note also that it does not give any specific details of specific disappointments, so you don't have to open your mouth and insert your foot. Instead be general. Sum up your answer with “I treat disappointments as a learning experience, I look at what happened, why it happened and how I would do things differently in each stage should the same set of circumstances appear again. That way, I put disappointment behind me and am ready to face the new days' problems”.
20. Tell us have you ever had a conflict with a co-worker? How did you solve it?
The answer to this question is not, "No." Conflicts arise in the workplace, and employers want to know that you will be able to resolve them effectively. The best situations to talk about in response to this question deal with work-related (not personal) conflicts. Describe a time where you and a colleague differed on your approach to an assignment. Then, explain the steps you took to come to an agreement. The anecdote should not end with a description of who "won," but rather how you reached a compromise with your colleague.
This question illustrates why it is so important to prepare for tough interview questions-while you may be able to rattle off a list of colleagues who irk you at a moment's notice, it is much more difficult to come up with a concrete example of a conflict that ended well. Think back on all the projects you have worked on-a "conflict" doesn't necessarily have to be heated or argumentative to qualify as an answer to this question.
21. Tell us what do you think you will be doing 5 years from now?
This is not a trick question. It is usually sincere and not intended to upset or confuse. Remember, the partner asking the question probably asks the same question of himself frequently and is just as uncertain about the answer (if one exists).
Few of us have concrete plans that are 95% certain 5 years down the road. Say something like, “I hope to be a partner in a firm like yours or to be in-house with a firm client. What does it take to make partner here?” These days, many associates do not make partner. If you don't want to make partner, going in-house with a firm client is the next best thing for the firm. Still, asking what it takes to make partner at the firm shows motivation.
22. Explain me which of our practice areas interest you and why?
Your interviewers want you to explain to them why you're a good fit for their firm. That means you need to understand what law firms do, what their type of law firm does, what they do well within their category of law firm, and why their strength in a particular area or areas in the law matches your career aspirations.
So you'll need to explain what it is about finance or IP, and the firm's work in the area in particular, that has led you to apply. If you find that you can't identify an actual area of legal practice that grabs you, do more research or think again about a career in the law.
Remember, though, that your interviewers won't be expecting you to be an expert on your chosen area yet, and you don't have to commit to it for the rest of your career - this point of the interview can be a great time to ask some questions of your own, find out more, and clarify your aspirations - you'll be showing your interest is genuine by doing so.
23. Explain me do you consider yourself a natural leader or a born follower?
How you answer depends a lot on the job offer you are looking for and the stage you are at in your career. With more professional experience under your belt, you may need to be a bit more thoughtful in your answer. You may want to acknowledge that being a leader requires motivating, disciplining staff, and moulding a team involves a number of delicately tuned skills. You may also want to acknowledge that leadership is a lifelong learning process. To address the learning curve, you should highlight that in integral part of the skills of a leader is to take direction from his or her immediate superior and also to seek the input from the people being supervised.
24. Tell us what was the toughest problem you handled this year?
They're looking for brain cells here. Take the question and run with it. Employers want to see a demonstrated ability to work hard, write well, solve problems, and deliver results. Your answer does not have to be limited to legal or professional problems. Use other challenges you faced, and explain how you overcame them.
Answering Strategy and Options
Professional Challenge: “Recently I researched a controversial contract formation issue arising from a defective letter of intent in a failed corporate acquisition. The question included the laws of three states, which were in conflict, and an acquisition of a $500 million company that was abandoned. The partner wanted to develop a motion for summary judgment, but was uncomfortable with the state of the law in the 9th Circuit. Over three weeks, I spent 95 hours developing a new angle that was incorporated into the briefs that were filed at the end of the summer.”
Personal Challenge: “Ever since college, I have wanted to run a marathon. It was a struggle trying to balance training runs and working at a firm, especially while I was in trial. I also injured my ankle a month before the marathon and was worried I wouldn't have enough time to recover. However, I remained committed and finally completed my first marathon a few weeks ago. It was definitely physically and mentally intensive throughout the marathon, but I remained focused, stuck to my pace, and finished the marathon within my goal time.”
25. Tell us how would you describe a typical day on this team?
Last but not least, this question is more of an icebreaker, and should hopefully lead to some banter between you and the interviewer. If the interviewer relays struggles or frustrations, be sure to note how you will help them reduce their workload and make things better. If they respond positively, be sure to reinforce that you think it sounds like a great fit and you are excited for the opportunity to contribute.
Whether you use one of the above examples or not, please make sure that you have something planned for what you will say when asked this question in your next job interview. Rest assured, the question will be asked. It always is.
26. Tell us why do you think you're suited to a career in the law?
Many different types of people succeed in the law and your answer will be dependent on your personality. But there are some characteristics that your interviewers will be expecting you to mention.
Lawyers at law firms work in groups, learning from those senior to them and training those junior to them, so an ability to work in a team is crucial. But they're each individually accountable for a large workload, so they need to be able to take the initiative where necessary and get things done by themselves.
In addition, lawyers need to have an academic mindset to understand laws and legal theory, but must also be able to apply common sense and think about the wider commercial context of their work.
However, clients rely on lawyers to take care of many of the finer points of a deal or dispute for them, so attention to detail is also essential.
27. Please explain what are the reasons for your success in this profession?
With this question, the interviewer is not so much interested in examples of your success – he or she wants to know what makes you tick. Keep your answers short, general and to the point. Using your professional experience, personalise and use value keys from your personal, professional and business profiles. For example: I attribute my success to three reasons: I've always received support from my colleagues, which encourages me to be cooperative and look at my specific job in terms of what we as a department are trying to achieve. That gives me great pride in my work and its contribution to the department's efforts, which is the second factor. Finally, I find that every job has its problems, and while there's always a costly solution. There's usually an economical one as well, whether it is in terms of time or money. Then give an example of your experience that illustrates these points.
28. Explain me what is your greatest weakness as Business Lawyer?
This is always a tough question asked to put the interviewee in a stressful situation and see how they respond.
Answering Strategy and Options
Do not say the first weakness that comes to mind. It can make you look unemployable. Instead, take a negative and make it look like a positive. The interviewer is not necessarily interested in the weakness itself, rather, the interviewer is looking at how you respond to weaknesses and that you are capable of improvement. Describe a weakness you have, but are currently improving (e.g., “I have always had a tough time giving negative feedback to those working under me, but recently I've put forth a greater effort to give the feedback in a meaningful way to help the junior associates that work with me to improve their practice”). Beware of “false weaknesses” (e.g., “I work too hard”). Nobody is perfect and the interviewer knows this, but if you try to be cute with your answer (e.g., “I smile too much”), you may turn off the interviewer altogether.
29. Top 21 Professional Business Lawyer Job Interview Questions:
1. How did you become interested in X practice area/subject matter?
2. Did you focus on X while you attended law school? (If you are still in school) Do you recommend any courses or clinics that would enhance my understanding of X field?
3. Why did you choose this firm/organization over others?
4. What do you like most about this firm/practice group/organization?
5. What makes someone successful in this role?
6. Tell me about the firm/practice group/organization culture.
7. How is work distributed/how will I receive assignments?
8. What type of assignments do attorneys of my level typically work on?
9. Will I work with the same partners/senior attorneys often or will I be assigned to projects with different partners/senior attorneys?
10. How will my work be evaluated? What kind of feedback can I expect to receive?
11. How do you think the firm will grow in the next five years?
12. Is there a shadowing or training period?
13. How does the firm train junior attorneys to develop business?
14. What makes this firm/organization unique from other similar firms/organizations?
15. Tell me about a memorable case/deal/issue you worked on while working at this firm/organization.
16. Can you explain the firm's/organization's management structure to me in greater detail? Does the headquarter office dictate the actions of the other offices?
17. What type of interaction do attorneys in this office have with attorneys at the firm's/organization's other offices?
18. What do you find most challenging about your practice?
19. What are the biggest challenges facing the firm/organization right now?
20. What is the next step in the hiring process?
21. Do you have any concerns about me as a candidate that would disqualify me from the position?
30. Sample Business Lawyer Job Interview Questions:
☛ What qualities do you believe will make you a successful lawyer?
☛ How would you describe the ideal summer job?
☛ Tell me about your participation on the journal/in your clinical program. Describe your thesis/research project/note further. (Listen for analytical skills, interest in writing, etc.)
☛ What skills have you developed as a result of your experience?
☛ What goals have you set for yourself? How are you planning to achieve them?
☛ Tell me how your supervisor from your summer internship would describe you.
☛ What was the most useful criticism you ever received, and who was it from?
☛ Describe the project or situation that best demonstrated your analytical skills.
☛ Tell me about an idea you have developed and implemented that was particularly creative or innovative?
☛ Why did you choose the extracurricular activities you did? What did you gain? What did you contribute?
☛ What specialization of law are you interested in?
☛ What is your working experience?
☛ What did you do in your legal internship?
☛ Family background
☛ GPA in undergraduate school and graduate school
☛ Tell me about yourself.
☛ Tell me about your professional goals.
☛ Tell me about your experience as a lawyer.
☛ What interests you in this law firm/organization?
☛ Tell me about your ties to this geographic area.
☛ What do you want to know about our law firm?
☛ What was your favorite course during law school/undergraduate?
31. Tough Business Lawyer Job Interview Questions:
☛ What are your weaknesses?
☛ What are your strengths?
☛ Why should we hire you?
☛ What will you be doing 5 (or 10) years from now?
☛ Why aren't your grades better?
☛ Why do you want to work for us?
☛ Why did you go to law school?
☛ Why did you choose this school?
☛ Why do you want to work in this city?
☛ Who else are you interviewing with?
☛ Hypothetical questions (e.g., what would you do if, etc.)
☛ What's the biggest mistake you ever made?
☛ What kind of salary are you looking for?
☛ How do you like law school?
☛ "Philosophy"; questions (e.g., if you were a tree...)
☛ Illegal questions
☛ Who'll assign my work?
☛ What will a typical day be like for me?
☛ Will I get feedback on my work?
☛ What kinds of cases will I work on?
☛ What kind of work will I do?
☛ How does someone become a star - what makes them stand out?
☛ Ask questions appropriate to the age of the interviewer the size of the law firm.
32. Trainee solicitor Business Lawyer Job Interview Questions:
☛ Lots of technical questions. e.g. How is a merger/acquisition structured?
☛ They interviewers went through my CV and asked me why I choose the particular A Levels, work experience, extra curricular activities and skills that I have learnt from these.
☛ They also asked about something in the media that particularly interested me and why, and my opinion on the issue.
☛ They asked why I choose their particular firm for a summer placement.
☛ Give an example of where you had to work in a team. See our competency questions page
☛ Why do you want to study law?
☛ What do you think of law?
☛ Give an example of a recent commercial deal that captured your attention: which party/side in this deal would you like to work for if you were a lawyer and why?
☛ Questions about my work experience.
☛ Why do you want to work for our firm?
☛ Why do you want to work in London ?
☛ What extra-curricular activities have you undertaken and why?
☛ Which seats I wanted to complete?
☛ What modules I liked/disliked?
☛ What makes me different from other candidates?
☛ How is our firm different from other firms?
33. Hiring A Business Lawyer Interview Questions:
When interviewing an attorney candidate, especially one who is inexperienced, law firms might want to describe scenarios that are intended to reveal how a candidate would deal with a difficult or awkward situation. The last two items below are examples of scenarios that were used in the author's firm.
☛ Tell me about a time when you had to accomplish a task under a tight deadline while working with someone who was difficult to get along with.
☛ What are the three most important things that you contribute to an organization? What are the three most important things that you could contribute to our firm?
☛ What are some of the most imaginative and creative things that you have done in a job?
☛ How do you deal with stress or conflict? What clues have you come to recognize as signals that you may be under too much stress?
☛ How would a good friend describe you?
☛ What kind of people do you find most difficult to work with?
☛ What do you think are the most important characteristics and abilities for any person's success? How do you rate yourself in these areas?
☛ When have you failed?
☛ Describe the circumstances and how you dealt with, and learned from, the experience.
☛ Describe the work environment that you consider optimal for your personal satisfaction and best performance.
☛ Scenario: You are an attorney working at our firm on a day when you are the only person in the office. An elderly woman comes into the office asking to see a lawyer right away. She does not have an appointment but says that she needs to sign some papers. She has no papers with her. What do you do?
☛ Scenario: You are meeting with a 65-year-old gentleman to take will instructions. He tells you that he has three adult children who are financially well off. He advises that he is divorced, pays spousal support to his ex-wife, and is currently living common law with another woman. Although he has no problems sharing most of his personal information, he refuses to answer any questions about his assets and tells you to write down $1 as his net worth. How do you proceed?
34. Hypothetical and controversial Business Lawyer Job Interview Questions:
One Kent student commented: "These sorts of questions are very popular (not with me!!). They are trying to see how you construct an argument or how well you can think on your feet and how you react under pressure. Be prepared for them to challenge your opinions and arguments in order to test all these qualities thoroughly"
☛ Is the current 28-day limit for detention without charge in terrorism cases sufficiently long?
☛ Should defendants in criminal cases have the right to know the identity of witnesses giving evidence against them?
☛ Do sporting boycotts have any effect on governments' human rights policies?
The above questions all relate to issues that were widely reported and discussed in the legal and national press during 2008 – interviewers would expect aspiring lawyers to be aware of such issues and to have an opinion on them!
☛ How many petrol stations do you think are in the UK? This is a scoping question.
☛ If you were senior partner in this firm and the BNP came to you for representation what would you do?
☛ If a Client wanted to pay £750,000 for a house in CASH what would you do?
☛ What advice would you give to a friend who wants to set up a restaurant?
☛ How would you explain “the caution” to a client with learning difficulties who is extremely agitated at having just been arrested?
☛ What would you do if three partners all came to you on the same day with separate pieces of work that all needed to be done by 5pm?
☛ Explain the difference between contract and tort in layman's terms;
☛ What makes you laugh?
☛ If you could have any super power, what would it be, and why?
35. About a Career in Business Lawyer Job Interview Questions:
☛ Why do you want to study law?
☛ What do you think of law?
☛ Why do you want to be a solicitor?
☛ Where do see yourself in 5/10 years' time?
☛ What experiences most influenced your career choice?
☛ What do you really want to do in life?
☛ Would your social life or interests outside of work infringe on your work commitment?
☛ Have you applied to anyone else?
☛ What are you looking for in the firms you have applied to?
☛ Are you hoping for specialisation in a particular field, if so why?
☛ What motivates you
