Interviews are one of the hardest things in the legal industry. They may even be THE hardest interviews I have ever had. Smashing an interview is tough so I am going to set out the ways in which you can really stand out from the crowd.
This article can apply to any type of legal interview whether that be for a job, for a uni application or for Training Contracts. Simply tailor the questions to suit your situation!
Step 1: Preparation
You have heard it before but preparation is absolutely essential. Make sure you have spent at least 2-3 hours researching the firm you are interviewing at. You need to have an idea of the following:
- How many people work at the firm?
- What areas of law does the firm offer?
- What awards does the firm have
- Where does the firm place in the Legal 500 and Chambers Guide?
- Who are their competitors?
- What interesting cases are they involved with?
- Who are the lawyers that are making the headlines?
- What is the firm most known for?
Step 2: Questions
Next up is preparing answers to the commonly-posed questions. The types of questions you are asked are very dependent on the firm and what type of interview you are taking part in. If the interview is a competency-based interview, prepare for the following questions:
- Describe yourself
- Tell us a time that you have worked well as a team
- Please explain when you have had a personal set back
- Tell us about your greatest achievement
- How do you stay motivated at work?
- How would you make yourself stand out as a [insert role]?
- Describe a situation where you acted on your own initiative
- Please give us an example of how you prioritise and organise work
These questions are designed to find out how you operate as a person and what your working style is. Therefore, make sure you take a logical approach and don’t spend too much time rambling. You want your answer to always be backed up by an experience. For example, if you are talking about working well in a team you would want to draw on work experiences, a time at uni, playing in a sports team etc. This will make you relatable and demonstrate that you aren’t making something up to fit the question.
Try and relate your examples to the firm. If you are interested in technology then talk about how the firm is advancing this to cater for its clients. If you enjoy playing tennis and the firm has a tennis team then make this connection. If they don’t have something then suggest creating one when you join. This will show the interviewer you are keen and will be pro-active in contributing to the firm.
I always try to use the STAR method when answering these questions.
- Situation
- Task
- Achievement
- Result
This will keep you on track and make sure you include all relevant information clearly and concisely.
If you are interviewing for a Vacation Scheme/Training Contract, be prepared to answer the following:
- Why do you want to become a lawyer?
- Why do you want to train with us over our competitors/how would you persuade a client to go with us over another firm?
- Which firms have you applied to?
- What do you know about the ways in which we engage with our clients?
- What is the main challenge facing law firms today?
- Tell us about a recent news article you are interested in and how has it progressed?
- If you could bring any law into force, what would it be and why?
- What three historical figures would you invite to dinner and why?
- What business leaders do you admire?
These questions are designed to find more about your intentions. Try and be honest when answering these but also be careful to not give too much away. If you are asked about your other applications, the firm will want to see you are committed to a certain area of law such as contentious or transaction work and that your chosen firms are relatively the same. If you say a wide range of firms i.e. Criminal, Corporate and International then you may come across indecisive or that you are taking a scattergun approach to applications. Therefore, carefully stipulate an answer that roughly compares firms to each other without treading on the toes of the current firm you are interviewing at.
A good example would to be to say: “I have applied to X, Y and Z as they all specialise in Dispute Resolution and have an international presence. I am interested in these firms because they all offer the same services and have a relatively similar culture that matches my personality.”
Other more sophisticated questions might be something like the following:
- How many credit cards do you think there are in the UK?
- How would you describe the colour yellow to a blind person?
- Would you break the law if you were in an emergency?
These questions are designed to put you on the spot and make you feel pressured. Don’t panic! Think logically. There is no right answer to these questions. The interviewer will want to see that you can think under pressure and explain how to get from A to B. I always think of these questions as a maths question. You won’t get any marks for just giving the answer – you need to show your workings out!
Step 3: What to wear
Dress smart! This may seem really obvious but a lot of interviewees tend to forget that they are entering a business meeting. The firm wants to see how you would present yourselves to their clients so make sure you wear your best outfit (especially if this is an interview taking place remotely)!
Step 4: Be polite to everyone you see
I have heard horror stories about interviewees being dismissive or slightly rude to reception staff and/or secretaries. Be warned that it is likely these people are also part of your evaluation. They will report back to the senior members of the team and if you have been impolite, guarantee this will be held against you.
Step 5: Ask your own questions
Interviews are meant to be a two-way street. This is your opportunity to see if the firm is good for you. Don’t be afraid to ask your own questions! It is also good to make sure the interview feels conversational and you aren’t just answering their questions. This includes asking about the interviewer’s day, enquiring about what areas of work they have experience in, what cases they have worked on and how they got to the position they are in now. This will make you seem extremely enthusiastic and that you are easy to get on with.
I always try and write down at least three questions I want to ask by the end of the interview and I usually come up with these questions once I know who I am being interviewed by.
Step 6: be yourself and stay calm!
This sounds really cliche but it is true. If you have got to the interview stage then the firm is likely very interested in you. Let your personality come across, be smiley and have a joke (if it is appropriate). This will make you rememberable.
GOOD LUCK!
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