Question Bank: Legal

Are you looking for your purple squirrel in Legal? Not to worry, we here are ConveyIQ by Entelo are here to help with some questions that can help you locate your purple squirrel!

Below, you will find questions divided into sub-categories for Legal.

Accomplishments

1. How do you stand on equal opportunities?

Behavioral

1. Describe a difficult problem that you have had to deal with and how you have handled it.
2. Describe a group project where you were in charge and had to deal with a difficult team member.
3. Describe a situation where you had to convince someone of your viewpoint.
4. Describe a situation where you work was criticized.
5. Describe a stressful situation at work and how you handled it.
6. Did you ever not meet your goals? Why?
7. Did you ever postpone making a decision? Why?
8. Did you ever make a risky decision? Why? How did you handle it?
9. Discuss a recent experience when you had to work under pressure.
10. Do you listen? Give an example of when you did or when you didn't listen.
11. Give an example of a goal you didn't meet and how you handled it.
12. Give an example of a goal you reached and tell me how you achieved it.
13. Give an example of an occasion when you used logic to solve a problem.
14. Give an example of a situation where you used good judgment and logic.
15. Give an example of how you worked on team.
16. Have you been in a situation where you didn't have enough work to do?
17. Have you ever dealt with company policy you weren't in agreement with? How?
18. Have you ever made a mistake? How did you handle it?
19. Have you gone above and beyond the call of duty? If so, how?
20. Have you had to convince a team to work on a project they weren't thrilled about? How did you do it?
21. Have you handled a difficult situation with a client or vendor? How?
22. Have you handled a difficult situation with a co-worker? How?
23. Have you handled a difficult situation with another department? How?
24. Have you handled a difficult situation with a supervisor? How?
25. How did you handle meeting a tight deadline?
26. How do you handle a challenge?
27. Share an example of how you were able to motivate employees or co-workers.
28. Tell me about how you worked effectively under pressure.
29. What do you do if you disagree with a co-worker?
30. What do you do if you disagree with your boss?
31. What do you do when your schedule is interrupted? Give an example of how you handle it.
32. When you worked on multiple projects how did you prioritize?

Entry Level Lawyer

1. Are your grades good indicators of your academic abilities?
2. Can you provide a recent example of when you were under stress, and how you coped?
3. Describe your ideal work environment?
4. Do you like to work in a team or on your own?
5. Have you always wanted to be a solicitor?
6. Have you ever experienced such a problem during your working life?
7. How does the job sound to you?
8. How do you cope without motivation?
9. How do you get the best out of people?
10. How do you get things done?
11. How do you manage your day?
12. How do you react if you find that someone you work with does not like you?
13. How do you respond under stress?
14. How do you see this job developing?
15. How have you changed in the last five years?
16. How long were you at your last job?
17. How would you approach this job?
18. How would you decide on your objectives?
19. If offered the position, how long do you plan to stay at this company?
20. If so, how did you cope and how did the matter resolve itself if it did occur?
21. If you did not have to work, what would you do?
22. If you were the Dean of the Law School, what changes would you make?
23. In your view, what are the major problems/opportunities facing the legal industry?
24. On taking this job, what would be your major contribution?
25. Tell 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?
26. Tell me about a time when you successfully handled a situation?
27. Tell me how your supervisor from your summer internship would describe you.
28. Tell us about yourself.
29. What are your strengths?
30. What are your weaknesses?
31. What contribution do you make to a team?
32. What decisions do you find difficult to make?
33. What decisions do you find easy to make?
34. What do you consider yourself good at doing?
35. What do you think you can bring to this position?
36. What have you learned from participating in journals or in clinical programs?
37. What is your alternative career, should law not be the avenue for you?
38. What is your major achievement?
39. What law school subjects have you liked best? Least? Why?
40. What makes you think you can be successful with us?
41. What motivates you?
42. What sort of person are you?
43. What sort of response would we get from your referees about your professional as well as social manner?
44. What sort of salary are you expecting?
45. What's the best course you've taken in law school and why?
46. What support training would you require to be able to do this job? If not, why not? Explain.
47. What was your last salary?
48. What was your most rewarding academic experience?
49. What will be your key target in this job if we appoint you?
50. What would you do if you don’t get this position?
51. What would you look forward to most in this job?
52. What would your peers say about you?
53. Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
54. Where do you see yourself in ten years’ time?
55. Which subjects did you enjoy during your qualifying degree?
56. Why did you choose the extracurricular activities you did? What did you gain? What did you contribute?
57. Why did you decide to attend law school? Why did you choose your particular school?
58. Why did you leave your last job?
59. Why do you want to be a solicitor?
60. Would you be able to supply any references?

General

1. Are you a member of any clubs or charities?
2. Are you a socializing person? What is your work/life balance?
3. Are you computer literate?
4. Do you consider yourself a team player? Why?
5. Do you prefer to manage yourself or let someone else do the managing?
6. Do you think you require training in management skills? Why?
7. Do you think you would need to undergo training for advocacy?
8. Have you ever been involved either paid or unpaid with the services of the voluntary sector?
9. If you had a completely free choice, which law would you like to change and why?
10. Tell me about an idea you have developed and implemented that was particularly creative or innovative?
11. What are the three main attributes for a successful commercial lawyer?
12. What are your long-range career objectives?
13. What do you see yourself doing five years from now?
14. What do you think about law as it is practiced in private practice firms?
15. What sort of activities are you interested in outside of work?
16. What sort of management skills do you have?
17. What was the last book that you read? How did it affect you?
18. What would you do if three partners all came to you with work they wanted you to do by 5 pm that day?
19. Who would you take a desert island, and why?
20. Why did you choose law as a career?
21. Would you be able to do time-recording? Do you keep good time?
22. Would your social life infringe on your work commitment?

Interest

1. Do you have any outstanding job offers? If so, where? Why are you looking again?
2. Do you speak any other languages apart from English?
3. Have you applied anywhere else apart from us?
4. Have you been offered a position yet?
5. Have you ever been abroad?
6. Have you had any other interviews apart from us?
7. How do you think you can contribute to our practice or organization?
8. How much notice would you need to give to your present employer if you were offered a position?
9. In what particular area(s) of practice are you most interested?
10. What factors are most important to you when selecting a law firm?
11. What is your geographical preference? What ties do you have to our area?
12. What questions have you for us?
13. What sort of employment background do you have?
14. Why did you come to us through an agency?
15. Why did you decide to interview with us? Where else are you interviewing?
16. Would you be willing to branch out into any other area of law, if the need arose?

Judge

1. Cite an instance where it was very difficult for you to give a judgment.
2. Give us an example where you’re concise and your knowledge of law had a tussle when you gave a verdict as a judge.
3. Have you ever encountered a scene where the criminal abused you with dire consequences the moment you read your verdict?
4. How do you differentiate between an Intellectual Property Rights suit and a Criminal suit?
5. What are a few suggestions that you would love to give to a newcomer?
6. What are the general parameters you consider before giving any judgment?
7. What are the qualifications you acquired in the course of becoming a judge?
8. Which cases are more difficult to handle as a judge – criminal or civil case?
9. Which case stretched the longest in your tenure as a judge for the case?

Paralegal

1. Are your grades a good indication of your academic achievement?
2. Describe a recent complex legal decision you had to make. Take me through the process you took to reach your decision.
3. Describe your ideal working environment.
4. Give me a recent example of having to organize and analyze large volumes of data in order to prepare a report by a tight deadline.
5. How can you contribute to our agency/firm/company?
6. How do you check the accuracy of your work?
7. Tell me about a time you had to interact with a difficult client.
8. Tell me about your experience dealing with confidential and sensitive information.
9. What area of law appeals to you?
10. What are the most important qualities of a successful legal assistant?
11. What are the most important skills for a paralegal?
12. What do you know about (the city in which the firm is located)?
13. What do you know about this firm/company/agency?
14. What legal courses did you like the best? Least?
15. What tools and methods do you use for the day-to-day organization and planning of your work?
16. What two or three accomplishments have given you the most satisfaction?
17. What two or three things are most important to you in a job?
18. What was your most rewarding collegiate experience?
19. Why are you interested in this firm/company/agency?
20. Why did you choose to become a paralegal? Why did you choose to specialize in this area of law?
21. Why should I hire you?

Self-Evaluation

1. Are you willing to do after-hour work?
2. Are you willing to go through the accreditation process for police station advisors?
3. Do you have other job offers?
4. How much preparation on files for trial do you do?
5. How would you feel about representing an unpopular client (e.g., a serial murderer, terrorist, a tobacco company, foreign client defending its policy of not hiring women or religious minorities or defending against alleged human rights violations)?
6. In what kind of working environment are you most comfortable?
7. In what ways do you see yourself needing further development in order for you to be fully effective in your career?
8. What are your personal standards of success and when have you met or exceeded them?
9. What do you think about the principle of Legal Aid? Should clients have to pay for services they use in all circumstances?
10. What qualifications do you have that will help you be successful in law practice?

Summer Employment

1. Are you involved in extracurricular activities?
2. How many hours can you work?
3. How would you describe the ideal summer job?
4. If you weren’t in law school, what would you be doing?
5. Tell me about a problem you had and how you solved it?
6. Tell me about your last job.
7. Tell me a little about yourself.
8. What qualities do you believe will make you a successful lawyer?
9. Why do you want this part-time job?
10. Why should we hire you?

Technical

1. As an attorney, what circumstance would make you realize it's time to settle?
2. Do you think that there will be a major impact on criminal law?
3. 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?
4. Give me an example of a recent legal decision that you have disagreed with and explain why.
5. How do you feel about the legal mandates of social security reform?
6. How has business/commercial/family law been affected by the change?
7. How is a merger/acquisition structured?
8. How would you explain "the caution" to a client with learning difficulties who is extremely agitated at having just been arrested?
9. How would you handle a denied petition?
10. How would you sell services to a client?
11. In what cases should medical records not be released?
12. In what cases should workers' compensation not be released?
13. What are your views on the policies of the Legal Services Commission?
14. What do you know about the impact of the Human Rights Act on the law in this country?
15. What sort of response would we get from your referees about your professional as well as social manner?
16. Why would you want to do LSC-funded (legal aid) work? If not, why not? Explain.
17. You are alone in the office and a client phones demanding instant advice, what do you do?
18. You are alone in the office and a very important client phones demanding you shred various documents of theirs. What do you do?

Work Experience

1. Describe the most interesting project that you worked on last summer/last year. What about it was so appealing to you?
2. Did you receive an offer from your prior summer employer? If not, why?
3. Do you prefer to work by yourself or with others?
4. Have you ever attended a court hearing or employment tribunal?
5. How have your prior positions helped prepare you for a legal career?
6. What are your best skills?
7. What are your career goals?
8. What are your hobbies?
9. What is your major weakness?
10. What professional abilities should we know about?
11. Why did you leave your last job?
12. Why do you want to work here?