Legal Firms Law Researcher Interview Preparation Guide

Your interest may have been sparked off by talking to friends or family in the legal profession, by careers presentations, by reading or by assessing your personal suitability for different careers and finding law a good match. It may also have been fired by watching television courtroom dramas and legal soaps but this is not the best answer to give!

Describe how your awareness of the profession developed and what initial steps you took to follow up your interest. Was there a key individual who helped you along the way? Where did you get information about the career from? Were there any other occupations that rivaled Law at this stage?

Answer in detail, but do not launch into a long-winded account. Do sound enthusiastic!

Your reasons could take various approaches: why you want to join the legal profession; why you want to become a solicitor as opposed to a barrister; why you are interested in the particular firm interviewing you. It is a good idea to give an account of any practical experience, such as work placements, that has given you an insight into law in practice. You can also take the opportunity to put over your personal qualities and interests that relate to the work, such as communication and interpersonal skills, initiative, numeracy and flexibility.

Try not to simplify your answer. In other words do not suggest that there is one reason, and one reason alone, for your choice. You should be firing on all fronts in answer to this question. The interviewer needs to be convinced that Law is something you really want to do and have thought about seriously.

You have probably applied to a number of firms, using broad-brush criteria such as type of practice or location. It is OK to mention these, but you also need to say something more specific about what attracts you to this firm among all the others that you have applied to. You may mention what you have read on the firm's website or in the legal press, or what you have heard from previous years' graduates in the legal profession or from academics.

Highlight positive, developmental factors such as the in-house training provided or specialized areas of law within the firm into which you hope to gain an insight, rather than the convenience of the location or the range of social activities.

It is OK to say that you have applied to others - not to have done so would indicate either a lack of interest or gross over-confidence. But make sure that the ones you mention are of a similar type to the one interviewing you -the interviewer will be looking for a commitment to their type of practice and for a methodical approach to applications.

You could mention other firms with similar:

Legal specialisms
Types of clients
Geographical location[s]
Numbers of staff

You may not even have applied for this course yet, as many firms will interview for training contracts in September and applications for the LPC open in October. However, you should be aware of where the course is available and give reasons for your favored option, academic or personal. You may want to ask if the firm has any preference.

Consider the following reasons for choosing a course in your answer:

Quality of course/institution
Location
Cost
Recommendations of others
Research you have undertaken.

A question to test whether you have done your background reading. Even if you are not a law student, law-related issues frequently make it out of the law reports sections of the daily papers and into the main news pages, and you should certainly have read these. Your answer may depend on the type of firm, such as whether it specializes in legal aid or corporate law.

Be prepared for quite detailed questioning and challenging on your answers to questions of this type, and don't be afraid to argue your point of view - the interviewer will want to test how well you can think on your feet, stand your ground and make a well-reasoned argument.

A question to test your common sense, integrity, persuasive and diplomatic skills. Questions like this may require some thought before answering and it is quite OK to take a minute or so to think it through.

You may feel you need more input from the interviewer regarding what type of a case it is. Beware asking for too much additional information, however. This may turn a single hypothetical question into a long and drawn out discussion.

"The last time I had to hand in an essay" will probably be the most common answer - if you can come up with anything more original it will probably be appreciated! This is an opportunity to give an indication of your ability to plan your work, organize your time and handle several competing priorities - more essential skills for a solicitor.

Consider including in your answer:

Any restrictions or limitations that risked your meeting the deadline
Your effective prioritization of tasks which enabled you to be on time
The need for initial planning and organization
How you handled conflicting demands from other sources
The need to be focused on the task at hand.

This often happens in solicitors' firms, especially in the City - you need to show that you can be flexible and adaptable and that you don't panic.

Describe some of the things you may have to do in such circumstances. These might include:

Delegation of less pressing work to others in your office
Negotiation of the new deadline, just in case there is any leeway
Taking additional work home with you
Seeking help from others on the case that has been brought forward.
An assessment of what can reasonably be done in the time available.

Many graduates apply to City firms because of the possibility of international work - this question will help to sift out those who do not have a realistic appreciation of what it would be like to work in an English law firm's foreign offices. Again, the firm's website or brochure should give some insight into this work. Focusing on the type of client and the nature of the advice they will be seeking would be a good place to start.