Fresh Legal Counsel Interview Preparation Guide

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Career advancement and development to pursue next level of achievement.

Remember the job description or information you have been provided with, and consider where your key strengths overlap with those that the employer is looking for.

Working in legal and compliance sector which is my dream job.

Set the priority of work.

Last week. Reviewed contract terms.

Again, employers need to see that you are resilient, and eager to learn, especially in the earlier stages of your career.

If you have included certain cases on your CV, then it goes without saying that you should be able to field questions about the technical aspects of any of those matters.

Task completion by any means necessary.... Whatever it takes to get the job done.

It is natural to have weaknesses, but can you show how you have worked on these to turn them into strengths?

Explain legal terms in lay man way.

Someone with an open door policy, approachable, open to questions, values independent thought.

At all levels, business development is almost invariably an important consideration. Do you have the attributes required to generate the requisite amount of new and repeat business at the appropriate stage of your career?

This type of question shows the interviewer that you care about their own experience at the company, and, in a round-about way, gets them to tell you why you should be working there. It also might give you a more personal insight into the company and culture, beyond just the role you are interviewing for.

Key business issues and desparate need.

Your General Counsel is likely to receive requests from various types of government agencies. He or she must determine the scope of these requests and provide all required information in a timely manner. Failure to do so can result in fines for your company and obstruction charges. The case of former GlaxoSmithKline associate General Counsel Lauren Stevens, who was later acquitted, serves as a cautionary tale of what can happen when there is even the perception information has been withheld.

Your next General Counsel must be unflinching in the face of scrutiny. Look for someone who has worked with regulators in a variety of areas and has a reliable system for maintaining important documents.

Easy: Business decisions that have potential to grow the business (e. G., supporting sales). Hard: Decisions that can impact people negatively.

Clarified the fact/background of the matter, find out the problem, investigate, recommendation.

Given today’s fast-paced legal field, it’s important that lawyer interview questions address trends affecting the profession, including legal technology and eDiscovery. If these areas aren't your specialties, you can still ask questions to determine how experienced candidates are in these areas. Exceptional answers about the eDiscovery process may include mention of the "blind spot" — that is, evidence created during the eDiscovery process itself — or recent case law.

Especially at a more junior level, you can face questions that seek to weed out candidates that are not really “team players”. It is natural to encounter conflict, but how you deal with it is the important thing.

Asking about the company’s culture indicates that you want to optimize your performance and that you understand that the atmosphere around you can be a crucial factor in your success at a company. Finding out whether you will be working in more of a team setting or on your own could very well factor into your decision whether or not to take the job.

This question can help you assess the candidate’s problem-resolution skills. Strong answers will reveal how candidates resolved both the problem and the interpersonal situation, including what they did to address their part in creating the situation and resolving both professional and personal aspects. Candidates who miss the point of your question might deflect or pinpoint blame onto another party.

Client is king in this economic climate, so no matter whether you are an NQ or a partner designate, it is often very important to show that you are the kind of person that fosters relationships.

This question demonstrates that you are thinking ahead and that you want to be prepared for any challenges the company will face in the near future. It also conveys a real interest in the job and that you are thinking past the scope of the role and about the company as a whole.

☛ What is your alternative career, should law not be the avenue for you?
☛ Would you be able to supply any references?
☛ What sort of response would we get from your referees about your professional as well as social manner?
☛ Why would you want to do LSC funded (legal aid) work? If not, why not? Explain.
☛ Why should we employ you, instead of someone else?
☛ What do you think about partnership prospects in the future?
☛ We are not willing to give partnership prospects, what are your views on that?
☛ What are you expecting from this firm in the future?
☛ What are your views on the franchising of legal aid firms?
☛ What are your views on the policies of the Legal Services Commission?
☛ What do you know about the impact of the Human Rights Act on law in this country?
☛ Do you think that there will be a major impact on criminal law?
☛ How has business/commercial/family law been affected by the change?
☛ Have you ever attended a court hearing or employment tribunal?
☛ What was the outcome?
☛ How much preparation on files for trial do you do?
☛ How much do you expect Counsel to do?
☛ What do you think about the principle of Legal Aid? Should clients have to pay for services they use in all circumstances?
☛ Are you willing to do after-hour work?
☛ Are you willing to go through the accreditation process for police station advisors?
☛ In the future would you be willing to manage a branch office? If not, why not? Explain.
☛ What sort of advocacy experience do you have (apart from those taught on the LPC)?
☛ Do you think you would need to undergo training for advocacy?
☛ How do you stand on equal opportunities?
☛ Have you ever been involved either paid or unpaid with the services of the voluntary sector?

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?