Operational Real Estate Lawyer Interview Preparation Guide

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This is a straightforward question. All you have to do is make sure that your 'likes' correspond to the skills required for the job on offer. Be enthusiastic; describe your job as interesting and diverse but do not overdo it - after all, you are looking to leave.

Be cautious with this answer. Do not be too specific as you may draw attention to weaknesses that will leave you open to further problems. One approach is to choose a characteristic of your present company, such as its size or slow decision-making processes etc. Give your answer with the air of someone who takes problems and frustrations in your stride as part of the job.

The employer is looking for evidence that the job suits you, fits in with your general aptitudes, coincides with your long-term goals and involves doing things you enjoy. Make sure you have a good understanding of the role and the organisation, and describe the attributes of the organisation that interest you most.

Select an achievement that is work-related and fairly recent. Identify the skills you used in the achievement and quantify the benefit it had to the company. For example, 'my greatest achievement has been to design and implement a new sales ledger system, bringing it in ahead of time and improving our debtors' position significantly, saving the company £50,000 a month in interest'.

Knowing the fee schedule for your attorney can help to avoid unpleasant surprises later. Most attorneys work on an hourly basis, meaning they will charge you a certain amount for every hour they spend working on your case. Standard hourly fees range from $150 to $200, he says.

Becoming a lawyer requires a lot of schooling and the ability to pass the bar exam, so all practicing attorneys should be qualified to handle your case, right? Not necessarily. Unless you ask how long they’ve been practicing real estate law, how will you be able to tell whether or not they’re a seasoned veteran or fresh out of law school? Keep in mind that not all legal services require 20 years of experience, but it’s always good to know what you’re working with.

If an attorney doesn’t know what he’s talking about, you’ll get an ambiguous answer like, ‘Oh, I’ll take care of it, don’t worry about it. “(What he’s saying is) ambiguous because the attorney doesn’t know what he’s going to do. He’ll have to go research it.

Do not say you have none - this will lead to further problems. You have two options - use a professed weakness such as a lack of experience (not ability) on your part in an area that is not vital for the job. The second option is to describe a personal or professional weakness that could also be considered to be a strength and the steps you have taken to combat it. An example would be: "I know my team think I'm too demanding at times - I tend to drive them pretty hard but I'm getting much better at using the carrot and not the stick".

Not all real estate matters are created equal. Ask if the attorney has dealt with transactions similar to yours. If he has, he will be better able to foresee potential problems and head them off

By limiting the number of new clients accepted each year, your advisor demonstrates the ability to provide each client with personalized service. By identifying an ideal client profile, both you and your advisor can determine if there is a mutual fit before working together.

It is one of the most common questions you will come across in an interview but you don’t need to give the same response as everyone else – “it’s a great opportunity” or “there is lots of potential for development”. That will not make you stand out from the crowd.

Really think about why you want to work at the organisation and give meaningful answers. It could be the cause you are passionate about: what part do you want to play in helping the organisation achieve its aims? Or you might have spent some time in a different part of the sector and working in a different area will help you broaden your horizons, bring a different perspective and see how you can apply your expertise to a different setting.

our advisor should be actively involved in all decisions that pertain to your financial future and serve as your main point of contact for any questions you have regarding your account(s). You should always know who your direct contact will be, should you have any questions, and receive prompt and timely responses.

Your advisor should hold annual review meetings to review your financial plan and ensure it is up to date.

If your advisor's firm has an in-house team of experts—such as wealth planners, insurance advisors, research analysts, an investment committee or an operations team—make sure they explain whom you contact with specific questions and how the team provides enhanced value in their area of expertise.

This is the time you were most proud of what you were doing – it was probably recognised by many and shows many facets of what makes you good. This is your chance to share that with a potential employer.

On the surface, this seems like an easy question, but can actually trip up a number of people. Answering with “To make a difference” may certainly be true, but your answer should mention something specific that motivated you to pursue a legal career. Give a detailed and dynamic answer that is both truthful and sets you apart from others. Perhaps there was a mentor who inspired you or a job that sparked your interest – you should feel comfortable discussing why you decided to go to law school. While it is important to include details, be careful not to ramble; being articulate may separate you from other candidates.

Your advisor should be able to explain how he or she provides you with quality service, trusted advisors, recommendations based upon your needs and transparent and timely communications.

In many leadership roles your ability to lead and gain buy-in to change is a highly sought-after skill, so explain how you’ve led change, secured commitment from key stakeholders and arrived at a desirable result. What was the situation and why was change needed? If you spotted the need for change and began the process then you should say so – it’s important to show how you’ve taken the lead. Then describe the steps you took to plan what needed to be done, the key people you needed to influence and involve and what aspects of the change were structural or cultural. Finally, explain what changed to demonstrate the efficacy of the process.

Your advisor should have a detailed succession solution in place in the event that something should unexpectedly happen. The high level of service you've come to expect should not change, and the same group of experts should continue to serve you for all of your wealth management and financial planning needs.

Your advisor should also be able to confidently state that, should something happen to him or her, the firm would continue to manage his or her own family's wealth.

There is no restriction on a seller conducting an in-depth interview of a prospective purchaser. Most often, though, and more desirable, would be for the seller’s broker to ascertain the income, employment, financial, family and other important information regarding the buyer’s qualifications and background. While such an interview is not typical, it may be justified considering the time and expense involved in hiring a lawyer, negotiating a contract and the potential adverse change in market value should the sale be lost because of board rejection or financing contingency.

☛ How does your job fit in to your department and company?
☛ What do you enjoy about this industry?
☛ Give an example of when you have worked under pressure.
☛ What kinds of people do you like working with?
☛ Give me an example of when your work was criticised.
☛ Give me an example of when you have felt anger at work. How did you cope and did you still perform a good job?
☛ What kind of people do you find it difficult to work with?
☛ Give me an example of when you have had to face a conflict of interest at work.
☛ Tell me about the last time you disagreed with your boss.
☛ Give me an example of when you haven't got on with others.
☛ Do you prefer to work alone or in a group? Why?
☛ This organisation is very different to your current employer - how do you think you are going to fit in?
☛ What are you looking for in a company?
☛ How do you measure your own performance?
☛ What kind of pressures have you encountered at work?
☛ Are you a self-starter? Give me examples to demonstrate this?
☛ What changes in the workplace have caused you difficulty and why?
☛ How do you feel about working long hours and/or weekends?
☛ Give me an example of when you have been out of your depth.
☛ What have you failed to achieve to date?
☛ What can you bring to this organisation?

Too often people address this by describing their management style: “people know I’m approachable with an open-door policy”. This does not answer the question. Show how you have used effective performance management to address issues and showed staff how they can contribute to organisational objectives.

People often shy away from explaining how they’ve addressed underperformance, not wanting to acknowledge that problems exist within their team. But this is an ideal opportunity to show how you’ve turned it around, or re-deployed someone into a role more suited to their skills, motivation and abilities.

Your advisor should focus on delivering proactive and transparent communications to clients. For example, our firm sends out trade notifications that explain every buy and sell decision. In addition, we send out a weekly market commentary, a monthly investment outlook and a quarterly market outlook video, along with several education videos, strategy fact sheets, industry updates, insightful statistics, informational whitepapers and more.

Making these types of resources available to clients will help educate investors and give them the information needed to know that we are actively monitoring their accounts.

We just completed a comprehensive study on condo-sales activity in downtown Chicago, and our outlook for the for-sale market is very positive. Last year the number of home sales citywide was up about 20% from 2011, but sales of condos in the core downtown neighborhoods jumped by more than one-third. We saw solid gains on a price-per-square-foot basis in Streeterville, River North, the Loop, the West Loop and even the South Loop. I think we'd be looking at even better numbers if we had the inventory, but in the West Loop for example, in the month of February, there was only a 45-day supply. Two years ago there was 16.5 months. On top of that, we're seeing really exciting things happening downtown with major employers setting up shop and strong retail investment in the neighborhoods.

The “strengths” aspect should not be too difficult. Just make sure to bring up points that are essential to the position, and briefly mention how you would apply these strengths on a consistent basis at the firm.

The “weakness” question is the uncomfortable one. Most of the time, people are advised to answer this question with a strength masked as a weakness, such as “I work too much” or “I am too detail oriented.” However, the interviewer is probably an intelligent person, and your answer will probably just end up looking like a cop-out. It is best to be sincere, but not in a way that could jeopardize your chance to get the job. Think of an actual weakness that is not essential to the position and follow up with how you are working to improve on it.

Whether a co-op, condo or a homeowner’s association, community associations all have rules that control them. They are governed both by state law and by their own internal bylaws. Community association board members are elected by the property owners living in the community. The best thing that you can do to fix your situation is to get elected to the board of directors.

Your advisor should always answer, "Yes, I am a fiduciary." In order to safeguard your assets, they should be held with reputable third-party custodians. Your advisor should address whether or not he or she has received disciplinary infractions both individually and as a firm.

Advisors who strictly adhere to a code of ethics and client bill of rights have defined standards in place that they can share with clients. Your advisor should be compliant with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (Finra), the Securities and Exchange Commission and state and regulatory agencies.