Legal & Law Interview Questions & Answers

I was asked three questions in the Video Interview. I had 1 practice question to see how I performed on the camera. Then there was 30 seconds to prepare for the questions and 1 minute to answer. If I finished before the minute, I could push the button to stop recording.
My questions were:
Why law?
What can you bring to Hill Dickinson?
What does commercial awareness mean to you?

What does commercial awareness mean to you?

Be patient. It takes a very long time for them to get back to you with a result. Also, make your own definition of commercial awareness and think of some examples! And practise talking in front of a mirror or a video recorder before your start the interview.

N/A

There were two interviews:
-One partner interview (2 on 1), which talked through your CV and application form which had several competency questions on it.

-One interview with a member from HR, who discussed the online personality and numerical tests that you completed prior to the day.

The partner interview was quite conversational, but there were several tricky questions that mentioned a difficult aspect of the job and how you think you'd respond. Then talked through CV and asked specific questions.

-There were a few probing questions on the application form (which had 4 or 5 competency questions on it)
-Questions at the partner interview generally were of the style: this is a difficult aspect of the job, how do you think you would do? - the format of the interview was very conversational but I found it helpful to reply to these questions with proof in the form of competencies.

Prepare well and research as much as possible about the role and company. Try to find out as much as possible about how your background will fit into the role. Prepare a lot of questions to ask them as there are a lot of opportunities to have them answered throughout the day.

The assessment day included several stages:
-Written tests: one essay and one mechanical device description
-A discussion of personality test answers and of numerical and logical reasoning test answers
-A partner interview, two on one with both asking questions
-A presentation to two partners and member of HR (were allowed to prepare before the day, 5 mins long on a subject of our choice)
-A group exercise

-There was the opportunity to meet current trainees at lunch

The assessment centre was a full day. There was a timed client letter while you received "emails" to your inbox, of which outgoing emails were monitored by the assessors. There was a group exercise with a large volume of letters to read to ascertain how strong a clients case was. After that, we had lunch. Then we had an individual presentation about the solution to a senior lawyer and another one on on interview and a proofreading exercise.

The questions were related to the strength of the case so try and think in the bigger picture about what you can say to a client.

Practice e tray exercises, know the format of a client letter. I was a second year law student at the time with no experience of practical law but I was interviewed with people who had completed their LPCs and so were far more used to this. When you are completing the proofreading exercise, don't panic! Its a short timeframe but you won't stop errors if you're frantically scanning. Be prepared to try and speak well on the client case so speak concisely and definitively. Be prepared to spot not just the strengths of the case but the weaknesses and think about how you can turn those weakneseses around

Group exercise analysing client letters, writing a client letter to time whilst a live "inbox" filled up, a proofreading exercise, an individual presentation and a one on one interview.

The assessment day started with coffee and tea time where one of the Managers went through Fluor's history, work ethic and overall in regards to what the firm does.

This was followed with several group exercises. After we finished the group exercises we were allocated interview times with the HR department and the managers. My first interview was with one of the HR member of staff and it was more of a conversation rather than interview, which made me feel very relaxed. We went through my CV, where I was asked about my education and skills. She asked me why I thought this role was suited for me and why in general I had applied to Fluor.

The interview lasted for around 20 minutes and I feel that the HR manager made me feel very comfortable and answered my questions so thoroughly. She asked the usual competency based questions so for anyone who is going to have an assessment day at Fluor in the future, don???t be scared from the first interview it???s a relaxed conversation.

The second interview was with one of the senior managers, who I personally was very impressed with. She was intelligent and overall very experienced within the field so when I found out that I had my interview with her, I was looking forward to it. This interview was more professional and formal so I was a little nervous but I tried to not show it. I was firstly asked about my education and why I had studied my courses. This was followed up by why I applied for the course and what I could bring to the firm. She followed this up with scenario based questions, which were challenging but took away some of the nervousness. We then started talking about my project and what skills I was able to obtain from it. We finished the interview off with another scenario and then the manager asked where I saw myself in 5 years and what motivates me the most.

Overall the interviews were good and showed me more about the firm and their employees. All of the staff members showed how friendly the firm is and how you can work towards great future roles.

The scenario based questions were difficult and challenging.

I think the most important thing would be to be confident and be a great team player. Both of the group exercises required excellent team working skills and time-management abilities.
Speaking up is another important asset. During the group exercises no one wanted to speak up and start the process so I took it upon myself to speak up and get ourselves organised. Later on during the interviews, I was told that this was something that made me stand out and I was recognised in both interviews by name rather than my CV.

Assessment days are there for you to make an impression and for you to get your skills and suitability to come across. I think there is no point in being shy and staying in the background. Be bold, confident, speak up, ask questions and overall get your ideas out during those group exercises. The group exercises were before the interviews for a reason, it was to give us a chance to stand out to get recognised. During the second exercise a manager was present to look over us, she was sitting in the background and taking notes throughout so I made sure that I got all my skills and idea out in the open rather than sit quietly behind.
My last suggestion would be, be yourself and don???t be shy. Interact with all the group members and don???t be intimidated.

In total we had two group exercises. We were split into two groups of six. For the first exercise we were given 30 minutes to prepare a presentation on a scenario, which were given. This is where team working and time-management skills became crucial. We were given several resources to prepare our presentation. We finished on time and successfully presented it in front of managers, HR member of staffs and the other group.

The second exercise was a building exercise. Both groups were given a piece of paper, which had a name of a building on it. We were then put into separate rooms where we had to build the buildings and let the other group guess it afterwards. My group was given a tower bridge. What we first did was split our group up into project manager, buyers, designers and builders, which took 5 minutes. After that we had 1 hour to prepare the building. The designing part of the exercise was the most challenging part, however we were able to successfully complete the building.

With Clifford Chance there is no initial telephone interview stage or online tests after you submit an application. They invite to an assessment centre based solely on your answers and experiences detailed on your application form.

What do you find unique about the recent deals we have completed?

Prepare answers that show you are committed to a long term career in law and be able to show examples of steps you took you further your ambition of a career in law - especially if you are a non-cognate graduate like I was.

The assessment centre itself started with a tour of the building with a recent graduate entrant and then an informal chat with them about their experiences of the firm.
This was followed by a presentation and senior partner interview. You were given 15 minutes to prepare for the presentation which was around the issues you would consider when Clifford Chance is deciding if it should advise a controversial client which in my example was a bio-tech firm that tested on animals and was recently fined for fraud.
The presentation itself formed the first part of the interview and lasted about 60 minutes. I was asked questions about my motivation for a career in law and why I had chosen my specific university followed by several competency questions.
After the interview we were served lunch and were joined by current trainees and a partner so that we could ask additional questions about the firm.
After lunch there were 3 verbal reasoning tests. The first was a standard SHL verbal reasoning test. The 2nd was an SHL test but one which Clifford Chance had commissioned themselves so was slightly different from previous tests I had completed. The third was a verbal reasoning test completed online. With this test the next questions changed depending on how you had answered previous questions.
The final stage of the assessment centre was a further interview with 2 different partners and was more focused on the specific areas of the firm that I wanted to work within and my knowledge of recent transactions the firm had concluded; as well as my understanding of the processes involved in completing such a transaction.

My initial interview was with the Managing Director of the firm, which was scheduled to last for up to an hour, but actually lasted for two and a half! We had an initial chat about what I was currently up to and my career aspirations, and then the MD spent some time detailing what I could expect from being trained in the role. We discussed what I thought were my core strengths and weaknesses, and how they could be used as an asset to the firm.

My second interview was a week later (I was informed that out of 90 initial applicants, 6 were asked to the final interview), with the Legal Director. This started with me summarising my covering letter, which he had not had time to read, and then followed by some more detailed and situational questions, e.g. asking me what sort of information I would need to find out first when faced by a certain set of facts.

"I can see from your CV that you are very law-focused, and might consider pursuing a training contract soon. In that case, why should I hire you over another candidate?"

Come prepared with solid motivations for applying, and be willing to show that you can be dedicated to the role for a significant length of time - as a small business they will want at least 3 years of commitment with you. In the firm your role will require you to work with some difficult customers so you need to be able to show that you are confident enough to manage these situations.

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I got the role through applying online, who then put me through to the agency in charge of the recruitment. office Angels. They sent me a competency questionnaire to fill in requested by the employer. Detailed examples of the STAR model were requested, situation, task, approach and result. The interview itself was based in Wimbledon, with 2 members of staff so a small panel of people. The role was within the legal sector so they needed someone dedicated, discreet ad someone who followed instructions. Varied questions was poised, I think the most important that people tend to forget it what you know about the company and why you'd like to work for them.

Most difficult question was staying abreast with current news and affairs. I was asked on the legal reform and the government cutting the budget of legal practices. I had the impression that my role would solely be admin and data gathering so I struggled a tad. The advise I'd give would be to look into the company extensively and if their sector is/has been in the news, do the research.

Always do extensive research on the company you're trying to work for, not only does it give you something to talk about, it shows your dedication to wanting to be part of their family.

None.

I was asked why I wanted to work for the firm and why I wanted to do Law. This was after the initial telephone interview where they asked me about my degree, my previous internships and what I had learnt from there, was I allowed to work in the UK and if I was able to start work within a week if selected.

After the brief talk I was given three scenarios from that days newspaper and was asked to defend clients by making an initial litigation within 90 minuits.

I was also asked how flexible I was with my timings.

I was finally asked whether I was flexible to work in the firms different offices at a short notice.

I was also told about my job role and they verified if I knew all the essential skills.

There was no strict format as there were 8 applicants on that day and we were called into the interviewers office one at a time.

The interviewer was one of the firm's partners.

They also took my permission to have a background check done on me.
The interview along with the case studies lasted just over 2 hours.

WHY TSA LAW?

WHERE DO I SEE MYSELF IN 4 YEARS TIME?

3 PROBLEM SOLVING QUESTIONS FROM A LITIGATORS POINT OF VIEW. THE SCENARIOS WERE TAKEN FROM THAT DAYS METRO NEWSPAPER.

Be Calm.

Be honest and to the point or they'l catch you.

Be humble and respectful.

Show that you are willing to learn as the firm intends to teach you on the go rather then you relying on what you learnt at university.

Punctuality is key as one candidate was not interviewed as he was 15 mins late for his scheduled time.

After the breif talk I was given three scenarios from that days newspaper and was asked to defend clients from the scenarios by making an initial litigation within 90 minuits.

How can you be a commercially aware lawyer? What can you do if you are at full capacity and someone wants you to do work for them?