Interview questions you've been asked Forum

(On Campus Interviews, Summer Associate positions, Firm Reviews, Tips, ...)
Forum rules
Anonymous Posting

Anonymous posting is only appropriate when you are revealing sensitive employment related information about a firm, job, etc. You may anonymously respond on topic to these threads. Unacceptable uses include: harassing another user, joking around, testing the feature, or other things that are more appropriate in the lounge.

Failure to follow these rules will get you outed, warned, or banned.
Anonymous User
Posts: 428530
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Interview questions you've been asked

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Aug 07, 2013 2:45 pm

I am trying to compile a list of common interview questions at OCI. What questions have you been asked that are not listed below?

Why did choose go to law school?
What has been your favorite class in law school and why?
Why do you want to work at this firm?
What practice areas of law are you interested in?
Why do you want to work in City X, or what is your connection to City X?

desertlaw

Silver
Posts: 679
Joined: Thu Oct 22, 2009 3:03 pm

Re: Interview questions you've been asked

Post by desertlaw » Wed Aug 07, 2013 2:48 pm

Anonymous User wrote:I am trying to compile a list of common interview questions at OCI. What questions have you been asked that are not listed below?

Why did choose go to law school?
What has been your favorite class in law school and why?
Why do you want to work at this firm?
What practice areas of law are you interested in?
Why do you want to work in City X, or what is your connection to City X?
"What do you think about business?"

User avatar
brotherdarkness

Gold
Posts: 3252
Joined: Thu Nov 08, 2012 8:11 pm

Re: Interview questions you've been asked

Post by brotherdarkness » Wed Aug 07, 2013 2:51 pm

.
Last edited by brotherdarkness on Thu Mar 27, 2014 11:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Anonymous User
Posts: 428530
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Interview questions you've been asked

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Aug 07, 2013 2:56 pm

Thanks for the responses thus far. Did any interviewer ask you generic questions like:

"What is your greatest strength?"

"What is your biggest weakness?"

User avatar
brotherdarkness

Gold
Posts: 3252
Joined: Thu Nov 08, 2012 8:11 pm

Re: Interview questions you've been asked

Post by brotherdarkness » Wed Aug 07, 2013 2:59 pm

.
Last edited by brotherdarkness on Thu Mar 27, 2014 11:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Want to continue reading?

Register now to search topics and post comments!

Absolutely FREE!


zylaxice

New
Posts: 46
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 8:12 pm

Re: Interview questions you've been asked

Post by zylaxice » Wed Aug 07, 2013 3:01 pm

Anonymous User wrote:Thanks for the responses thus far. Did any interviewer ask you generic questions like:

"What is your greatest strength?"

"What is your biggest weakness?"

I got those a couple of times. Also got
"Tell me more about [random item on your resume]"
"Tell me about your work this summer."
"What do you do in your free time"

AllDangle

Bronze
Posts: 292
Joined: Thu Jan 05, 2012 2:30 pm

Re: Interview questions you've been asked

Post by AllDangle » Wed Aug 07, 2013 3:01 pm

Tag

User avatar
Jsa725

Gold
Posts: 2002
Joined: Wed Feb 15, 2012 9:20 pm

Re: Interview questions you've been asked

Post by Jsa725 » Wed Aug 07, 2013 3:04 pm

.
Last edited by Jsa725 on Sun Oct 26, 2014 3:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Anonymous User
Posts: 428530
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Interview questions you've been asked

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Aug 07, 2013 3:07 pm

brotherdarkness wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:Thanks for the responses thus far. Did any interviewer ask you generic questions like:

"What is your greatest strength?"

"What is your biggest weakness?"
I've had about 16 interviews thus far and haven't been asked either of those. I always get asked "why this firm" and "why this city."
16 interviews already? Congrats. Keep firing away with the questions. After a couple of days, I will post all the interview questions I receive for everyone to view

Want to continue reading?

Register for access!

Did I mention it was FREE ?


User avatar
brotherdarkness

Gold
Posts: 3252
Joined: Thu Nov 08, 2012 8:11 pm

Re: Interview questions you've been asked

Post by brotherdarkness » Wed Aug 07, 2013 3:09 pm

.
Last edited by brotherdarkness on Thu Mar 27, 2014 11:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Scoot Scoot

New
Posts: 78
Joined: Sat Jan 19, 2013 11:11 am

Re: Interview questions you've been asked

Post by Scoot Scoot » Wed Aug 07, 2013 3:34 pm

Tag - thanks all!

User avatar
BelugaWhale

Bronze
Posts: 230
Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2013 1:31 pm

Re: Interview questions you've been asked

Post by BelugaWhale » Wed Aug 07, 2013 3:42 pm

tag

mrjohnsterman

Bronze
Posts: 170
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2011 12:07 am

Re: Interview questions you've been asked

Post by mrjohnsterman » Wed Aug 07, 2013 4:00 pm

What is something not on your resume that we should know?
What do you do for fun?
What other cities are you looking at?
Why law school?
What has been your favorite class?
What would your summer supervisor say about you?

Register now!

Resources to assist law school applicants, students & graduates.

It's still FREE!


Anonymous User
Posts: 428530
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Interview questions you've been asked

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Aug 07, 2013 4:04 pm

These were posted on Chambers:

•Why do you want to be a lawyer?
•Why are you applying to this firm?
•What is it you have heard or read about this firm that made you interested?
•What areas of practice are you interested in and why?
•Describe to me the central argument of your undergraduate thesis.
•What did you enjoy about law school?
•Where do you see yourself five or ten years down the road?
•What mistakes have you made in your past?
•If I called one of your referees now, how would they describe you?
•How would your law journal colleagues who worked with you describe you?
•Describe a time when you didn't succeed and what you learnt from it.
•Describe a time you showed leadership. How did you rise to the occasion?
•How much time would you spend polishing a draft to get the little points right?
•Can you describe a particularly challenging circumstance in your life?
•What motivates you?
•Are you a team player?
•Can you describe a situation where you handled a difficult customer?
•Tell me about a time you worked in a team that was dysfunctional.
•Tell me about a time you helped successfully produce a certain work product.
•Tell me about a time you had to juggle several responsibilities.
•Tell me about a time you faced a setback or failure and what you did.
•What adversities have you faced in past employment?

User avatar
cinephile

Gold
Posts: 3461
Joined: Sun Jul 18, 2010 3:50 pm

Re: Interview questions you've been asked

Post by cinephile » Wed Aug 07, 2013 4:07 pm

How am I doing as an interviewer?

I hope you don't plan on having kids (technically not a question, but, of course, it elicited a no from me anyway).

HellOnHeels

Silver
Posts: 548
Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2011 8:19 pm

Re: Interview questions you've been asked

Post by HellOnHeels » Wed Aug 07, 2013 4:11 pm

mrjohnsterman wrote: What has been your favorite class?
I never get this question - I only ever get "what has been your least favorite class?"

Anonymous User
Posts: 428530
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Interview questions you've been asked

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Aug 07, 2013 4:12 pm

why did you transfer?
how did YOU get this screener? (as if i was unqualified)
why this market? (are you sure you want to be here... you aren't from here)
why this specific practice group?
why is "THIS THING RIGHT HERE" on your resume?
what did you do at your judicial internship? which cascaded into...
  • --> oh nice, tell me about that case --> please tell me more about what that was about? --> what was the applicable law? --> what was the other case you did? --> what happened there/ what area of law? --> what else happened? --> what did the court say?... :shock: :shock: :shock: i was not expecting to recite everything i did over the summer in such detail (be prepared)
why did you get this *pwned* grade in torts when all of your other grades were much much better?

Get unlimited access to all forums and topics

Register now!

I'm pretty sure I told you it's FREE...


blsingindisguise

Silver
Posts: 1304
Joined: Thu Nov 26, 2009 1:08 am

Re: Interview questions you've been asked

Post by blsingindisguise » Wed Aug 07, 2013 4:13 pm

On my first screener ever I was asked "why did you bid X"? But my school didn't have any bid limits -- we were allowed to bid on every single firm that came, which, of course, I did. I answered truthfully. That was a mistake.

Anonymous User
Posts: 428530
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Interview questions you've been asked

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Aug 07, 2013 4:15 pm

Is this a gambling club? (I kind of deserved this; bad name for a school club)
Are you fluent in English? (because I had only put foreign languages under skills assuming, wrongly I guess, that it is obvious that I speak English.)
Why should we hire you?
What has been your greatest achievement?

These have been the hardest/weirdest questions; generally, I think most questions tend to be really easy.

anori

New
Posts: 26
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2013 7:02 pm

Re: Interview questions you've been asked

Post by anori » Wed Aug 07, 2013 4:35 pm

How common are questions about specific grades?

RodneyRuxin

Bronze
Posts: 456
Joined: Mon Sep 17, 2012 11:08 pm

Re: Interview questions you've been asked

Post by RodneyRuxin » Wed Aug 07, 2013 4:39 pm

Anonymous User wrote:Is this a gambling club? (I kind of deserved this; bad name for a school club)
Are you fluent in English? (because I had only put foreign languages under skills assuming, wrongly I guess, that it is obvious that I speak English.)
Why should we hire you?
What has been your greatest achievement?

These have been the hardest/weirdest questions; generally, I think most questions tend to be really easy.

I've also heard interviewers criticize for putting english. YMMV

Communicate now with those who not only know what a legal education is, but can offer you worthy advice and commentary as you complete the three most educational, yet challenging years of your law related post graduate life.

Register now, it's still FREE!


User avatar
brotherdarkness

Gold
Posts: 3252
Joined: Thu Nov 08, 2012 8:11 pm

Re: Interview questions you've been asked

Post by brotherdarkness » Wed Aug 07, 2013 4:41 pm

.
Last edited by brotherdarkness on Thu Mar 27, 2014 11:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
jess
Posts: 18149
Joined: Tue Mar 22, 2011 8:27 pm

Re: Interview questions you've been asked

Post by jess » Wed Aug 07, 2013 4:41 pm

.
Last edited by jess on Thu Oct 26, 2017 2:03 am, edited 1 time in total.

Anonymous User
Posts: 428530
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Interview questions you've been asked

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Aug 07, 2013 5:16 pm

Did you have Professor ABC?

I learned that the answer is not always "yes"

Anonymous User
Posts: 428530
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Interview questions you've been asked

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Aug 07, 2013 5:25 pm

Haven't been asked "why this firm" or "why this city" nearly as much as I thought I would be, but thats probably because ~2/3 of the firms I'm interviewing with are in NYC, and I want to do transactional work.

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

Now there's a charge.
Just kidding ... it's still FREE!


Post Reply Post Anonymous Reply  

Return to “Legal Employment”