20 Interview Questions Top Law Firms Ask

It’s law firm recruiting season again, law students are furiously googling to try to figure out what questions they’ll be peppered with at OCI or on their callbacks. Google no more, law students, we at Vault have got your answer. In this year’s survey of nearly 18,000 law firm associates we asked them what they’ll be asking you! Below is a sampling of the questions associates at Vault’s Top 10 law firms were either asked in their interviews, or ask law students when they are doing the interviewing.

1. Was there anything you worked on where the answer you reached was different from what you expected?
2. What was the most challenging or rewarding assignment you had, and why?
3. What's your favorite book?
4. What are your hobbies?
5. How was the first year of law school?
6. Describe a legal issue you have recently written about.
7. Why this firm?
8. Who is a person that has meaningfully influenced you?
9. Why do you want to work in this city?
10. What brought you to law school?
11. What would you say is your work style?
12. What areas are you interested in exploring and why?
13. Where do you see your career in 5 years?
14. What are your favorite classes and why?
15. How do you think law school has prepared you to be a lawyer?
16. What types of clients do you want to work with?
17. What is your greatest concern about the practice of law?
18. How interested are you in pro bono work?
19. How have you made decisions about your education/career thus far?
20. What deals have you been keeping tabs on?

If you need a few more questions to study, you can take a look at a similar exercise we did two years ago. Or you can click on the “Vault’s Verdict” tab of any firm’s profile to see what that firm is asking.

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