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&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;The single most important way to prepare for&#160;law firm interviews is to practice answering mock interview questions.&#160;You&#160;should, of course, have some lines prepared for standard questions like, “Why did you go to law school?” and “Why are you interested in this firm specifically?” But it is also important to be comfortable&#160;answering questions on the spot—and practicing interview questions will help you do just that.&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;As you prepare for your next legal interview,&#160;it’s useful to understand the types of questions law firms ask&#160;and include them&#160;as you&#160;practice. Each year, in Vault’s Annual Associate Survey, we ask law firm associates to share questions their firms ask during the recruiting process. Below are some examples from associates who work at the top 10 firms in the &lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer&quot; href=&quot;/best-companies-to-work-for/law/top-100-law-firms-rankings&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2021 Vault Law 100&lt;/a&gt;—the most prestigious law firms.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 60px;&quot; class=&quot;p3&quot;&gt;“Tell us about yourself.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 60px;&quot; class=&quot;p3&quot;&gt;“Why law? Why our firm? Why this &lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer&quot; href=&quot;/practice-areas/law&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;practice area&lt;/a&gt;?”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 60px;&quot; class=&quot;p3&quot;&gt;“What are your career goals?”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 60px;&quot; class=&quot;p3&quot;&gt;“Why do you want to work in [this location]?”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 60px;&quot; class=&quot;p3&quot;&gt;“What kind of law do you think you want to do and why?”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 60px;&quot; class=&quot;p3&quot;&gt;“What kinds of work experience (or journal/teaching assistant experience) are you bringing to the table and how do you think that will help you?”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 60px;&quot; class=&quot;p3&quot;&gt;“Tell me about this experience on your &lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer&quot; href=&quot;/blogs/vaults-law-blog-legal-careers-and-industry-news/resume-basics-for-law-students&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;resume&lt;/a&gt;.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 60px;&quot; class=&quot;p3&quot;&gt;“The firm will ask a candidate about a legal issue the candidate has worked with in law school or a 1L summer job to make sure the candidate has the basic ability to articulate and work through legal issues.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 60px;&quot; class=&quot;p3&quot;&gt;“My personal favorite: Other than Korematsu, what Supreme Court case do you think was decided incorrectly?”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 60px;&quot; class=&quot;p3&quot;&gt;“What do you think truth is?”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 60px;&quot; class=&quot;p3&quot;&gt;“What are you long-term goals?”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 60px;&quot; class=&quot;p3&quot;&gt;“What makes you think you could work at a place like [this firm]?”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 60px;&quot; class=&quot;p3&quot;&gt;“What [are you] hoping to gain from working here?”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 60px;&quot; class=&quot;p3&quot;&gt;“Are you comfortable working in a free-market system?”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 60px;&quot; class=&quot;p3&quot;&gt;“What skills do you have now, and which would you like to develop more?”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 60px;&quot; class=&quot;p3&quot;&gt;“What are you writing your Note on?”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 60px;&quot; class=&quot;p3&quot;&gt;“What&#39;s your favorite class?”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 60px;&quot; class=&quot;p3&quot;&gt;“What extracurriculars have you been involved with in law school?”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 60px;&quot; class=&quot;p3&quot;&gt;“What is a legal topic that currently interests you?”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 60px;&quot; class=&quot;p3&quot;&gt;“What do you do for fun?”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 60px;&quot; class=&quot;p3&quot;&gt;“Why should we hire you?”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 60px;&quot; class=&quot;p3&quot;&gt;“Why are you choosing [this firm’s] &lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer&quot; href=&quot;/best-companies-to-work-for/law/best-law-firms-in-each-practice-area/general-corporate-practice&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;corporate practice&lt;/a&gt; over all other corporate practices?”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 60px;&quot; class=&quot;p3&quot;&gt;“Biggest weakness.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 60px;&quot; class=&quot;p3&quot;&gt;“Tell me about a time you have worked hard to achieve a goal.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p2&quot;&gt;Also, remember, the questions you ask during the interview are just as important as your responses to any questions asked of you. Be sure to &lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer&quot; href=&quot;/blogs/vaults-law-blog-legal-careers-and-industry-news/what-questions-should-you-ask-during-your-legal-job-interview&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;prepare a list of thoughtful, well-researched questions&lt;/a&gt; for each interview. As one associate shared in our survey, “I think the firm expects the candidates to come into the interview with thoughtful questions that can speak to the candidate&#39;s particular interest in the firm.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p2&quot;&gt;Best of luck!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p2&quot;&gt;&lt;strong data-stringify-type=&quot;bold&quot;&gt;Download&#160;the new&#160;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong data-stringify-type=&quot;bold&quot;&gt;&lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer&quot; href=&quot;/vault-law-app&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;c-link&quot; data-stringify-link=&quot;/vault-law-app&quot; data-sk=&quot;tooltip_parent&quot;&gt;Vault Law app&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong data-stringify-type=&quot;bold&quot;&gt;&#160;to prepare for your next law firm interview!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong data-stringify-type=&quot;bold&quot;&gt;Follow @VaultLaw on&#160;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong data-stringify-type=&quot;bold&quot;&gt;&lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer&quot; href=&quot;https://www.instagram.com/vaultlaw/?hl=en&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;c-link&quot; data-stringify-link=&quot;https://www.instagram.com/vaultlaw/?hl=en&quot; data-sk=&quot;tooltip_parent&quot;&gt;Instagram&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong data-stringify-type=&quot;bold&quot;&gt;&#160;and&#160;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong data-stringify-type=&quot;bold&quot;&gt;&lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer&quot; href=&quot;https://twitter.com/vaultlaw?lang=en&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;c-link&quot; data-stringify-link=&quot;https://twitter.com/vaultlaw?lang=en&quot; data-sk=&quot;tooltip_parent&quot;&gt;Twitter&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong data-stringify-type=&quot;bold&quot;&gt;!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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