Top Tips: Preparation for In-House legal interviews
In-House interviews are often very different from those in private practice where they focus on your skills, deal history and new businesses you can bring to the firm. In-house lawyers often act as mid-office advisors. Apart from being a legal expert, employers will also be looking for someone with excellent interpersonal skills and ability to influence stakeholders.
Behavioural Questions
You should be prepared to answer several behavioural questions. The most accurate predictor of your future performance is your past performance in similar situations. I would always recommend my candidates to prepare at least 3 key project examples in the STAR format – Situation, Task, Action and Results.
Client-Management Skills
- Give me an example of a time when you had to interact with a difficult client. What was the situation, and how did you handle it?
- It is tricky to deliver excellent service when you are working with a large number of stakeholders. How do you go about prioritizing their needs?
Communication Skills
- Give me an example when you were able to successfully persuade someone to see things your way at work.
- Describe a time when you were the resident technical expert. What did you do to make sure everyone was able to understand you?
Teamwork
- Tell me a situation when you had to work closely with someone with a very different personality.
- Give me an example when you struggled to build a relationship with someone important. How did you overcome that?
These are of course, only a small sample of what you might be asked in your in-house interview. Please feel free to reach out to me directly if you have further questions in your interview preparation. Or if you need help in preparing interview questions as an employer, I am more than happy to help.