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- Thread starter Jaden Michael Borelly-Robinson
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Dheepa
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Junior Lawyer 43
- Jan 20, 2019
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The key with questions like this is to really put yourself in the shoes of a trainee. What would be your first instinct? If it was me:
1. Communicate with both my supervisor and the partner. Explain that both pieces of work are urgent and you are unsure if you'd be able to produce both to the standard you would like. Ask if there is any room for an extension on either piece of work.
2. I would also see if you have any team members you can rely on to delegate some of the work to/help you out - this could be other trainees
3. I would then re-arrange my priorities for the day and finish the most urgent task accordingly.
4. Focus on client deadline driven work - client focus/client comes first (This is assuming that one of the pieces of work is client driven)
I think you should also provide an example of a time where I had to juggle deadlines on different pieces of work, just to show you really have the time management and communication skills these kind of questions test!
1. Communicate with both my supervisor and the partner. Explain that both pieces of work are urgent and you are unsure if you'd be able to produce both to the standard you would like. Ask if there is any room for an extension on either piece of work.
2. I would also see if you have any team members you can rely on to delegate some of the work to/help you out - this could be other trainees
3. I would then re-arrange my priorities for the day and finish the most urgent task accordingly.
4. Focus on client deadline driven work - client focus/client comes first (This is assuming that one of the pieces of work is client driven)
I think you should also provide an example of a time where I had to juggle deadlines on different pieces of work, just to show you really have the time management and communication skills these kind of questions test!
The key with questions like this is to really put yourself in the shoes of a trainee. What would be your first instinct? If it was me:
1. Communicate with both my supervisor and the partner. Explain that both pieces of work are urgent and you are unsure if you'd be able to produce both to the standard you would like. Ask if there is any room for an extension on either piece of work.
2. I would also see if you have any team members you can rely on to delegate some of the work to/help you out - this could be other trainees
3. I would then re-arrange my priorities for the day and finish the most urgent task accordingly.
4. Focus on client deadline driven work - client focus/client comes first (This is assuming that one of the pieces of work is client driven)
I think you should also provide an example of a time where I had to juggle deadlines on different pieces of work, just to show you really have the time management and communication skills these kind of questions test!
Hi Dheepa, do you have any tips for hypothetical interview questions..based on scenarios one could face as a trainee.
I feel that the STAR structure wouldn’t really work for these type of questions..any tips would be greatly appreciated
Dheepa
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I think you're already on the right track in thinking the STAR structure would work best. I would still start out by saying what exactly my actions would be in that given scenario, so if I'd talk to supervisors, get additional help that kind of thing. I would then try to maybe relate the actions I've mentioned I would take to a similar situation I'd encountered.
So if the question was the one in OP's post, I would start by stating all the points I've already mentioned in my first reply and then say "For example, when I was X in Y society, I had to deliver a final report by Z date however had a prior commitment to an event I had already agreed to organise on behalf of a different society" and then elaborate on how my actions helped me resolve the conflict and hence why I'd use a similar approach as a trainee.
I think another extra element you could add to the STAR approach is an additional Reflection point (think STARR instead of STAR). This involves adding what you think could have gone better in your example and how you could apply that to the hypothetical scenario for a slightly more efficient/desirable outcome. This is not necessary but I think it really shows your interviewers that you have the ability to reflect and improve.
So if the question was the one in OP's post, I would start by stating all the points I've already mentioned in my first reply and then say "For example, when I was X in Y society, I had to deliver a final report by Z date however had a prior commitment to an event I had already agreed to organise on behalf of a different society" and then elaborate on how my actions helped me resolve the conflict and hence why I'd use a similar approach as a trainee.
I think another extra element you could add to the STAR approach is an additional Reflection point (think STARR instead of STAR). This involves adding what you think could have gone better in your example and how you could apply that to the hypothetical scenario for a slightly more efficient/desirable outcome. This is not necessary but I think it really shows your interviewers that you have the ability to reflect and improve.
Hi @Legal_Angels
Completely agree with Dheepa's points!
I just wanted to add, I think it can also be quite beneficial to suggest how you would respond in varied circumstances e.g. assuming X I would do this because.... however assuming Y circumstance I would proceed this way because.....
I think this shows that you are adaptive and possess the ability to "read the room" as there is never really one perfect answer, rather it's all about context.
Best of luck!
Completely agree with Dheepa's points!
I just wanted to add, I think it can also be quite beneficial to suggest how you would respond in varied circumstances e.g. assuming X I would do this because.... however assuming Y circumstance I would proceed this way because.....
I think this shows that you are adaptive and possess the ability to "read the room" as there is never really one perfect answer, rather it's all about context.
Best of luck!
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Hi @Legal_Angels - I completely agree with everything above.
The key points to hit in your answer are communication, delegation, prioritisation and time management. This is also an opportunity to show work ethic, I've always mentioned as part of this answer that I would work extra hours where necessary to finish the work. Another element to consider in the 'delegation' part of the response is that you'd ask for permission to delegate work to a specific person who has said they have capacity: remember, in law, there may be certain conflicts of interest which prevent someone from working on certain matters or with certain clients. The last thing you'd want to do is delegate to someone and accidentally cause a major data/ security breach if they weren't meant to see it!
Very best of luck
The key points to hit in your answer are communication, delegation, prioritisation and time management. This is also an opportunity to show work ethic, I've always mentioned as part of this answer that I would work extra hours where necessary to finish the work. Another element to consider in the 'delegation' part of the response is that you'd ask for permission to delegate work to a specific person who has said they have capacity: remember, in law, there may be certain conflicts of interest which prevent someone from working on certain matters or with certain clients. The last thing you'd want to do is delegate to someone and accidentally cause a major data/ security breach if they weren't meant to see it!
Very best of luck
Hi @Legal_Angels - I completely agree with everything above.
The key points to hit in your answer are communication, delegation, prioritisation and time management. This is also an opportunity to show work ethic, I've always mentioned as part of this answer that I would work extra hours where necessary to finish the work. Another element to consider in the 'delegation' part of the response is that you'd ask for permission to delegate work to a specific person who has said they have capacity: remember, in law, there may be certain conflicts of interest which prevent someone from working on certain matters or with certain clients. The last thing you'd want to do is delegate to someone and accidentally cause a major data/ security breach if they weren't meant to see it!
Very best of luck
Thank you!!!!
I can honestly say that it's never a question I've come across in a law interview before- to me it seems like something that would be more suited to IB.
At the end of the day, you have to be pragmatic here irrespective of your political persuasions: if there weren't people and companies who were able to pay the huge fees that the biggest law firms charge, you wouldn't have a job. Furthermore, law firms don't want a candidate who is at risk of letting their moral compass regarding personal/ company wealth get in the way of providing the absolute best service to clients paying them astronomical sums of money!
Personally, for what it's worth, I also think that it's much better practice to try and separate your politics from your job- generally, neither are good for the other.
I agree with Jacob- I have never come across this question!
If I was asked this, I think I would approach it from the angle of looking at the bigger picture rather than the monetary value and how rich it could make people. Maybe try to structure your answer focusing on the non-monetary implications and benefits the work law firms do can have.
Hope this helps!
Yeah the reason I posted it was because I had never come across a question like that and it seemed strange. I stumbled across it on a student forum because I was trying to see what kind of questions a particular firm asked as part of their video interview because I have one with them
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