Questions to ask at law fairs

[Sam55]

Hi everyone! I've got the legal cheek law fair coming up next week and I'm trying to think of questions I want to ask firms that will be genuinely useful for me. I don't want to waste my time asking questions to things that can be found online as I don't think that would be particularly helpful.

So far I've got:

What is the culture like at the firm/ what have you found really distinguishes the firm in this respect?

How do you recommend I approach [question or cover letter] in the application? (I assume specific firms may look for different things so this could be helpful)

What makes your firm unique from other similar firms (i.e. what makes a small US firm unique from other small US firms)

Would love to hear other people's advice/ questions they're considering asking!

 

[Nat000]

This is a great thread which may help: https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/forum/threads/questions-to-ask-a-law-firm-at-interview.899/

 

[Sam55]

This is a great thread which may help: https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/forum/threads/questions-to-ask-a-law-firm-at-interview.899/

Amazing! Thank you

 

[Jen E C]

Asking what makes them unique compared to similar firms is probably an example of a question you could figure out yourself from doing research on them and their competitors. It's also quite broad, I would try to make the question a little more specific eg I know both you and XYZ both/all do ABC - what does the firm do to distinguish itself? Why do clients choose you over them?

Besides the great ones mentioned in the thread linked above, some other points worth asking/thinking about:

• The growth of the firm, its strategy, and how that affects day to day working. Are they looking to grow a particular sector/office? What does it mean for the type of work they are doing day to day?
• Why did they choose the firm, and what keeps them there?
• Even if the firm has X technology, what is their personal experience with it?
• How supported do they feel while working (particularly trainees)?
• What are typical trainee tasks in X department? (this could allow you to compare between firms and the level of responsibility).
• What is the firm's attitude towards managing a work/life balance?
• How would a deal typically operate eg what size teams they work in, how many offices tend to be involved?

 

[Sam55]

Asking what makes them unique compared to similar firms is probably an example of a question you could figure out yourself from doing research on them and their competitors. It's also quite broad, I would try to make the question a little more specific eg I know both you and XYZ both/all do ABC - what does the firm do to distinguish itself? Why do clients choose you over them?

Besides the great ones mentioned in the thread linked above, some other points worth asking/thinking about:

• The growth of the firm, its strategy, and how that affects day to day working. Are they looking to grow a particular sector/office? What does it mean for the type of work they are doing day to day?
• Why did they choose the firm, and what keeps them there?
• Even if the firm has X technology, what is their personal experience with it?
• How supported do they feel while working (particularly trainees)?
• What are typical trainee tasks in X department? (this could allow you to compare between firms and the level of responsibility).
• What is the firm's attitude towards managing a work/life balance?
• How would a deal typically operate eg what size teams they work in, how many offices tend to be involved?

Amazing that is a really great list of questions to consider- thanks!

 

[Jaysen]

Hi everyone! I've got the legal cheek law fair coming up next week and I'm trying to think of questions I want to ask firms that will be genuinely useful for me. I don't want to waste my time asking questions to things that can be found online as I don't think that would be particularly helpful.

So far I've got:

What is the culture like at the firm/ what have you found really distinguishes the firm in this respect?

How do you recommend I approach [question or cover letter] in the application? (I assume specific firms may look for different things so this could be helpful)

What makes your firm unique from other similar firms (i.e. what makes a small US firm unique from other small US firms)

Would love to hear other people's advice/ questions they're considering asking!

You may also want to consider conducting some research on the firms ahead of time, and then basing your questions off that research. This way, you'll be asking questions that are more thoughtful and tailored to the firm.

 

[Jessica Booker]

My advice is dont try and impress at a careers fair - just ask questions you are genuinely interested in finding the answer to.

 

[Sam55]

My advice is dont try and impress at a careers fair - just ask questions you are genuinely interested in finding the answer to.

Yeah absolutely! I'm not trying to impress recruiters because I understand they're not going to remember me among hundreds of others at the event. I just want to make sure I'm able to get as much value from speaking to them as possible

 

[NickMcK]

One thing I found useful last year was to look at the application forms of each firm I wanted to apply to, or at least the ones I was really interested in, and use the careers fair as an opportunity to clarify parts of the application form I was unsure of.

E.g. 'Question X is about a commercial topic - would you prefer that I write about something relevant to commercial law on a large scale or something which is directly applicable to your firm?'

This was a great way to learn something useful and then start a broader conversation about my interest in the firm. It also allowed me to avoid some pitfalls I would have missed if I hadn't asked - e.g. 'We are sick of hearing about Brexit, please don't write about that as everyone writes about that'.

This does mean spending time looking at the application process of each firm...but this is research you need to do anyway.

 

[Alice G]

The best questions to ask are those which help you to assess a firm against your personal criteria. Figure out what really matters to you in a firm and ask questions which seek to elicit this information to see if the firm befits your criteria or not. There’s no right or wrong with questions, though there are some questions where the answer might easily be searchable and found online so, as @Jaysen said, be sure to do a little research first to make sure you understand the basics of a firm