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As part of our survey each year, Vault asks law firm associates about questions their firms asked during the hiring process. Below are some examples from the Top 20 firms in the Vault Law 100.
“For me, I was asked the most complicated documents I've drafted and to explain the structure of it. I was asked to give examples of complex financings that I've worked. A lot of the interviews were conversational.”
“My involvement has been more on the culture fit side so questions are more relaxed—we're encouraged to ask classic questions about teamwork and meeting deadlines but mainly to keep the conversation free-flowing and provide space for candidates to ask questions.”
“Tell me about yourself. Why do you want to practice in X city? How does your area of interest align with the strengths and focus of the [X city] legal market? Each legal market tends to have its own strengths — for example, DC is known for antitrust and litigation, while NYC leans heavily into M&A and leveraged finance. How do you see your desired practice area fitting into what [X city] is known for?”
“Describe how you motivate others when you are in a position of leadership. Talk about what perseverance means to you.”
“As a lateral hire, I was asked to walk through the sort of analysis I would run for a deal (to display my knowledge of the subject matter). However that was the most content specific question, and mostly I was asked about my interest in the firm.”
“What do you like to do in your spare time? How would you handle working for a client you had moral reservations about representing?”
“What have some of your favorite experiences been in law school? What gets you excited in your work? What are you intellectual interests?”
“Why S&C? Why law school? What areas of interests? What questions do you have?”
“Interviews typically focus on a candidate’s experience with specific deals or matters, the type of work they’ve handled, and how they manage their time and competing deadlines. We aim to get a sense of their practical skills, judgment, and ability to work well in a team under pressure.”
“What did you enjoy about your clerkship? Why do you want to join the firm? Tell us about a challenging case or matter you worked on. What was a matter you disagreed with your judge about and how did you resolve it.”
“What is your interest in the firm? What is an example of technical legal question that you considered recently? Are there any legal issues that you've read about recently that interest you? What was a project that you worked on in a previous role that you enjoyed?”
“If you encounter a substantive area of law you have not interacted with, how would you go about learning about it and creating a great work product?”
“The firm will provide hypotheticals to test how candidates might approach a new project or task, communicate their process to a senior attorney or partner, or address an error or mistake. Questions are generally scenarios that a summer associate or first year may find themselves in and are designed to test the candidate's problem solving capabilities and flexibility.”
“Each interviewer gets assigned a category with standardized questions (generally, 2-3 of these standardized questions should be asked by each interviewer, to allow for comparison between candidates). Categories are: academics (e.g. tell me about a concept or issue you found interesting in one of your classes), productivity (e.g. tell me about a time you had to complete multiple projects in a tight timeframe. What do you do when you don't have enough time to complete all tasks you have?), excellence of work product (e.g. what do you think makes a successful attorney), and teamwork.”
“Many experiential questions (e.g., "tell me about a time you handled a stressful situation...") Most interviewers will ask about why the applicant is interested in the firm and will expect a specific answer and not just "it's commitment to client service and excellent legal work." Applicants that can show they understand the culture of the firm and have spoken with attorneys at the firm will have an advantage.”
“We ask about the candidate's working style, their commitment to a specific geographic region, their experience during law school, and their anticipated goals following graduation.”
“What was the hardest thing that you had to deal with during your first year of law school? Please describe a difficult situation at work and how you handled it.”
“Where you'd like to see your practice grow, what you're looking for in a practice group.”
“The firm asks candidates questions that go beyond surface level. We consider questions relating to academic achievements, relevant work experience, leadership potential, cultural fit, and a demonstrated ability to handle complex challenges. We also ask questions to determine a candidate's interpersonal skills and their ability to build strong client relationships.”
“What are your biggest strengths you bring to the role? What experience do you hope to gain from a summer associate position?”
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