The legal profession is vast, and this set of interview questions could not cover all areas of law. It covers the fields we work with most frequently and will provide a great starting point.
Interview Questions by Legal Specialization
- What areas of law have you specialized in and for how long?
- What areas of legal work interest you the most? Why?
- What type of firm do you have experience working in (i.e. national, mid-size, small)?
- How many lawyers did you support and in what capacity? Were they a Named Partner, Senior Partner, Junior Partner, Senior Associate, Junior Associate, Patent and Trademark Agent, etc?
- Did you maintain corporate records such as minute books, resolutions and corporate filings?
- What type of confidential or sensitive information did you work with? Please explain.
- To what extent have you been involved in opening and closing a legal file? Have you worked on a file from start to finish? Please explain.
- To what extent have you been involved in everyday file maintenance (i.e. Bring Forward System, filing, following-up with clients, following-up with the lawyer)?
- What file load are you used to managing? How did you prioritize assignments?
- Do you have experience managing calendars, scheduling appointments and / or booking domestic and international travel?
- Did you track agreements, and if so, how did you keep track of them?
- How much experience do you have with billings, invoicing and preparing expense reports?
- Did you draft, revise or proofread correspondence or agreements?
- Can you give me an example of where you demonstrated exceptional attention to detail?
- Do you have experience time docketing For yourself or for the lawyer you were assisting?
- How much experience do you have with dictation and transcription?
- In your previous role(s), how much interaction did you have with clients?
- What qualities should a Legal Assistant or Clerk have when dealing with firm clientele?
- Have you ever conducted legal research? If so, to what extent?
- Are you flexible when it comes to hours of work? How has overtime been compensated for you?
You arrive to work and have a message from a client stating they have an urgent matter that needs to be discussed as soon as you get in. You also have a note on your desk from a lawyer saying he/she needs to discuss something with you ASAP and documents that need to be filed with the court for a 9am deadline. Describe the order in which you would tackle these tasks and explain your reasons why.
- What areas of litigation are you familiar with (i.e. corporate commercial, construction, tort, personal injury—insurance defense or plaintiff)?
- How familiar are you with the Rules of Civil Procedure? Please explain.
- Explain your familiarity with court practices and procedures.
- How much experience do you have liaising with the court? Have you filed documents? Do you have experience working with process servers?
- What courts do you have experience with (i.e. small claims, superior, appeal, supreme)?
- How much experience do you have with drafting and preparing court documents (i.e. pleadings, affidavits, motion records, affidavit of documents, bill of costs, mediation briefs, factums)? Please explain.
- Have you ever had to assist with locating absent parties? If so, what methods did you use?
- Have you ever liaised with field experts to obtain reports? Please explain the process.
- Describe your experience with trial preparation. Explain your experience preparing charts, chronologies and summaries of documentary evidence for use on discovery or trial.
- Do you have experience preparing undertakings, following-up and answering undertakings? Please explain.
- Describe the ways you would track a limitation date (It’s important to gauge the candidate’s organizational skills—management of a limitation date is essential).
- Please describe a time you have provided litigation support prior to and during an examination, hearing or trial (i.e. organizing attendances of witnesses, preparation of document).
- Are you familiar with OnCorp and / or Industry Canada filing procedures?
- To what extent are you familiar with the Business Corporations Act (Canada) and Business Corporations Act (Ontario)?
- Describe your experience drafting documents in support of a corporate / commercial transaction.
- Describe your experience organizing and maintaining corporate minute books?
- Do you have experience preparing amendments, amalgamations, continuances and dissolutions for Federal Corporations?
- How much experience do you have with respect to assisting a lawyer with corporate transactions? Please explain.
- Explain your experience with incorporations, share transfers, purchases / sales, reorganizations, annual resolutions / renewals.
- Have you been exposed to Canadian Securities regulations, and if so, in what provinces or territories? What about IPO’s and board governance?
- Do you have experience assisting and preparing documentation relating to a merger or acquisition? Please elaborate.
- Explain how you edit and track changes with respect to corporate contracts or documentation.
- Describe your experience with insolvency or bankruptcy files.
- Do you have experience closing and supporting a lawyer during a closing? If so, what tasks did you assist with (i.e. obtaining due diligence, undertakings, summarizing documentation, preparing closing book of documents)?
- How would you prepare a file and organize documents for a closing or corporate transaction file?
- In the context of communications and media, do you have experience with privacy, libel, slander and defamation?
- How familiar are you with Conveyancer and / or Teraview?
- Is your background in commercial or residential real estate?
- Do you have experience in Landlord and Tenant law?
- What files do you enjoy working with more, purchases or sales? Please explain.
- Describe a time when a closing did not go smoothly. What happened / how did you deal with it?
- Do you have experience with mortgage refinancing?
- Do you have experience with condominium law?
- How many real estate files did you assist with closing per month during the busy season versus the slow season?
- How familiar are you with the area of Canadian Family Law including divorce and separation, annulments, spousal and child support, custody and access, division of property and adoption?
- Tell me about what you’ve learned about the Marriage Act and Divorce Act in our province. Have you relied on the Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines as a tool? Please explain.
- To what extent have you assisted with drafting agreements such as separation, marriage, co-habitation agreements?
- What have you observed about how matrimonial property is divided, and conflicts that arise?
- Are you familiar with drafting and assisting with separation documents such as child custody /access, support, and property division?
- Describe your experience with drafting and assisting with divorce applications.
- Do you have experience working with or coordinating mediation services for a file? What methods did you use to do so?
- Do you have experience obtaining legal documents including marriage certificates, birth certificates?
- Describe a time you assisted with a difficult /sensitive family law file. How did you interact with the client?
- How familiar are you with DivorceMate?
- Are you more experienced assisting on employer or employee files?
- To what extent have you assisted with drafting employment policies and procedures?
- Do you have experience preparing, drafting and editing employment contracts and termination agreements?
- Did you have the responsibility of doing research, and if so, what was the nature of the research? How did you present your findings?
- How familiar are you with the Human Rights Code,and the Employment Standards Act in our province? Do you have experience dealing with files concerning pay equity or discrimination issues?
- Do you have experience dealing with and preparing documentation with respect to Human Rights Claims, and mediation?
- Have you had exposure to employers or clients relying on foreign workers, and have you addressed Labour Market Impact Assessments to retain them?
- Explain your understanding of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.
- How familiar are you with the Occupational Health and Safety Code?
- Do you have experience assisting on files concerning Workplace Safety and Insurance Board issues?
- Do you have experience assisting on files concerning union grievances?
- Explain your experience with patent, trademark, copyright and anti-spam legislation.
- How would you define a trade secret and the role your legal team plays to protect them?
- Have you observed an increase in demand for legal counsel in music rights and content licensing? What about technology and software licensing?
- Do you have experience preparing and filing intellectual property correspondence to patent offices in Canada and U.S. under the Patent Corporation Treaty?
- Are you most familiar with manual or electronic filing systems?
- Describe your experience liaising and reporting with foreign associates / clients.Explain how you approach extensive searches.
- Do you have experience filing estate documents?
- How familiar are you with passing of accounts?
- Do you have experience with will and trust interpretations?
- Have you ever assisted with the drafting and proof reading of wills codicils and powers of attorney?
- Explain your experience with drafting estate administration documents ](i.e. applications for certificate of appointment, asset inventory, and distribution of estate assets).
- Do you have experience with drafting trusts? If so which types (i.e. inter vivos, testamentary, family, cottage, after ego, henson, insurance, spousal)?
- Did you ever have to attend on clients to act as a witness for wills and / or powers of attorney?
- What legal software are you familiar with?
- Explain your familiarity with the following legal operating systems: PCLaw, Quicklaw and Hummingbird DM.
- Explain your proficiency with the following: Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
- Which specialized legal software are you familiar with? Please explain for each.
- Conveyancer (Real Estate)
- Teraview (Real Estate)
- Estate-a-Base (Estates)
- DivorceMate (Family)
- Fast Company (Corporate)
- Summation iBlaze (Litigation)
- Others not listed?
- Aboriginal Law
- Bankruptcy and Insolvency
- Constitutional Law
- Entertainment Law
- Environmental Law
- International Law
- Personal Injury
- Sports Law
- Taxation
- Technology and Science