Curveball
In our latest Career Conundrum, an aspiring solicitor wants to hear from viewers about the trickiest questions they’ve faced in training contract interviews.
“Hi Legal Cheek. This isn’t strictly a career conundrum but more just something that interests me, and might help others. I’m in the middle of applying for vacation schemes and some direct training contracts and I read your article this week on what to ask (and what not to ask) a partner during your training contract interviews.”
“I’ve been told that some firms like to throw their own curveball questions to candidates and I wanted to ask your readers about some of the trickiest/strangest/weird questions they’ve been asked in interviews. Thanks.”
I was once asked to argue against the smoking ban. I didn’t smoke. I’d never smoked. I didn’t get the job.
You’re not a debater or litigator then.
I was asked “if you were a piece of fruit, which one would you be”?” I said, I thought I was applying to be part of a legal team, not a fruit bowl. Ludicrous! Apparently the ideal answer is a grape, part of a team but lovely on its own. Kill me now. Never ever choose the fig, especially if you are female, it’s representative of female genitals! And if you are male and choose a banana…
‘Why do you want to be a lawyer?’
Didn’t see it coming.
‘Why did’t you go to Oxbridge?’
You could probably guess which firm asked this…
If you think this (or similar questions like ‘Why do you have a B in X?’) are strange you’re missing the point. They don’t care you didnt go to Oxbridge (or have a B) – if they did, you wouldn’t be there. It’s purely to see how you react to someone getting under your skin or trying to see if you have a chip on your shoulder about it.
Realist – I assume you are a partner at Macfarlanes?
Clever man.
I agree – I was once asked why I got a B in GCSE maths by a partner in a mock interview. He wanted to check whether I would get overly defensive or lose confidence. Not a nice trick but you get a good insight into someone’s character!
Too dumb? Too poor?
Are there more wheels or doors in the world?
It’s gotta be wheels surely!
In a Latham VS interview, I got asked ‘why the hell are you applying for a VS whilst at university instead of going and living your life for a few years?’
‘Do you think lawyers earn too much’
DLA Piper exit interview on the back of a VS – asked to go through a contract and asked to provide changes that could be made to amend/add in boilerplate clauses. I was a 2nd year undergrad at this time in the middle of Covid.. I only found out about what boilerplate clauses are a few years later during the LPC. I was told the interview questions would be suitable for both law and non-law applicants. Something tells me a geography undergrad wouldn’t know about boilerplate clauses…
one interviewer (early stage partner): “tell me something about Turkmenistan”
other interviewer (more senior partner) visibly cringed. I had a think, told them a few things, wowed them both, senior partner said it was a “very strong answer for a deliberate curveball question”. got the TC.
never worked on anything to do with Turkmenistan
Wankery at its best. I was interviewed for a summer clerkship, which in Australia you do over summer before your final year in law school, it puts you in pole position for a job. My interviewer, a blonde blue-eyed South African partner, told sexist and racist jokes in the interview. His final question was , “Why do you want this job?” I said “I don’t, if you are an example of the partners here, I withdraw my application”. And walked out. Never regretted it. And yes, I was offered another summer clerkship, which I accepted and enjoyed. Follow your gut feeling, don’t sell your soul. I ended up a partner in a mid-sized firm for 16 years, and have been a barrister now for 18 years, still enjoy my job.
What is the capital of Peru? And why?
Answer: I am not Paddington Bear, no idea.
Presumably the correct answer is “The capital of Peru is P because it is the first letter of a proper noun”?
What football club would you equate the firm to and why. Interviewer who asked it said she was thinking of the same one, partner next to her was baffled.
Travers Smith – Thoughts on legalising the ‘erb? Hard to argue in favour of it with a partner…
Final stage interview at a small-ish firm in the home counties. I was in the zone. My mind was 100% career, CV, motivations and competency.
“Who is your favourite Briton”
Asked the the senior partner.
They said they wanted to see my ‘personality’. Are you kidding me? Didn’t get the job…
I’d have answered “Benjamin”.
Why do you want to qualify as a solicitor? (Magic Circle 1978). My response: Because I want to help people.
I got articles with the firm
I got the same question (Magic Circle, 2022). I said I wanted to “make an impact”. Got the job. Lol.
I was asked to estimate how many people are on the London Underground at any given time (in-house TC interview).
Another place asked me to do a spelling test (HNW private client boutique in London).
A third place asked me to join a fake temporary work experience scheme – just to test my commitment (regional firm).
It’s the wild west out there if you’re not applying for City/MC/Silver/US etc firms.
All the questions above sound awful… I got asked two ‘curveballs’ for two separate jobs:
1. Vacation Scheme question – If you had all the money in the world, what would you do? – It was rugby world cup year, so easy answer go to the rugby world cup and take my father and grandfather to see the World Cup in New Zealand, as a last long trip for Granddad to see his cousins who moved to New Zealand.
2. Why construction? – as a NQ lateral move – a bit harder, but answered with because we will always build things in this country and world, and I would like to be part of that, more importantly the new generation of building projects of data centres and AI related infrastructure interests me.
I got the VS, didn’t get the training contract at that firm. Got the new NQ role.
Not TC interview, but my associate interview when i finished my TC.
One of our HR rocket scientists asked me why I wanted to be a lawyer.
In a video interview for a role in-house at a well-known drinks brand, ‘X’: “What ‘X’ drink are you most like and why?”.
“Do you consider yourself intellectually curious”? Like what?