100 Law School Interview Questions and Answers for

How to Prepare for a Law School Interview

Law school interview prep is critical to your success, since acing the law school interview can make or break your chances of admissions, especially for schools at the top of law school rankings. Here are a few tips you can use to help prepare you for your law school interview:

As this is the most important step of your interview preparation, we have put together a list of law interview questions and sample answers.

Law School Interview Questions and Example Answers

1. Why Did You Choose Our School?

Before your interview, you need to research the school you’re applying to. You should be able to state the reasons why you like the institution and its specific program and convince the admissions committee that you didn’t just randomly end up sitting in front of them. At the end of the day, only the candidates who demonstrate a genuine interest in becoming a part of the program will be admitted, and the only way to prove that is by naming particular aspects of what they offer that attracted your attention.

It is likely that you already mentioned this in your law school personal statement, or your law school diversity statement, so make sure your answer is consistent with that as well. It does not mean that you have to repeat what you included exactly but do stay consistent with your goals and aspirations.

Saying that you chose their school because of its academic prestige won’t be enough, as you can say the exact same thing about any other school. You must be specific. Start by mentioning what you look for in the perfect school. What features, programs, or extracurriculars do you value the most? Secondly, state what makes this school competitive for you. Think of what makes this school different from other schools, and what it has to offer to you specifically. Lastly, highlight what you think you will learn at this school.

Sample Answer

“When I think of my ideal school, I think of an institution that offers students excellent career-placement opportunities, which is something not every school has. That is why I was thrilled to discover that X school offers an internship program, which I consider an ideal first step in any professional career. While academic achievements and learning inside the classroom are the backbone of becoming a successful professional, I strongly believe that schools should give students the possibility to acquire first-hand work experience to fully prepare them for what comes next. Additionally, an aspect of the program that I greatly value is the fact that it has some amazing top-class professors, such as [a certain professor], who I admire greatly, especially after attending his seminar on environmental law. In fact, I believe this school encourages students to get involved in current issues that go beyond the scope of traditional law education, such as racial discrimination, gender equality, and exploitation of natural resources, which are topics I expect to be able to learn more about if I get accepted.”

Want to learn about the top 10 law school interview questions? Watch this video:

2. Why Should We Choose You of All Candidates?

This question is your opportunity to brag and talk about what makes you special. Law schools want their candidates to bring them recognition and have a positive impact on their academic reputation. Admissions committees, therefore, aim at finding candidates who are likely to surpass the others and become successful after they graduate. Your answer should make you memorable.

To come up with the perfect answer, you should research the school and find out exactly what they look for in a candidate. Think of your skills, experience, and strengths, and figure out how they fit into what the school values in their matriculants. Use those traits to convince them that you are a good fit.

Sample Answer

“I grew up in a family of lawyers. Both my parents and two of my grandparents have had outstanding careers in the field of law. Legal cases were often discussed at home, and I witnessed what the daily life of a successful lawyer entails. As I grew up, I started developing an intense curiosity for law, and my parents didn’t hesitate to feed that curiosity. At a certain point, I had become so involved in my parents’ jobs, that they decided it wasn’t healthy for me at such a young age and banned case discussion in the house. It was then that I started researching famous cases, defense strategies, and growing a genuine interest in becoming a lawyer myself. I was never that kid who was told “you are going to be a great lawyer”, and unlike what you might be thinking, my family never pressured me into following a family tradition, but even quite the opposite. If you are looking for candidates who are truly determined, I believe you should choose me because I am aware of what a career in law consists of. I have been convinced for years that I have what it takes to take on this challenge, not only because I am passionate about law, but also because I have a deep understanding of it.”

3. Where Do You See Yourself in 10 Years?

You’ve probably thought a lot about your future while deciding whether a career in law is the right path for you to follow. The more specific your answer is, the better. It will show your determination to pursue this challenging career. Your answer to this question should include a detailed description of how this program is going you help you get to where you want to be in 10 years. The sky is the limit! No answer will be too ambitious here. Moreover, admissions committees love applicants who can dream big.

Sample Answer

“Given my deep interest in international law, I see myself following that path in the future. In 10 years, I would like to be working overseas, becoming involved in cases that have to do with human rights and international relations. Diplomacy is a field that I have always found extremely attractive and that I think will suit me well, given my strong communication skills and engaging personality. One of my greatest ambitions is to be able to defend my country’s interests while helping maintain peace with the rest of the world. This school offers an exchange program that I found extremely attractive when I first started working on my application. Completing a semester abroad would help me get a realistic sense of what a career in international law looks like. I strongly believe [school name] can help me achieve my academic and professional goals in the long term.”

4. Why Do You Want to Become a Lawyer?

This question aims at assessing your motivations and ambitions. If your interest in attending law school lies solely on the possibility of aspiring to a 6-figure yearly salary, your lack of motivation will show in your overall performance and you will likely end up dropping out. Storytelling is the only strategy to convince the admissions committee that your motivations are genuine. Tell the story of how you became interested in law as a career. Make it detailed, engaging, and convincing. Choose 2-3 talking points or examples of what got you interested in law. Think of the qualities of a good lawyer and explain why you believe you have the potential to become one.

Sample Answer

“Believe it or not, I grew up convinced that one day I was going to become a successful athlete. I believed that was my fate and never even considered anything else. I started swimming when I was practically a baby and never stopped since. I had become so good that I actually had a chance of qualifying for the Olympics. But my training was intensive and expensive. I had full support from my mom, but my dad disapproved of me focusing on sports instead of academics. Arguments at home became an everyday thing and my parents decided to get divorced. Apparently, it was too hard for them to reach an agreement and they started a legal war that went on for way too long, partly because their lawyers were more interested in getting more money out of the case than in representing the interests of their clients. A good lawyer is supposed to be ethical and act in their client’s best interest. Even though I fully understood the divorce hadn’t been my fault, I always felt stuck in the middle. I felt so powerless I even started researching how divorces work, legally speaking, and getting involved in the resolution of this conflict. This experience made me realize how much damage an unscrupulous lawyer can bring to a family, and I decided to make it my life mission to become the lawyer my family needed in such a difficult time; a professional with principles, empathy, and solid communication skills."

5. What Book Are You Currently Reading?

While they might seem completely unrelated to the main point of the interview, questions about what books, journals, or magazines you are currently reading are common and hard to answer. Books can say a lot about a person’s interests and lifestyle. There are no right answers to this question. If you are not currently reading anything, you can mention the most recent book, or any book you want, as long as you can link it to your interest in law as a career. Be honest, don’t start talking about a book that you think might impress the admissions committee if you haven’t read it.

Sample Answer

“I haven’t had much time for books, unfortunately, but the last book I read was To Kill a Mockingbird. I had read it in high school, like most people, but I believe good books should be read more than once, as they teach you different lessons at each stage of your life. As a matter of fact, I was right. This novel talks about an attorney’s attempt to prove the innocence of a black man who has been wrongly accused of raping a white woman in 1930s Alabama, seen from the innocent eyes of his 6-year-old daughter. The first time I read it, I would focus on the children and their conflicts, while the second time I read it I automatically stepped on the shoes of their father, Atticus, the lawyer defending the innocently accused black man. I was able to understand why he decided to defend him, even when his chances of success were incredibly low. Atticus’ actions throughout the book taught me a lot about ethics and made me realize the kind of lawyer I want to become. I’d like to give it a third read once I start my professional career in law, as I believe I’ll have a totally different perspective.”

6. Describe a time when telling the truth was difficult.

“Several years ago, I had to confront a long-term friend of mine about their actions. I found out they had plagiarized another student’s essay, from another class, in order to make a grade and pass a class. After speaking to the friend about their academic dishonesty, they refused to follow my advice and come clean. When I realized it was now on me to tell the truth and report my friend’s plagiarizing, since they would not, it was a difficult decision for me to make, since it would affect my friendship with this person. Before this incident, it had never occurred to me that my friend would plagiarize anything, and I knew there would be severe consequences for their actions if I reported. Ultimately, I did speak to the class instructor in question and was honest about what I knew. My telling the truth did end a long-term friendship for me, as my friend felt I was unsupportive and should not have reported them. Losing their friendship was hard for me, since I had known them for so many years, but I felt I had a duty to tell the truth and to protect the other student whose essay had been plagiarized.”

Ethical questions in interviews can be tough! This infographic provides a simple 5 step guide to help you answer:

7. What is something that you think differently about or has changed about you personally as you have matured?

“For me, personally, the biggest change I’ve noticed in myself as I’ve matured is self-confidence. I used to be a “follower”, having low self-confidence and assuredness in my opinions and decisions. I let others have a great deal of influence over me when it came to forming opinions or making tougher decisions. For instance, allowing friends to which extracurriculars to participate in during high school or relying on my co-workers at my first job to tackle difficult customers instead of learning to handle situations myself. As I have matured and become more experienced, I have learned to rely on my own opinions and feelings, and trust my decision-making abilities. I’ve taught myself to consider the voices of others instead of automatically accepting them, and to weigh the options of a decision instead of relying on someone else to direct me all the time. Most importantly, I think, I’ve learned to accept the consequences of any bad decisions or mistakes I’ve made. I’ve learned how to find opportunities for growth in making a mistake and how to accept that mistakes will sometimes happen. This has been a significant improvement in my life, as the resulting boost in self-confidence has meant I am much better at making those tough decisions and being a leader when I need to be instead of defaulting to follower.”

8. What is something that you have learned from [activity/hobby]?

“Golfing has taught me precision and patience. Golf is a very technical game, and it requires considering all the factors on each and every swing to be a superb player. Failing to consider even one factor or not double-checking your grip, position, sightlines or angles can throw off a swing. It’s important to go slow, be considerate and not jump ahead or skip any steps in the name of saving time . Precision and consideration are important skills I will need as a lawyer, since not doing my due diligence or being careless could impact clients’ lives and businesses. The careful checklist I go through before every golf swing has taught me how important it is to do the same with the law when evaluating a case, considering my strategies and analyzing small details.”

9. What sort of things do you hope to do in law school?

“One of the things I am excited for, and one of the reasons I chose to apply to Georgetown, is the experiential learning program. Something I hope to do is sit in on legal proceedings in the highest courts in the country and witness many levels of the law, from small court cases to criminal law to lawmaking. With your program’s experiential learning focus, I feel I would get the real-world taste of law in action rather than only classroom setting. I hope to use the experiences I witness and participate in to help me shape the kind of lawyer I want to be.”

10. What’s one thing that you might be scared or hesitant about in law school?

“Law school requires a great deal of reading and reading of sometimes dry subjects. As a student who always struggled with reading comprehension and was a slow reader, I know this will be more of a challenge for me. However, during my undergraduate years I had access to better resources and more information about my reading challenges. I discovered I actually had an undiagnosed learning disability, a mild form of dyslexia which made it difficult for me to recognize words on the page. I was able to utilize study strategies to improve my reading comprehension and speed, and by using particular fonts or wearing reading glasses, I could read most texts with much more ease. The success of these strategies was reflected in my grades also improving. I also had help from tutors, which helped me gain confidence and implement new strategies. I know that reading is still difficult for me, but it is an obstacle I am confident I can overcome.”

Want BeMo’s help preparing for your law school interview? Here’s a review from one our successful students about their experience:

90 More Questions for You to Practice With

Use the questions below for practice! Apply the answer strategies we outline above to come up with your own stellar answers!

We’ve compiled some sample questions from the best law schools in the US, including:

• Yale Law School
• Harvard Law School
• Columbia Law School
• Georgetown Law School
• Cornell Law School
• University of Pennsylvania Law School
• Duke Law School

1. Tell me about yourself.
2. How would your friends describe you?
3. How would you describe yourself using three words?
4. Tell me something that is not on your resume.
5. What do you like to do in your spare time?
6. What was your biggest accomplishment?
7. What was your biggest mistake?
8. Tell me about a recent supreme court case that you disagreed with and why.
9. What are your strengths?
10. What are your weaknesses?
11. What attracts you about law?
12. What’s the one thing about yourself that you’re the proudest of?
13. What has been your biggest challenge so far?
14. What academic accomplishments are you the proudest of?
15. What are the qualities of a good lawyer?
16. Is there a famous lawyer that you admire? Why?
17. Is there a famous lawyer that you disagree with? Why?
18. What areas of law interest you the most?
19. What would make you a good lawyer?
20. What is your dream law job?
21. How did you investigate a career in law?
22. Are there any lawyers in your family?
23. What do you wish to accomplish as a lawyer?
24. Who’s your hero/heroine?
25. Do you consider yourself to be a leader or a follower?
26. Describe a leader you’ve worked with and what you learned from them.
27. Who is your favorite author?
28. Tell me about a book that has influenced the way you think.
29. If you could have dinner with a person, living or dead, who would it be?
30. How would you describe your experience at your undergraduate university?
31. What were your favorite and least favorite undergraduate courses?
32. What was the toughest class you’ve taken and why?
33. Why are you applying to law school now?
34. What’s one thing that intimidates you about law school?
35. What kind of student do you consider yourself to be?
36. How will you contribute to this program?
37. Tell me about a time you overcame an obstacle.
38. Tell me about a time you showcased leadership.
39. Tell me about a time you solved a conflict with a classmate or colleague.
40. Tell me about a time you successfully worked as part of a team.
41. Are there any social issues that concern you at the moment?
42. What journals do you read on a regular basis?
43. Are you a team player or do you prefer to work on your own?
44. What is your idea of success?
45. What can you do to become successful, following your own criteria?
46. Is there any crime that you would have trouble defending?
47. Tell me about a time you faced a moral dilemma and how you solved it.
48. What was the biggest obstacle you were able to overcome in your life?
49. How do you handle stress?
50. What makes you a competitive applicant to this school?
51. Are you also applying to other law schools?
52. If you get accepted into multiple schools, how would you make your decision?
53. What do you think are the pros and cons of this school in particular?
54. What specific aspect of our program called your attention?
55. Do you have any questions for us?
56. What legal skill do you struggle with?
57. Tell me about a time you made a mistake, and how you dealt with it.
58. Tell me about a time when you worked as part of a team with diverse perspectives and/or backgrounds.
59. Tell me about an ethical work situation you had to deal with. How did it turn out?
60. Describe a situation in which a detail you thought to be unimportant turned out to be very important.
61. How would you go about building a trusting relationship with a client?
62. What would make you a good trial advocate?
63. Imagine you represent a client has stolen several pieces of equipment. She has two people who will supply her with an alibi, but you think they might be lying. Do you put these people on the stand?
64. What have you seen in court that you want to emulate? Avoid doing?
65. What did you do the last time things didn’t go according to plan?
66. Discuss a situation where you had to make an unpopular decision
67. Tell me about a time when you agreed to work on too many projects and had to prioritize.
68. Do you think that your grades are a good indication of overall abilities?
69. How have your prior positions helped prepare you for a legal career?
70. In what kind of work environment are you most comfortable?
71. What two or three accomplishments have given you the most satisfaction? Why?
72. If you had a year off, what would you do with this time?
73. What two or three things are most important to you in a job?
74. Do you know what type of law you want to practice? Why?
75. What’s a personality trait/characteristic that will serve you well in law school?
76. When has a failure turned into a success?
77. Name a time that you were not happy with your performance. What did you do to address it?
78. What is one time someone told you that you had good judgment?
79. What is one social issue you’d change?
80. Name a bias that you overcame.
81. What changes would you make in our law school curriculum?
82. How do you work under pressure?
83. How do you feel about research? Writing? Client contact?
84. What mark do you want to make or what do you hope to accomplish in your career as a lawyer?
85. What is a passion of yours? Tell us about it.
86. How have you begun preparing for law school?
87. Explain to us a little more about your multiple attempts on the LSAT.
88. Which student organization(s) would you be interested in?
89. If you could go back to any time in your life and tell yourself something, what would it be?
90. Why did you choose [undergraduate university]?

Writing a law school personal statement? Here are some Harvard Law personal statement examples:

Conclusion

A law school admissions process is challenging, and you need to learn things like how to study for the LSAT, how to write an impressive personal statement, and how to answer interview questions. Your law school interview won’t be impossible to tackle if you prepare yourself with a good list of law school interview questions and answers. Go over it as many times as you need and rehearse with a friend. Additionally, make sure to research the school and stay up to date on current social issues that might come up during the interview. If you dedicate enough time to come up with thoughtful answers to the most challenging questions, you will leave the interview feeling accomplished and satisfied with your performance.

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Your friends at BeMo

BeMo Academic Consulting

Sources: Yale Law School, Harvard Law School, Columbia Law School, Georgetown Law School, Northwestern Law School, Cornell Law School, Texas A&M School of Law, University of Pennsylvania Law School, Duke Law School, University of Virginia Law School

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