Mastering the In-House Legal Interview

Written by Ashley Camron Sumen, Principal at Solutus Legal Search. Ashley has spent over 20 years working in the legal industry and is an experienced legal recruiter and former practicing attorney, both in Big Law and in-house.

Whether you are a seasoned legal executive or relatively new to the practice of law, interviewing for a new job can be a daunting part of career development. But it doesn’t have to be.  With the right preparation and mindset, you can approach interviews with confidence and even find them enjoyable.

In my role as a legal recruiter, I interview hundreds of people every year and receive feedback from just as many client interviews. Below are some time-tested guidelines to help you excel in your interviews and land the job you want.

It’s also helpful to keep in mind that the interview process is a two-way street. It is an opportunity for you to showcase your experience and expertise for the role, and for you to assess whether the company and position are the right fit for you.

PREPARATION: THE CORNERSTONE OF SUCCESS

Companies seek employees who demonstrate knowledge and genuine interest in the organization and opportunity. How do you demonstrate this?

Prepare, Prepare, Prepare!

Research The Company

• Review the company website for insights into their mission, values, and recent developments.
• Search the internet for recent news and press releases.
• Examine public filings if the company is publicly traded.  You don’t have to be a corporate expert to read through a 10K. Understanding the company’s financial health and market position can provide valuable context.

Research the Interviewers

Most professionals have LinkedIn profiles or bios on the company website. A simple internet search can provide additional links to articles, interviews, and other insights.  Interviewers have reviewed your resume; you should review theirs too!

Review the Role Specifics

Review the job description thoroughly in advance of the interview. While some can be high-level, even so, job descriptions highlight the key skills and experience the company seeks. Make a list, either mental or written, of your experience and the skills that match with those set forth in the job description.

Beyond the Core Experience

 Job Descriptions often include important information beyond the substantive qualifications that many gloss over. This information provides valuable insight into the temperament and style that the company seeks for the role. These can be highly useful clues about the organization and what they value in an employee.

A few examples: 

1. “Interest in creating a legal organization.”

This employer’s legal organization was evolving to meet the increasing needs of the business, and the executives were seeking a legal leader with experience assessing and building out the legal function.

2. “Experience in a leadership role and interfacing with the board of directors and the C-Suite.”

This company was looking for someone who would be a credible partner to the Board and other executives. This would be presented by having strong communication skills, examples of situations in which they were strong partners to the business, and portraying confidence and decisiveness.

3. “Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.”

In this case, the company was scaling quickly and bringing product to market and, as such, things were changing frequently in the company. As a result, the organization was looking for someone who operates effectively in and is motivated by this type of environment, rather than overwhelmed by the pace.

As you prepare, identify some examples that demonstrate how you possess the skill or experience the company has highlighted as important. Substantive experience remains crucial, but the best interviewers are also able to provide clear and concise examples of how their style and demeanor fits with and complements the company’s.

PRE-INTERVIEW LOGISTICS

Virtual Interviews

Log in 10-15 minutes early to troubleshoot your equipment to ensure it is working properly. Technical difficulties can – and do arise, so take the time to mitigate potential problems upfront. Utilize a virtual background, if needed, and silence and turn over your phone so that you are not distracted by off-screen notifications.

In-Person Interviews

Arrive at least 20 minutes early to account for potential delays. Use the time to relax and get in the proper frame of mind for your interview.

Attire

Dress appropriately for the company culture. Some companies are more formal, and professional attire is appropriate. In some offices, business casual is a better choice for the interview. When in doubt, ask your point of contact for guidance.

Punctuality and Presentation

Being late or distracted can create a negative impression. Ensure you’re on time and fully focused. For virtual interviews, avoid eating, chewing gum, pets in the room/on your lap or other distractions. Do not multitask or take phone calls. Treat a virtual interview as you would an in-person interview.

THE INTERVIEW: MAKING THE RIGHT IMPRESSION

Treat Every Interaction Professionally

Whether it’s with HR, support staff, or potential colleagues, each encounter contributes to the overall impression you leave. Do not assume any interview is less important than any other. Negative feedback at all stages of the process is taken into account when making decisions about candidates. So, be polite and courteous throughout.

Review Your Resume

Review your resume and re-familiarize yourself with its contents, even the aspects that aren’t directly relevant to the role for which you are applying. Employers have been known to ask questions about the smallest detail. So be prepared to discuss that law review article you wrote on the Rule Against Perpetuities or your last marathon. If it’s on your resume, expect that you may be asked about it.

Introductions

Interviews typically start with small talk, and casual questions. This is also the time where the parties start building rapport and where a first impression is made. This portion of the interview will probably only last a few minutes, but the interview will feel more comfortable if you can ease into it by establishing a connection with the interviewer before they segue to the remainder of the discussion.

Discussing Your Background

Be prepared to discuss your prior experience in detail with concrete examples. It can be difficult to describe and walk through your background, if you are not prepared for such a broad question. Often, those interviewing provide high level and summarizing responses. Employers want relevant details to support your assertions. So, avoid giving brief, vague answers, like “Yes, I have worked on that type of ______."

Instead, explain your role, the context, and the outcomes of your work. Provide enough detail so that the interviewer has a solid understanding of your experience in the particular area and how it aligns with the needs of the role they are hiring for, while being succinct and to the point and avoiding providing unrelated or tangential information.

Examples:

Q: For an in-house role with an M&A component: Tell me about your experience with M&A transactions?

A: I work closely with the strategy team, so I know when we may be close to a transaction, and I get involved in the early stages. I have experience drafting LOIs, managing the diligence process, and drafting and negotiating the transaction documents. I focused on M&A at YZ Firm and by the time I left I was managing transactions independently, so I have deep experience, and I enjoy the work. For transactions in excess of $xxx, or those that may be more complex for various reason, I engage outside counsel and manage the process during the transaction. The company has completed four acquisitions during the time I have been in my role. One I managed independently, and the other three were higher value, so I managed outside counsel. By way of example … [provide additional non-confidential detail, including, value of the transaction, buy side or sell side, what type of company, etc.]

Q: For a more generalist senior level role, including Head of Legal or General Counsel: Tell me the scope of your responsibilities?

A: As you can imagine, it can really vary, depending on the needs of the company during a particular period. We are a team of five, with me and four direct reports: two in commercial, one in employment, and one in corporate. During the past year, we’ve been fairly acquisitive, so I’ve spent about 25% of my time actively managing outside counsel on an acquisition as well as overseeing the work of the corporate attorney on the team on due diligence and acting as an escalation point for questions that arise. The remainder of my time is spent about 20% managing the other direct reports and acting as an escalation point on commercial agreements and employment questions. On the employment side, this past year we worked a lot on integration of employees resulting from transactions. I am directly involved in drafting and negotiating all commercial transactions with significant complexity or strategic or monetary value – on the monetary side, that’s a threshold of $xxx in value. That accounts for about 20% of my time. The balance of my time is spent working with the Board and committees and I also work closely with leadership on strategic matters.

Of course, these are examples using a specific set of facts. They aren’t intended to be a script, but rather to provide you with ideas for how you might respond using your own experience. Providing a breakdown by percentage is one helpful way to communicate a broad set of information in a clear fashion. It doesn’t need to be exact; the interviewer will understand you are providing estimates.

 It’s like the writing adage – show, don’t tell. It’s not enough to just tell the interviewer you have the requisite experience. It’s critical to provide enough detail to show them that you do.

Behavioral Questions

 Frameworks like CAR (Challenge, Action, Result) or STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) can provide a roadmap to clearly convey your problem-solving skills and achievements. In my experience, it is more natural to think about what the employer needs to understand: (1) what happened/what was the issue; (2) what you did to resolve it, and (3) how you achieved a positive outcome.

Here is a suggested approach for behavioral questions:

• When answering and explaining the “Challenge” or “Situation” or “what happened,” try to think about an example that would be relevant for the role you are interviewing for. While you may have a really interesting story about a problem that occurred in a litigation when you were an associate, if you are now in-house in a corporate role and interviewing for a corporate role, it will be more impactful to share about a transaction you worked on.
• Describe the “Action” you took to address the “Challenge” or “Situation”. Use this opportunity to home in on the strengths and skills you would bring to the role. You can glean what may most resonate with the interviewer by considering a few different sources of information. First, consider the type of company and what you know about the culture. An emerging growth company with a new technology offering may seek candidates with a different temperament, and therefore response to a behavioral question, than, for example, a decades old financial institution. Next, if you are working with a recruiter, they can provide insight on what they have learned from the company. Also, the language focused on the soft skills and personality type in the job description often provides useful detail on what the company is looking for.
• Finally, when you discuss the result, focus on being positive. While we all have had situations that did not end as we wanted them to, and while we all have made mistakes and (hopefully) learned from them, the interview process is your opportunity to present yourself in the best light possible. Even if the question is "Tell me about a time you failed," I recommend that the conclusion include a statement of what you learned from the failure and how you turned it into a success.

Handling Tough Questions

If you receive a question that, in spite of your time spent readying yourself for the interview, you are not prepared to answer, you can buy yourself some additional time to think by saying something like, "That's a really good question." Saying that out loud can give you a bit of time to repeat the question to yourself and formulate a response.

The following are a couple questions that come up often with sample responses.

Gaps in Substantive Experience

If you lack substantive experience in a particular area that has been flagged as important for the role, highlight related experience and how that experience has prepared you for the role.

• Example: Employment litigator interviewing for a role with an employment compliance and training component.
• Q: “Tell me about your experience conducting employee trainings and drafting handbooks and policies?”
• Sample response: “I have deep employment law experience and, in managing employment litigation claims and investigations, I understand the most frequent areas where claims arise and how to best counsel internal clients in trainings and how to mitigate by addressing in handbooks and other compliance materials. For example, [fill in with example you’re your practice here]. I feel confident that my employment litigation and investigations focus has well prepared me to add trainings and compliance work to my responsibilities and it is an area I am highly interested in.”

Similarly, if you are interviewing for a role where management experience is preferred or required, and you do not have direct reports, present your related experience. For instance, overseeing the work of an attorney or a paralegal and reviewing work, answering questions, and acting as a sounding board for tough negotiations. Even if the person is not a formal report that experience is relevant. Provide examples that detail who you have managed and in what capacity and include information that highlights your management style in the interactions and how that experience has prepared you to be a successful manager. The goal is to show the employer that you have the knowledge and skillset to manage successfully.

In my experience, where someone has some of the required background, but not all, some employers may not be swayed, but others may be open if you can make a strong case for the applicable skillset that you do have.

Addressing Reasons for Leaving a Role

First, I recommend not speaking negatively about a prior employer. It’s all downside if you do. Employers generally do not hire people who criticize or disparage their past or present employers/colleagues. If a terrible boss or bad work environment caused you to leave, and you believe you need to touch on it to provide context, then address it in the most positive way possible. Interviewers can read between the lines. 

Example: Why are you looking to leave your current role?

Sample Response: “I’ve been fortunate enough to work at great places and to stay for a long time in my roles, which is my goal for this next role. I learned a lot working at X Co and it has a lot of great attributes, but unfortunately, [fill in the blank]. Answers may vary, but could include something like:

“When I joined, the company was experiencing tremendous growth. The financial realities of the past couple years have been challenging, which has led to turnover. I have been told my job is safe (if true), but I’ve been open to considering opportunities, and this one is of particular interest because…” 

Have Thoughtful Questions Prepared

 As you near the end of your interview, the final question is often: “Do you have any questions?”

Prepare thoughtful questions that demonstrate your interest and enthusiasm - and help you evaluate the role.

It can be viewed negatively if a candidate doesn't have any questions or demonstrates by their questions that they hadn’t researched the company or paid attention during the interview. Make sure to have several go-to questions ready so that you can pivot if the interviewer covers the questions you had planned to ask during the course of the interview.

Express enthusiasm

The word enthusiasm is thrown around A LOT. But what does this really mean in the context of interviewing for a job? Do you really need to channel your inner cheerleader? Employers are looking for someone who is interested in the role, the company, the industry, the people – and demonstrates authentic curiosity and energy around each throughout the interview process. Do your homework, ask great questions, and be prepared for an in-depth conversation. And smile! You do not have to shout your interest from the rooftops, but don’t be afraid to convey your excitement and be direct with the interviewer that you find the opportunity compelling.

POST-INTERVIEW 

Thank You Note

While opinions vary on the necessity of thank you notes, they are generally appreciated and provide the opportunity to reinforce your interest in the role. A brief, well-crafted e-mail can make a positive impression. Some employers expect to receive them, so I encourage people to write them. There is no downside to doing so. So, when in doubt, write the note!

CONCLUSION

With preparation and the right mindset, the interview process can be enjoyable – or at a minimum, not entirely anxiety provoking! Having a plan and executing makes all the difference and will set you up for a mutual exchange where you are best presenting yourself and your experience, and you are obtaining information you need to make a well-reasoned career decision. Happy interviewing - you got this!