Five Things You Should Know Before Your Paralegal Interview in a Law Firm

Five particular characteristics bear on hiring practices. Once you have worked in the legal environment for a time, these characteristics will just seem like normal descriptions of the professional terrain; when you are new, they can befuddle and confuse you, cause apprehension, and perhaps keep you from getting hired for a job that you really wanted.

Often the challenge of getting hired for your first paralegal job will be knowing "How to fit into the special individuality of a small firm." Since many entry-level paralegal jobs are with sole practitioners and small firms, you must be ready to quickly analyze a host of factors from location, practice area, personality types, and age of the firm.


Most important, do not interview with preconceptions about the firm's individuality and personal style.

Individuality vs. homogeneity

Law firms are entrepreneurial professional practices that grow into various sizes and cultures. They all have a unique style and personality. They cultivate a special individuality and do not attempt the same look or identity. The personalities of the founding dominant partners will determine much of that special flavor. Some firms will be quiet and austere, others manic and active; some will be relaxed and friendly, others will be uptown, downtown, or suburban in attitude or style. The point here is that you cannot count on any one consistent kind of look for law firms.

Conservative and traditional

You may find some urban firms where you will see long hair, open collars, and a relaxed style, but those are exceptions. Expect to see a conservative and traditional world. Even with their unique personalities, styles, and cultures, law firms are still conservative and traditional. In the interview phase, in which you are still a stranger, you must hold to the image that the world you are entering was built upon generations of laws, cases, social values, political systems, and certain unwavering standards.

The effective legal interview is one that sounds and feels like a dialogue with an associate in the firm. You must educate yourself on terminology, buzz words, nomenclature, and vocabulary that is of that world.

Review your class notes and texts so that you can prepare yourself for specific kinds of practice area discussions. Immerse yourself in internship or externship experiences so that you can learn the language of those involved in the daily business of a dynamic, busy law office. Just remember that you, as the employable paralegal, should interview as a good solid citizen, an individual of strong values and standards, and a reliable person.

Serious and earnest

You will discover as you interview and, eventually, work in the field of law that everyone is in earnest about their practices. The law is a place where disputes are settled and business is done. Money is almost always passing hands and lives are always being affected. In this environment, people get serious. Everyone "plays for keeps." It does not matter if the lawsuit is about a dog bite or custody of a favorite cat-it's a lawsuit! One of the keys to effective interviewing is to reflect your seriousness without being grave. Be warm, without being flip. Get people to talk about their practices-most everyone loves to talk about their practice, and they definitely love to talk to people who are interested in that practice. One paralegal graduate recently said, "I was told I was hired because I was the most interested in the practice area."

Deadline-oriented

One attorney seeking to make a point in an interview once said, "If 3:00 on Tuesday afternoon is our deadline, then that is the most important date that week. Work in this place happens when it happens. You must be ready for it." The world you are now entering can get dramatic and intense at any time, on any day, depending upon the docket. The work flow is not predictable. As a successful interviewee, you must portray yourself as practical, hardworking, and eager to get the job done.

Exclusivity

Lawyers are in a special group. They went to law school and passed into a community of professionals. The firms that arise from this community of professionals have an exclusivity about them. Paralegals have educational and experiential requirements.

Legal secretaries also have extensive training and experiential requirements. New paralegals must present themselves as professionals, but understand that they are not yet a part of the club. Law firms are teams of tightly knit professionals who have all become familiar with one another and have become accustomed to each others' behaviors and patterns. When a new person joins this "family," the real test (after qualifying them) is whether they think they will be able to get along with the new person.

An interviewee who communicates an attractive warmth, ease, and diplomacy will probably have an edge.

You should be seeing a clear picture of law firms developing, as each of these qualities works off the other. Law firms tend to be individuated, deadline-oriented, serious places that are conservative and intense, populated with teams of highly trained professionals who must work closely with one another and face changing and sometimes dramatic work flow changes. This description by no means pretends to depict the totality of law firm life, but these factors are paramount in the interview process. The well-trained and prepared paralegal applicant considers these elements when constructing his or her presentations.

See the following articles for more information:
 

• 21 Major Interview Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs
• The Best Way to Prepare for a Job Search and Interviews
• How to Talk About Other Interviews in Your Interviews
• How to Answer the Tell Me About Yourself Interview Question
• How to Answer the Do You Have Any Questions for Me Interview Question