5 Paralegal Interview Questions You Have to be Ready For

Job interviews are challenging in almost all stages of the hunt for a job. It needs thorough research and builds up confidence. Preparing for a paralegal interview might be overwhelming. Still, one of the keys to success during an interview lies in good knowledge of what your prospective employer is looking for. Here are five questions you should be prepared to answer and some tips for responding effectively.

Why do you want to be a Paralegal?

This question gets at your motivation and dedication to the field.

• Be honest and specific.
• Explain what interested you in the paralegal profession: interest in the law, the will to assist with the legal processes or passion for research and organization.
• Mention any relevant experiences or role models that made you enter this vocation.

One can say, for example:

“I decided to become a paralegal because I find the legal system’s goal of administering justice inspiring. I interned at a local law firm during college and loved legal research and case prep. That’s when I knew I wanted to become a paralegal.”

How Do You Manage Stressful Situations and Tight Deadlines?

The legal field is notorious for pressured situations and tight deadlines. Interviewers want to know whether you can deal with stress.

Give specific examples where one has sorted out pressure situations or tight deadlines. Outline organizational skills, time management, and what kept one’s head calm and composed.

Example Answer:

“I manage the stress that comes from time pressures at work by being well-organized and prioritizing my work. For example, last year, I was reassigned to help with last-minute trial prep for a big case and was asked to review and produce significant documentation in less than a week. I immediately started time-blocking my schedule for the coming days to ensure I had allocated time to complete all required tasks. This helped me stay focused on the task as I moved through my day because I had confidence that I had a plan for the remaining tasks.”

Describe Your Experience with Legal Research

Legal research is a big-ticket skill for paralegals so interviewers will be interested in your experience in this area.

Mention any experience with legal research tools and databases. Be sure to mention any classwork or project work relevant to the field, showing your competence in conducting factual research.

How do you ensure your work is accurate?

Attention to detail is crucial as a paralegal. Legal employers want to ensure you have this important skill, as it mitigates the risk that errors in your work will negatively impact the outcome of a case for their clients.

Describe your system for maintaining high levels of accuracy by double-checking work or using checklists and give examples of how this attention to detail has benefited you in school or the workplace.

Example:

“I understand that the work I do is important and that seemingly small mistakes can have big impacts on our clients. I like to create task-specific checklists for myself so that I remember to double-check my work and ensure everything relevant has been captured. In legal briefs, for instance, I check every citation to see that it is proper and accurate.”

How Do You Handle Confidential Information?

Since paralegals often have access to privileged information, you must instill confidence in your prospective employer that you understand the importance of confidentiality. Describe what confidentiality means to you and the safeguards you take when handling sensitive information. Mention any training or certifications that emphasize the issue of confidentiality within the legal environment.

Train for a Career as a Paralegal at Northwest Career College

If you are interested in pursuing a paralegal career interests, Northwest Career College is the school for you. Northwest boasts a comprehensive package of studies to set forth possible future paralegals.

Our faculty, consisting of local attorneys and paralegals, guide Paralegal students through a wide variety of hands-on experiences, including::

• Legal research.
• Preparing documents.
• Managing case files.

These experiences ensure you will have practical examples to the interview questions described above (and more!) g.