Interviews are not just a way to get to know candidates – they help candidates learn about firms
Law students preparing for recruitment spend considerable time thinking about the questions they will be asked. I would encourage them to devote just as much attention to what they need to learn about a prospective employer.
An interview is an early opportunity to understand how a firm teaches. Who will explain an unfamiliar assignment? What happens when a student needs clarification? How does someone learn whether their work met expectations?
As a managing partner, I believe these questions deserve serious answers. Students are choosing an environment in which they will develop their professional judgment. The quality of that environment matters well beyond the recruitment process.
A welcoming conversation is a useful beginning. Students should also ask how that welcome translates into the daily experience of learning to practise law.
Before an interview, review the firm's student program and choose a few questions that build on what it describes. If it promises exposure to several practice areas, ask how students receive guidance as they move between them. Preparation can help you evaluate the substance behind the description.
Ask how an assignment becomes a learning opportunity
Start by asking an interviewer to describe a recent assignment given to a student. Then explore what happened around the work itself.
Did the lawyer explain the client's objective? Was the student told how the assignment fitted into the larger matter? Was there an opportunity to discuss the result?
Those details help distinguish receiving work from receiving instruction. A student asked to research a legal issue needs to understand the question, the expected format and the deadline. Understanding why the answer matters helps the student make better choices about where to focus.
For example, ask: “When a student submits research, how do they learn whether it answered the question you needed resolved?” The answer can reveal more about training than a general assurance that the firm values mentorship.
Firms should be able to explain these practices clearly. Students should not have to guess what successful work looks like.
Find out who helps when uncertainty arises
A formal mentor can provide continuity, but students also need guidance from the lawyers assigning their work. One person cannot supply every explanation, answer or introduction a student will need.
Ask whom you would approach if instructions were unclear or two assignments had competing deadlines. Would you speak directly with the assigning lawyers? Is there someone who helps students manage workloads? How are those conversations handled?
The goal is to understand the route to a useful answer. Encouraging students to ask questions means little if they cannot identify whom to ask or when it is appropriate to interrupt.
For lawyers, this creates a practical responsibility. When giving an assignment, explain where the student should turn if an issue arises. A brief conversation at the outset can prevent avoidable confusion later.
Students can contribute by clarifying instructions, confirming deadlines and raising difficulties early.
Those habits are easier to develop where seeking guidance is treated as part of learning.
Listen for how feedback actually works
Feedback is most helpful when a student can use it on the next assignment. Ask whether students discuss their work with the lawyer who reviewed it, and what those discussions typically cover.
A revised document may show what changed without explaining the reasoning. A conversation about why a paragraph was removed or an argument reorganized can help a student apply the lesson elsewhere.
You might ask: “How do you help students understand the changes you make to their drafts?” Another useful question is whether students can see how their contribution was ultimately used, where appropriate.
The answers need not describe an elaborate program. What matters is whether lawyers make space to explain their decisions and give students specific guidance.
Students should also consider how they receive feedback. Being willing to listen, ask a focused follow-up question and apply a correction helps turn supervision into progress. Mentorship requires participation from both sides.
Use conversations across the firm to test your understanding
Recruitment offers a limited view of any workplace. Speaking with students, associates and partners can nevertheless help you understand how its training arrangements operate from different perspectives.
Ask current students what surprised them about their first assignments. Ask associates what helped them become more confident and whom they approached when they were unsure. Ask partners how they decide when a junior colleague is ready for more responsibility.
Listen for concrete examples. Different people will have different experiences; identical answers are neither necessary nor especially informative. You are trying to understand how people support one another when the work becomes demanding.
Notice whether there is room for your questions. An interviewer who explains an unfamiliar term or invites you to explore an answer gives you useful information about how they communicate.
Social events can provide another opportunity to have these conversations. You do not need to deliver a polished account of your future career. Curiosity about another person's development can lead to a more revealing exchange.
Recruitment should begin a conversation about learning
No interview can guarantee the quality of a future working relationship. A thoughtful question can, however, help students move beyond an impression and towards an informed choice.
For firms, the same questions are worth asking internally. Can we explain how students receive direction, resolve uncertainty and learn from corrections? Do our everyday habits support the training experience we describe during recruitment?
Students arrive with ability and ambition. They also arrive with things they have never done before. They should be able to seek help without feeling that each question undermines the decision to hire them.
The most useful recruitment conversations acknowledge that starting point. They give students a clearer understanding of how they will grow and remind lawyers that welcoming new colleagues entails accepting responsibility for their training.
