Legal Secretary interview questions and answers
This sample of Legal Secretary interview questions will help you evaluate and hire the best candidates to perform administrative tasks, communicate with clients and record pertinent legal information for your company.
Legal Secretary Interview Questions
Legal secretaries provide administrative support to law firms or legal departments and possess thorough knowledge of legal procedures and documentation. They’re also responsible for making sure office operations run smoothly.
A law degree isn’t essential for this position, but candidates with Legal Secretary certification will stand out. Keep an eye out for candidates who have previous experience in similar roles, as they’ll be more familiar with legal terminology and regular tasks (e.g. preparing briefs of cases and submitting courtroom documents.)
Successful legal secretaries have a sharp attention to detail, time-management skills and the ability to handle confidential information. Use the following questions to identify potential hires who will effectively support attorneys and communicate professionally with clients and external partners. If necessary, add a test to your hiring process to evaluate candidates’ typing skills.
Operational and Situational questions
- How would you prioritize work if several attorneys assigned you various tasks with the same deadline?
- An attorney is in a rush to the courthouse and asks you to print some important documents, but the printer isn’t working. How would you handle this situation?
- You’re in the middle of typing a brief of a testimony when the phone rings. What do you do?
- What information would you ask from an attorney and/or client before you start researching a new case?
Role-specific questions
- What office equipment do you use at work?
- What filing system do you use to protect confidential data?
- What do you do before and after recording minutes to a trial or meeting?
- What’s your experience in preparing depositions and/or subpoenas?
- How fast can you type? How do you check your work for accuracy?
- What do you think the majority of our firm’s cases revolve around?
Behavioral questions
- What fields of law do you find the most fascinating? Why?
- Describe a time when your eye for detail saved you or a co-worker from making a mistake at work.
- Have you ever faced an ethical dilemma at work? If so, what was it and how did you handle it?
- Do you prefer to communicate with clients by phone, email or in-person? Why?
- How would you handle working with demanding clients?