Baker McKenzie Legal Interview Questions
& Process

I applied online, and then got a call from HR to talk about my resumé, past work and what I'm doing now. After that, I had an in-person interview with the partner and some other team members. During the interview, they told me about the firm and their practice, then the partner asked me questions about my background and why I wanted the job. I also talked with the other team members about my experience, what it's like to work there, and their own experiences. It was all pretty pleasant and everyone was nice. A few days later, I got a preliminary offer with a salary that was lower than average and couldn't be negotiated. But nothing was official until I met with the managing partner of the team, which was a few days after that. That meeting was the worst interview ever. It wasn't even really an interview, more like a long speech from a guy who was rude from the start. He put me down, insulted my past work (even though I'd done similar jobs for years), questioned if I was telling the truth, and told me why he thought I wasn't a good fit. He literally said he wanted someone younger (I'm over 40). His behavior was terrible. I told HR I was pulling my application and why. That meeting showed me the firm is a toxic place to work, which matches other reviews.

Before the main interview, I had a few quick chats on the phone with the hiring partner. When I got to the office for the interview, they first told me all about the firm, what they do, what a law clerk's day is usually like, and what the career path looks like. Then, the hiring partner asked me some general questions about what I liked in law, if I planned to study abroad, and what my academic goals were. About 30-40 minutes in, we took a walk around the office. After that, I spent about 30 minutes with two current law clerks who answered all my questions. Finally, the hiring partner came back in to wrap things up. I got a job offer that same day.

Face-to-face interview with HR. Personal and legal knowledge questions. The interviewer was very friendly, although some questions are a bit tricky. The interview is long, and they make you speak in English more than once.