Covington & Burling Paralegal Interview Questions
& Process

I met with HR first. Then, I had to take a skills test on Microsoft Office in a private room where I wouldn't be interrupted. If I didn't pass a certain percentage on the test, the interview would end right there. After that, I met with the hiring manager.

I spent about 1.5 hours on the interview process and spoke with four different people. It started with a paralegal supervisor, then I chatted with some interesting HR folks, and wrapped up with another paralegal manager. They mainly asked standard behavioral questions and about my past experience at another firm. Honestly, I didn't find the interview itself to be very hard. However, I was kind of surprised during the HR conversation when they offered a compensation package that was about $10K lower than what the recruiter had told me. When I pointed out the discrepancy, their attitude shifted, and they became a bit defensive, which made me feel like things were not going well. Later, my recruiter let me know that they took offense to me questioning the compensation difference and decided to drop my application.

The hiring process was a bit unusual because I had a very pushy recruiter who was tight with HR, so it all happened in 2 weeks. Most firms are like this though; legal folks are scared of risks, so they do everything to make sure they are 'competitive,' meaning they're all the same. For firms this size and with this reputation, expect a phone screen or two, then 2 separate 2-hour in-person interviews spaced about a week apart. Don't freak out if you don't hear back the day after the first interview; hiring is a slow process. Just follow all the rules, or else. You'll first meet the admin staff, then the attorneys and partners you'd work with. If you want the job, know the firm's culture, which they market as a 'brain trust,' or at least enough to pretend you do. They brag about their culture, like most firms, so be ready to say their buzzwords a lot. But once you get past the culture talk, it gets more casual, so you can chill a bit. Heads up: the first interview is tougher than the second. The admin staff have more to lose if you don't work out, so be ready for the first one and expect to be tested, maybe even made uncomfortable; they might try to see how you handle pressure. If you get a second interview, feel good, but not *too* good; you can relax more.