Legal Aid Society Lawyer Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process was relaxed but professional, not overly scripted. There were three rounds. It happened during the pandemic. I was told verbally I got the job and they just needed to wait for HQ to sign off. I was told it would be 4 weeks, then 2 months, then they still really wanted me, and then silence. I finally heard back 16 months after the verbal offer, that they were hiring and asking if I was still interested.

A secretary reached out to set up an interview, but no schedule was provided. First, I met with three managing attorneys. One of them questioned my motives for applying pretty intensely, almost unprofessionally. After they left, about 8-10 staff attorneys came in and asked a ton of questions. They didn't explain the process at all beforehand. Talking to the staff attorneys was a bit easier than the managing ones, but the whole thing felt a little chaotic. They didn't really do a good job of selling the position. The most frustrating part was that they never even bothered to let me know I didn't get the job. It's a common thing in NYC, but it always gets under my skin.

It was a two-stage interview process. The first stage involved typical interview questions plus two simulations based on a hypothetical scenario provided beforehand. The second stage was a more relaxed one-on-one chat with the head of the practice.