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Legal Advisor Interview Questions

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Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

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Whether you are preparing to interview a candidate or applying for a job, review our list of top Legal Advisor interview questions and answers.

  1. Why should we hire you as our Legal Advisor? See answer
  2. Why do you want to be a Legal Advisor? See answer
  3. How do you ensure you remain calm even when under pressure? See answer
  4. How do you handle working for and with difficult people at work? See answer
  5. How do you ensure you stay current with legal developments? See answer
  6. What management style do you use when handling your legal team? See answer
  7. What do you do if you disagree with management on a certain legal matter? See answer
  8. In complex matters, how do you decide whether to engage outside counsel given a limited budget? See answer
  9. As a Legal Advisor, you’ll often have challenging tasks. What’s your philosophy towards work?
  10. As the Legal Advisor, you’ll have to deliver bad news to management. How do you ensure that you deliver the news effectively?
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Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

Read our editorial guidelines

10 Legal Advisor Interview Questions and Answers

Why should we hire you as our Legal Advisor?

The purpose of this question is to see if the potential hire has done some research on your company. It also helps you to know if they can add any value to your company. A strong applicant should highlight their skills and experiences that are relevant to the job. What to look for in an answer:

  • Confidence in their ability
  • Experience leading a legal team in an organisation
  • Knowledge of the role of a Legal Advisor

Example:

"In my previous role, I worked in a corporate legal department, where we used legal governance, compliance and risk management to tackle business problems. I could use the same ideologies as the Legal Advisor and help your company grow even further."

Why do you want to be a Legal Advisor?

A Legal Advisor's role is to advise the management on legal issues. While being a Legal Advisor earns good pay, you should ask your potential hire to see if they have a genuine interest in the role. What to look for in an answer:

  • Genuine love for the law
  • The right attitude towards the job
  • Knowledge and experience

Example:

 'I'm highly interested in corporate law and have always wanted to work in a corporate environment. The role of a Legal Advisor gives me a chance to support the business at a strategic level, and at the same time, it gives me room for career advancement."

How do you ensure you remain calm even when under pressure?

The field of law can be challenging and sometimes stressful, not to mention working in a corporate environment. Legal advisors have to meet tight deadlines that can result in serious problems if not adhered to. That means there're times the Legal Advisor has to work under pressure and still perform at their best. What to look for in an answer:

  • Ability to prioritise
  • Willingness to delegate where need be
  • Thrives under pressure

Example:

"In my experience, I've learnt that I thrive when under pressure. I take time to analyse the tasks at hand and then prioritise them according to their urgency and need. If I cannot handle all the jobs within a given framework, I've learnt that it's best to delegate some tasks as long as I supervise them."

As a Legal Advisor, you'll often have challenging tasks. What's your philosophy towards work?

As an employer, you need a Legal Advisor who values work and who'll do anything to accomplish the task at hand. It would help if you had a creative and confident candidate that's willing to complete tasks by any means necessary. What to look for in an answer:

  • A hardworking spirit
  • Persistence and perseverance
  • Willingness to seek help 

Example:

"As a Legal Advisor, most cases require persistence and perseverance. I have to do due diligence and extensive research to find ways to protect my company against lawsuits. My philosophy is to complete tasks with any means necessary even if it means seeking help or spending long hours at work."

How do you handle working for and with difficult people at work?

In any working environment, there're always difficult people that are challenging to work with. This question helps you understand how your candidate handles working in a tense environment and still meet the set goals. What to look for in an answer:

  • Ability to remain focused even when under stress
  • Excellent interpersonal skills
  • Good decision-making skills

Example:

"I recognise that people have different attitudes towards work, which means there's a chance that tension and disagreements may occur. I'm committed to my job and cannot allow other people's opinions or attitudes to deter me from my work. I try not to focus on the tension."

How do you ensure you stay current with legal developments?

Laws and regulations sometimes change. You need a Legal Advisor that can stay current with legal developments to spot opportunities or threats that may affect your organisation. What to look for in an answer:

  • Ability and plan to stay current 
  • Promptness in implementing new laws
  • Communication skills

Example:

"As a Legal Advisor, it's my job to stay up to date with legal developments and inform management. I attend legal conferences, read industry blogs and interact with other lawyers to keep abreast with any legal changes."

What management style do you use when handling your legal team?

When hiring a Legal Advisor, you need a candidate who has good management skills. You need a person who can guide and inspire a team. A good candidate should allow their team to shine without feeling intimidated by their success. What to look for in an answer: 

  • Leadership and management skills
  • Ability to work in a team
  • Confidence and self-assurance

Example:

"As the Legal Advisor and leader of my team, I ensure that my team feels valued and appreciated. I'm willing to delegate tasks, supervise and guide my team whenever they need me. I monitor them closely but still allow them to shine in their wins."

As the Legal Advisor, you'll have to deliver bad news to management. How do you ensure that you deliver the news effectively?

A Legal Advisor has to inform management of any legal matters that need addressing. Sometimes, management may not be so welcoming, and it can be challenging to deliver bad news. Your candidate should have excellent communication skills to provide guidance in complex and challenging situations. What to look for in an answer:

  • Ability to communicate sensitive information
  • Confidence and ability to thrive under pressure
  • Promptness to react to challenges

Example:

"Before delivering any bad news, I first have to be sure that there's no alternative. If I can find a solution to the problem, then it'll be easier to deliver the news. That way, I can soften the blow of the bad news by giving them tangible solutions to the problem."

What do you do if you disagree with management on a certain legal matter?

It's not always that your Legal Advisor will agree with management on legal matters. A good candidate should be able to remain firm without ruining their professional relationship with management. What to look for in an answer:

  • Integrity to uphold the law
  • Effective communication skills
  • Confidence and ability not to be intimidated

Example:

"I know that sometimes I'll disagree with management's views. But, I'll not reject any suggestions without first checking if they can work. If not, I'll communicate my views effectively to ensure the management understands my point of view."

In complex matters, how do you decide whether to engage outside counsel given a limited budget?

Hiring outside counsel may involve high costs that can constrain your budget. You have to ensure your new hire has the ability to decide cases that need outside counsel, minding their department budget. What to look for in an answer:

  • Ability to prioritise and use a limited budget
  • Good decision-making skills
  • Creativity when facing challenges

Example:

"Some complex cases might be difficult to handle in-house, thus requiring outside counsel. However, before I seek outside counsel, I'll ensure that I've explored everything my team offers. If we cannot find a solution, I'll use the established company frameworks to source for an outside counsel that fits our department budget."

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