20 Common Law Internship On-Campus Interview Questions

20 Common Law Internship On-Campus Interview Questions The on-campus interview (OCI): It has an ominous ring to it, maybe because of horror stories told by other law school students, maybe because of the pressure to do well. Almost all law schools offer some type of on-campus interview at the start of the students second year. Although your entire future may not hang on the success of your OCI, you definitely want to do well enough to proceed to the next step: the callback interview. If you manage that, your future will indeed be brighter.   You can do this, and you can do it well. In fact, you can ace it with the right preparation and if you know what to expect going in. The OCI Despite its name, the OCI may or may not actually take place on campus, but in a hotel conference room or another public facility. Its not with law school personnel, but rather with representatives of some of the foremost law firms in the area- even some outside the area. Theyre looking for the perfect students to staff their summer associate programs. And yes, that will look awesome on your resume even if your interview doesnt ultimately result in a summer  position, which is, of course, your ultimate goal.   Your meetings arent random. You must apply to your targeted firms first, and the firm will most likely receive a lot of bids. The firm then chooses who it wants to interview from among these bids. If youre chosen and if you do well, youll be invited back for that callback interview, which will most likely result in a summer job offer.   What Happens in the Law School Interview? Preparation means knowing what interview questions you can probably expect. Not every interview goes the same way, of course, so you may or may not be asked all the following questions. In a worst-case scenario, you wont be asked any of them. But you should at least have answers prepared for these so youre not caught off guard, and you can use them for ideas to branch out into other possible questions so you can prepare for those, too.   Why did you go to law school?Are you enjoying law school? What do you like/dislike about it?What classes do you enjoy/dislike?Do you feel youre getting a good legal education?If you could go back and decide whether to go to law school again, would you do it?Do you feel your GPA and/or class rank is representative of your legal abilities?Why do you think youd make a good lawyer?What is your biggest weakness?Do you like working on your own or on a team?How do you handle criticism?What is your proudest achievement?Where do you see yourself in 10 years?Do you consider yourself competitive?What have you learned from work experiences/student activities?Have you ever withdrawn from a class?What do you know about this firm?Why do you want to work at this firm?What areas of law interest you most?What types of books do you like to read?Do you have any questions? The last one can be tricky, but you are certainly entitled to ask a few questions of your own, so prepare for that possibility as well.