I pride myself oncreating organized methods specific to each project or assignment to smooth the intake of work and get through it efficiently. But working in the law is to think in a different way than most. So at the beginning of my law school career I would over or underestimate the time it would take to do something. I create these methods quickly so overestimating doesn’t cause any problems except annoyance on my part, but underestimating stagnated the process and slowed me down. I have used my time in law school to lean towards overestimating but also to keep track of the amount of time specific types of work take. So now I have a feel for the work and the time things could take to do once I have my details. I also make sure to add modular components to my existing mechanisms so that I can adjust to unforeseen circumstances.
How about something like: "I tend to do things with a strong conviction that I'm right and this can be a double-edged sword. I sometimes find myself diving into the wrong end of the pool head first so to speak. For example, I will give 100% on a project only to find out that I misunderstood an instruction. Lately, I've taken steps to remedy this by asking more questions at the start of any assignment or task."
That sounds great!! It's very humble and self-aware and shows that you are taking steps to improve! The only tweak I would make is to isolate this "weakness" to a specific scenario so that the implication is that it happened ONCE and not that it happens all the time. So I would tell a story about ONE time where you dove head first into a project and later found out that there was a detail of the project you misinterpreted, and that now you always adopt the practice to ask thorough questions before taking steps forward.
@@AngelaVorpahl I appreciate the advice! Also, great job on the videos. I've watched them throughout the admissions process and until now where I'm getting information not prevalent at zoom school of law. You are basically a part of my legal education. Thank you.
@@TheBufftwinkie Haha that makes me so happy to hear! I'm glad they've resonated with you! I also run a free FB group for law students where I offer additional support, would you like the link to join? :)
I’m a special education teacher (10th year as M.Ed) working on my National Board Teacher Certification (NBCT) and a special needs mom of an adult (31 yrs) with multi-disabilities. I’m very familiar with the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) and Americans with Disabilities (ADA). For years, I’ve watched UA-camrs, who are esteemed lawyers in SpEd law, talk about case law and do trainings so that I know what TO DO or NOT to do. I wish I could go back to school and ‘complete’ my career path and serve parents and children with special needs, on the legal side of special education, but I’d be 61 by the time I finish. Besides advocacy (I think that could be a conflict of interest as a teacher), I don’t know if what I want is possible. What is the job market like for a 61-year-old lawyer, starting out?
That is an amazing vision! I know it can be tough going back to school later in life, and I think one of the best ways to get a sense for what that would be like is to talk to other people who have done it. I made a video called "nontraditional law students" where I interviewed about a dozen lawyers who went to law school later in life, and compiled their experiences and advice. I would definitely recommend checking out that video, and the best part is that everyone who contributed their stories said that they are completely open to talking to others who are considering law school later in life - so feel free to grab their contact information in the description of the video and reach out to them to continue the conversation!
Ooh I love that! I made a video about being a working lawyer mom (ua-cam.com/video/_9Ym4APEjlE/v-deo.html), but there's so much to unpack there that I think it would be fun to make a follow-up video to talk specifically to women who have stayed with their law firm after having multiple kids.
Great tips! I also like to end my weakness with a distraction technique like - so I have done this in the past and have worked to change that, do you guys provide any mentorship so I can ask someone in particular if I have a similar question while working here? So I don't end with my "negative". Cuz you know, I hate talking about my imperfections!!!!
Ooh interesting tactic. My only hesitation with it is that I really like making the vibe and energy of the interview all about how I can add value to them and help serve their team and their clients. So even though asking about mentorship programs is totally fair game, I would recommend not even going there because I want zero percent of the focus to be on what they can do for me, and 100% of the focus on what I can do for them.
👉 SNAG THE "BEST QUESTIONS TO ASK IN LAW FIRM INTERVIEWS” GUIDE: launch.angelavorpahl.com/best-questions-to-ask-visit Have any questions on answering tough law firm interview questions? Drop em in the comments below 👇🏼
Best answer I have come across to "What is your greatest weakness" was, "I have no weaknesses that would prevent me from performing this job successfully." Keeps it tight and job focused. It's not saying you don't have weaknesses, just none that would unreasonably inhibit job performance. I'm a very blunt person (veteran here), so this is my preferred answer- however... While I think this is a great answer, I recognize it probably isn't what most interviewers will be able to appreciate. I like the approach you take of reframing it to a particular instance to limit the potential scope of the weakness.
Hi James! I love the directness of that answer! Unfortunately I do agree with you that it would come across as a bit blunt and an attempt to get around answering the question. A lot of why lawyers are asking these questions is to get a sense for how you are able to characterize your experiences and your skill set. And how you're able to talk on your feet and communicate about what you've done in the past and your awareness of what the job requires and how you can perform the tasks well is a big part of what they're looking for :)
I would rephrase that to be more specific and say "confidence in public speaking" or "confidence in the way I relate to the other incredibly accomplished members of my law school class," so that you can follow it up with (e.g.) all the steps you're taking to improve your public speaking skills, and how your past experiences and academic excellence demonstrate your abilities and that you know you are just as capable and intelligent as the members of your class (respectively). :)
Hmm I would rephrase this for an interview answer by saying that I have very high expectations for the quality of the work product I put out, and by extension, I have the same expectations for the work put out by other members of my team. In one particular instance (e.g. in my role as manager for a hotel), I became frustrated with one particular employee's seeming disregard for the quality standards expected of our sector, and I had a very stern conversation with him, only to find out that he was completely mistaken as to the duties he was expected to perform. That experience taught me to always give someone the benefit of the doubt and explain to them how to improve before assuming that they are underperforming purposefully.
Ooh that's a good one! You can definitely use that in an interview answer if you can identify a specific situation where being too nice caused a problem and how you altered your behavior / fixed that weakness with your work going forward.
I pride myself oncreating organized methods specific to each project or assignment to smooth the intake of work and get through it efficiently. But working in the law is to think in a different way than most. So at the beginning of my law school career I would over or underestimate the time it would take to do something. I create these methods quickly so overestimating doesn’t cause any problems except annoyance on my part, but underestimating stagnated the process and slowed me down. I have used my time in law school to lean towards overestimating but also to keep track of the amount of time specific types of work take. So now I have a feel for the work and the time things could take to do once I have my details. I also make sure to add modular components to my existing mechanisms so that I can adjust to unforeseen circumstances.
How about something like: "I tend to do things with a strong conviction that I'm right and this can be a double-edged sword. I sometimes find myself diving into the wrong end of the pool head first so to speak. For example, I will give 100% on a project only to find out that I misunderstood an instruction. Lately, I've taken steps to remedy this by asking more questions at the start of any assignment or task."
That sounds great!! It's very humble and self-aware and shows that you are taking steps to improve! The only tweak I would make is to isolate this "weakness" to a specific scenario so that the implication is that it happened ONCE and not that it happens all the time. So I would tell a story about ONE time where you dove head first into a project and later found out that there was a detail of the project you misinterpreted, and that now you always adopt the practice to ask thorough questions before taking steps forward.
@@AngelaVorpahl I appreciate the advice! Also, great job on the videos. I've watched them throughout the admissions process and until now where I'm getting information not prevalent at zoom school of law. You are basically a part of my legal education. Thank you.
@@TheBufftwinkie Haha that makes me so happy to hear! I'm glad they've resonated with you! I also run a free FB group for law students where I offer additional support, would you like the link to join? :)
Yup! That's me to a T
I’m a special education teacher (10th year as M.Ed) working on my National Board Teacher Certification (NBCT) and a special needs mom of an adult (31 yrs) with multi-disabilities. I’m very familiar with the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) and Americans with Disabilities (ADA). For years, I’ve watched UA-camrs, who are esteemed lawyers in SpEd law, talk about case law and do trainings so that I know what TO DO or NOT to do. I wish I could go back to school and ‘complete’ my career path and serve parents and children with special needs, on the legal side of special education, but I’d be 61 by the time I finish. Besides advocacy (I think that could be a conflict of interest as a teacher), I don’t know if what I want is possible. What is the job market like for a 61-year-old lawyer, starting out?
That is an amazing vision! I know it can be tough going back to school later in life, and I think one of the best ways to get a sense for what that would be like is to talk to other people who have done it. I made a video called "nontraditional law students" where I interviewed about a dozen lawyers who went to law school later in life, and compiled their experiences and advice. I would definitely recommend checking out that video, and the best part is that everyone who contributed their stories said that they are completely open to talking to others who are considering law school later in life - so feel free to grab their contact information in the description of the video and reach out to them to continue the conversation!
Would you consider making a video about women who follow the so-called "Mommy Track" at a law firm?
Ooh I love that! I made a video about being a working lawyer mom (ua-cam.com/video/_9Ym4APEjlE/v-deo.html), but there's so much to unpack there that I think it would be fun to make a follow-up video to talk specifically to women who have stayed with their law firm after having multiple kids.
Great tips! I also like to end my weakness with a distraction technique like - so I have done this in the past and have worked to change that, do you guys provide any mentorship so I can ask someone in particular if I have a similar question while working here? So I don't end with my "negative". Cuz you know, I hate talking about my imperfections!!!!
Ooh interesting tactic. My only hesitation with it is that I really like making the vibe and energy of the interview all about how I can add value to them and help serve their team and their clients. So even though asking about mentorship programs is totally fair game, I would recommend not even going there because I want zero percent of the focus to be on what they can do for me, and 100% of the focus on what I can do for them.
👉 SNAG THE "BEST QUESTIONS TO ASK IN LAW FIRM INTERVIEWS” GUIDE: launch.angelavorpahl.com/best-questions-to-ask-visit
Have any questions on answering tough law firm interview questions? Drop em in the comments below 👇🏼
Best answer I have come across to "What is your greatest weakness" was, "I have no weaknesses that would prevent me from performing this job successfully." Keeps it tight and job focused. It's not saying you don't have weaknesses, just none that would unreasonably inhibit job performance. I'm a very blunt person (veteran here), so this is my preferred answer- however...
While I think this is a great answer, I recognize it probably isn't what most interviewers will be able to appreciate. I like the approach you take of reframing it to a particular instance to limit the potential scope of the weakness.
Hi James! I love the directness of that answer! Unfortunately I do agree with you that it would come across as a bit blunt and an attempt to get around answering the question. A lot of why lawyers are asking these questions is to get a sense for how you are able to characterize your experiences and your skill set. And how you're able to talk on your feet and communicate about what you've done in the past and your awareness of what the job requires and how you can perform the tasks well is a big part of what they're looking for :)
@@AngelaVorpahl I agree with you completely. I would imagine most anyone who is getting paid a boatload of cash has to have finesse and tact.
Self-Confidence is my weakness
I would rephrase that to be more specific and say "confidence in public speaking" or "confidence in the way I relate to the other incredibly accomplished members of my law school class," so that you can follow it up with (e.g.) all the steps you're taking to improve your public speaking skills, and how your past experiences and academic excellence demonstrate your abilities and that you know you are just as capable and intelligent as the members of your class (respectively). :)
@@AngelaVorpahl You are always right 😉
@@CoolHandLuke1117 Haha definitely not always, just sharing what I can :)
I’m a perfectionist and get disgruntled from the most minor things and don’t forget it
Hmm I would rephrase this for an interview answer by saying that I have very high expectations for the quality of the work product I put out, and by extension, I have the same expectations for the work put out by other members of my team. In one particular instance (e.g. in my role as manager for a hotel), I became frustrated with one particular employee's seeming disregard for the quality standards expected of our sector, and I had a very stern conversation with him, only to find out that he was completely mistaken as to the duties he was expected to perform. That experience taught me to always give someone the benefit of the doubt and explain to them how to improve before assuming that they are underperforming purposefully.
@@AngelaVorpahl Great input, thanks!
Being too nice
I felt that
Ooh that's a good one! You can definitely use that in an interview answer if you can identify a specific situation where being too nice caused a problem and how you altered your behavior / fixed that weakness with your work going forward.
who are you?what are your strengths and weaknesses as an Individual ? Will you please answer this?