Interviews

Standard law school interview questions

Why do you want to be a lawyer? [Duh.]
What do you hope to do or accomplish with your JD?
Why are you interested in X type of law?
Why are you applying to law school now?
Why are you switching careers? (For older applicants.)
What interests you about our school?
Tell me about a time you were challenged while working on a team.
Tell me about a time you overcame an obstacle.
What have you learned at your current job?
Why did you study [something you studied at grad school] and how will it inform your career?
Tell me about a time you showcased leadership.
Talk to me about [the hobbies or interests you listed on your resume].
What do you do for fun?

You must be prepared to talk about the following:

your résumé and experience
your interest in law in general
your interest in their law school in particular

You should probably be prepared to talk about these:

an academic or professional accomplishment
a mistake, failure, or weakness
a time you worked on a team

A word about preparing and being unprepared

Don't memorize lines. That will sound stilted. This is a conversation, not an essay. Speech is supposed to be messy. If they wanted written answers to written questions, they'd have sent you written questions.

Expect curve balls. It's okay to take time to think. You could say something like: "Wow! That's an interesting question! I hadn't thought about that before. I guess if I had to give a preliminary answer, I'd say..." (But don't memorize that!)

It's also okay to say you're a little nervous: "Sorry, I'm a little nervous." Just pick up the thread. They don't expect perfection. They're watching to make sure you can perform in an interview environment without freaking out.

Questions for the interviewer

At the end of almost all interviews, they'll ask you if you have any questions for them. This is your opportunity to show your interest and ask anything you'd like to know. There are basically two categories of questions here: genuine questions and suck-up questions.

Suck-up questions are designed to show off your knowledge of a program or convey your eagerness. Example: "I see that your Immigration Rights Clinic helps clients mount detention challenges, and I'm wondering how successful those challenges have been in the current political environment." Softball suck-up questions include: "What does Harvard do to promote a sense of community in its large student body?" Make sure that the answer to your suck-up question isn't easily available online.

Genuine questions are usually more broad. Example: "what's student housing like?" I'm a fan of authenticity in general, and this sort of question shows that you're seriously considering going there and spending a lot of money on it.

A few questions are both suck-uppy and genuine. Example: "What's your favorite part of the law school?" or "What do you remember about your days as a student here?" (The latter only works, obviously, if your interviewer went there.)

Dress business casual.
Make sure you show up early for in-person interviews. There's no excuse for being late.
Make sure you have a reliable internet connection, and do what you can to clear bandwidth: don't download anything big beforehand; consider moving closer to your router.
Be friendly, charming, and enthusiastic. Smile even if you're on the phone. Don't panic.
Prepare at least two questions for them.

After the interview...

You should send your interviewer a short, polite thank you note. If you can't find your interviewer's email address, you can send your thank you note to the email address of the general admissions office.

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University of Virginia

April 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Other

How do you handle stress? What makes you unique? Describe your leadership experience.

April 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Other

How do you handle stress? What makes you unique? Describe your leadership experience.

April 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Admissions officer

Why do you want to attend law school? What are your career goals? Tell me about a challenge you faced.

April 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Admissions officer

Why do you want to attend law school? What are your career goals? Tell me about a challenge you faced.

University of Chicago

April 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Alumnus

What do you know about our school? How will you contribute to our community? What are your strengths and weaknesses?

April 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Alumnus

What do you know about our school? How will you contribute to our community? What are your strengths and weaknesses?

December 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Other

What do you know about our school? How will you contribute to our community? What are your strengths and weaknesses?

December 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Other

What do you know about our school? How will you contribute to our community? What are your strengths and weaknesses?

July 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Group

Why do you want to attend law school? What are your career goals? Tell me about a challenge you faced.

July 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Group

Why do you want to attend law school? What are your career goals? Tell me about a challenge you faced.

March 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Alumnus

Why do you want to attend law school? What are your career goals? Tell me about a challenge you faced.

March 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Alumnus

Why do you want to attend law school? What are your career goals? Tell me about a challenge you faced.

University of Pennsylvania

July 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Kira

How do you handle stress? What makes you unique? Describe your leadership experience.

July 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Kira

How do you handle stress? What makes you unique? Describe your leadership experience.

March 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Kira

How do you handle stress? What makes you unique? Describe your leadership experience.

March 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Kira

How do you handle stress? What makes you unique? Describe your leadership experience.

University of Michigan

January 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Group

What do you know about our school? How will you contribute to our community? What are your strengths and weaknesses?

January 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Group

What do you know about our school? How will you contribute to our community? What are your strengths and weaknesses?

University of California - Berkeley

December 2024

· 2024-2025 cycle

Admissions officer

Why do you want to attend law school? What are your career goals? Tell me about a challenge you faced.

December 2024

· 2024-2025 cycle

Admissions officer

Why do you want to attend law school? What are your career goals? Tell me about a challenge you faced.

University of California - Los Angeles

July 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Group

How do you handle stress? What makes you unique? Describe your leadership experience.

July 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Group

How do you handle stress? What makes you unique? Describe your leadership experience.

University of Texas at Austin

November 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Other

Why do you want to attend law school? What are your career goals? Tell me about a challenge you faced.

November 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Other

Why do you want to attend law school? What are your career goals? Tell me about a challenge you faced.

Georgetown University

September 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Group

What do you know about our school? How will you contribute to our community? What are your strengths and weaknesses?

September 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Group

What do you know about our school? How will you contribute to our community? What are your strengths and weaknesses?

University of Southern California

June 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Admissions officer

What do you know about our school? How will you contribute to our community? What are your strengths and weaknesses?

June 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Admissions officer

What do you know about our school? How will you contribute to our community? What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Washington University in St. Louis

August 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Alumnus

Why do you want to attend law school? What are your career goals? Tell me about a challenge you faced.

August 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Alumnus

Why do you want to attend law school? What are your career goals? Tell me about a challenge you faced.

Vanderbilt University

September 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Group

How do you handle stress? What makes you unique? Describe your leadership experience.

September 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Group

How do you handle stress? What makes you unique? Describe your leadership experience.

July 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Alumnus

Why do you want to attend law school? What are your career goals? Tell me about a challenge you faced.

July 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Alumnus

Why do you want to attend law school? What are your career goals? Tell me about a challenge you faced.

November 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Alumnus

Why do you want to attend law school? What are your career goals? Tell me about a challenge you faced.

November 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Alumnus

Why do you want to attend law school? What are your career goals? Tell me about a challenge you faced.

Northwestern University

May 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Alumnus

What do you know about our school? How will you contribute to our community? What are your strengths and weaknesses?

May 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Alumnus

What do you know about our school? How will you contribute to our community? What are your strengths and weaknesses?

December 2024

· 2024-2025 cycle

Kira

What do you know about our school? How will you contribute to our community? What are your strengths and weaknesses?

December 2024

· 2024-2025 cycle

Kira

What do you know about our school? How will you contribute to our community? What are your strengths and weaknesses?

University of Florida (Levin)

December 2024

· 2024-2025 cycle

Other

Why do you want to attend law school? What are your career goals? Tell me about a challenge you faced.

December 2024

· 2024-2025 cycle

Other

Why do you want to attend law school? What are your career goals? Tell me about a challenge you faced.

George Washington University

July 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Group

How do you handle stress? What makes you unique? Describe your leadership experience.

July 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Group

How do you handle stress? What makes you unique? Describe your leadership experience.

University of Georgia

September 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Admissions officer

Why do you want to attend law school? What are your career goals? Tell me about a challenge you faced.

September 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Admissions officer

Why do you want to attend law school? What are your career goals? Tell me about a challenge you faced.

University of North Carolina

September 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Kira

Why do you want to attend law school? What are your career goals? Tell me about a challenge you faced.

September 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Kira

Why do you want to attend law school? What are your career goals? Tell me about a challenge you faced.

University of Minnesota

November 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Group

What do you know about our school? How will you contribute to our community? What are your strengths and weaknesses?

November 2025

· 2024-2025 cycle

Group

What do you know about our school? How will you contribute to our community? What are your strengths and weaknesses?