Law School Interview Questions

"Looking forward to starting law school this fall, you will be making a transition to a new setting. What are some things you value in a community as you think about making a home for yourself over the next three years?"

- people who are thoughtful - interested in ideas and different perspectives and carefully thinking through their opinions, as well as just kind, collaborative, want to see other people succeed

When did you begin pursuing law school?

After college graduation I was really interested in law - KLG - UPAS - Feb 2020

If you had to choose any contemporary or historical figure to be your mentor, who would it be?

Angela Davis

What is a time you changed your behavior to make someone else more comfortable? How did it feel?

As women we are socialized to make other people more comfortable at the expense of our own comfort (manspreading on subways v. women who often cross their legs or take up less space). Speaking spanish in meetings

If someone asks you for help, how do you handle it?

Ask them questions about the problem, so that we can both get all the information we need to understand what's at the root of it. Ask questions and have a conversation so that they can come to the right solution for themselves. What works for one person might not work for another so I think the most effective way to fix a problem is to help someone else identify the solution that's best for them Offer suggestions, but I think I often go back to a tenet of organizing that is: Don't do for others what they can do for themselves. At the end of the day, I think it's important to remember my own boundaries and that I can't solve everything, and that for others to most effectively solve a problem, they need to find the solution that's best for them

What do you do when someone comes to you with a problem?

Ask them questions about the problem, so that we can both get all the information we need to understand what's at the root of it. Ask questions and have a conversation so that they can come to the right solution for themselves. What works for one person might not work for another so I think the most effective way to fix a problem is to help someone else identify the solution that's best for them Offer suggestions, but I think I often go back to a tenet of organizing that is: Don't do for others what they can do for themselves. At the end of the day, I think it's important to remember my own boundaries and that I can't solve everything, and that for others to most effectively solve a problem, they need to find the solution that's best for them

What is something that you have done for the first time recently?

Baked bread!

Why Northwestern?

Chicago, family but also community - people from diverse backgrounds with diverse interests. Reflected in student organizations - I'm most excited about OutLaws, of course, but also I've done a lot of work around reproductive health, education, and research so the group If/when/how is an organization I'm particularly interested in. But then I love that Northwestern also has groups like Habeus Chorus and the Wigmore Follies - shows me that Northwestern is not just a great school but a really incredible community

Why Law

Combination of theory and praxis Advocacy, but at the root of issues Opens lots of doors

What do you think will be your biggest challenge in law school?

Deciding which opportunities to take advantage of. Recognize that it's not sustainable to do everything, but there are so many classes I want to take, clinics I want to be a part of, and students orgs I want to join, while also making sure that I'm taking care of myself and my health. And I think what will make it more difficult is the understanding that while not every experience will define my career, collectively they will help determine to some extent what type of lawyer I will be.

What is one social issue you'd change?

Difficult to pick just one - right to housing.

"Tell me about your senior thesis."

Discursive construction of whiteness in abortion discourse Who was featured in stories, Looked at media coverage of abortion legislation & supreme court decisions Combined that with intersectional feminist theory and critical race theory - looking at the social construction of race

Name a bias that you overcame.

Education level

What is your leadership style?

Encourages others to take responsibility on their own. Certainly happy to answer any questions that arise but primarily working to help others Being a leader means that while you're motivating and problem solving, and organizing, you're also helping develop leadership in others

A major revelation about someone you worked with, and how did that change how I see the situation/person?

Erica - found out she was deeply religious

How do you define failure and how do you deal with it?

Failure is when I know I haven't tried my best and I don't get the result I want. I'm deeply disappointed in myself when I know that I could've tried harder, and potentially succeeded, but didn't, and that led to my failure. I deal with it by figuring out why I didn't give it my all. Was it because I didn't feel invested in it? Was it because I had other things happening in my life that made it difficult for me to focus? Asking myself whether that is something I can change or not. If yes, working to change it and trying again. If no, asking myself if this is something I need to pursue at this moment.

"This is a two-part question: What are you afraid of? What are you motivated by?"

Fear - not living up to my potential Motivated by learning - and social change

Think of a situation from five years ago (2015). What would you change?

Five years ago I was 19, in my first to second year of college. That was the year one of my good friends from high school, his dad passed away from cancer. Close with family Be there to support him more.

What is one social issue you'd change ?

Housing for all

When something is more challenging than you expected, how do you go about not letting it impede your success?

I love a challenge. I enjoy pushing myself and finding new and innovative ways to meet my goals. Break down challenges into bite size pieces, and look to really understand why something is challenging. Working with a person that has a different style than me or working with new material or concept that I don't understand - finding out what is at the root of the challenge and then trying to address that part of it head on. Ex. Ex.

What interests you about the city of Chicago?

I love chicago! Family Friends Vibe of the city - midwest

What is one thing you'd like the admissions committee to know about you?

I love to learn and I love a combination of theory and praxis. I'm excited to go to law school both for the practical applications of the law and what I will do with my degree after I graduate, but I'm equally excited about what I will learn during school, the experiences I will have, and I plan to choose the school that I attend based on what I think will give me the best balance of both of those - practical and theoretical. which I think XXX has

Least favorite class in college

I really enjoyed all of my classes. Philosophy 101 - not particularly deep into philosophical issues. Philosophy of the twilight zone - watch episodes of the twilight zone and then discuss what philosophical issues emerged in the episodes.

1. What is a book or movie that changed your perspective on a social issue?

I recently read this book Revolting Prostitutes, which was a book written by two sex workers from London - changed my perspective on how to think about sex work - Human trafficking - policies that are considered progressive and their actual impacts on people - Racial and economic divides

If your classmate had a rough day in class (e.g. messed up a cold call), what would you say to them after class?

I think it would depend a lot on the classmate and my relationship to them because everyone processes and deals with things differently, and therefore would be cheered up differently. In either case maybe ask them if they want to go grab a coffee or a snack together Mostly I would just remind them that everyone has bad days and one cold call does not define your career as a lawyer. Have a conversation about it if they want, but also maybe they just really need a friend to chat about something else in their life

If you were an admission officer, what would you see as your weakness?

I've tried a lot of different areas of advocacy work

We have all been accused of something we didn't do. How did you handle it?

In college I took a class where I was working with a partner to write an essay (this is challenging but an important life skill!) We had been working separately on this essay and then we met with our professor together. I gave some feedback about the essay that I think was rather harsh After class she was really upset with me, Looked back and realized that while I didn't think I did that, it might have felt that way to her. Explained my side, apologized for miscommunication Sat down together to write and edit so we could have a conversation

If you got accepted to all the schools you applied to, where would you pick?

Law school is a big financial commitment, so acceptance is the first part of that process. Long-term I do want to be in Chicago, School that would give me best trajectory for chicago legal market while providing me with the best legal education that is sustainable for my financial future.

Describe the hardest news you have ever had to deliver.

Lemon law - Telling people who had sent in all documentation and were hoping for an end to their financial troubles that we couldn't move forward with their claim

What contemporary news issue are you following?

Local propositions and how they turned out and will be implemented. Particularly thinking about Prop 22 - what it means for CA

What's a job you would like to have long-term / how do you think about your career post-JD?

Long term I would love to do a combination of academia and practical

What's a personality trait/characteristic that will serve you well in law school?

Love of learning/self-improvement

What do you do for fun?

Play music - by myself, with others TACO!

Tell me about a time you've received feedback you didn't agree with.

Prebel - first essay.

What are pros and cons of HLS

Pro - connections Talked to an HLS student - Jen. Cons - potentially financial aid and cost. Competition.

What is more important to you? The result or the process? Why?

Process! So much learning happens during the process and that's really what I'm interested in. If you achieve results without investing in the process, that's great in the short term. But long term, you might have difficult the next time you want to achieve similar results, if you don't fully understand the process. Whereas if you fully invest in the process, and don't achieve the results you wanted to, while in the short term that's certainly not ideal, you can learn from what happened and in the long term hopefully be more consistently successful

Talk about an important mentor to you.

Professor Prebel - taught me how to write in a specific and direct manner. Set example of how to be critical while also compassionate

Tell us about a time you motivated a disinterested team member?

Recently - assembly 2020 PC training Energy, enthusiasm Best way to motivate others is to show that you are excited and motivated too Connect to self-interest

"It goes without saying that legal issues are nuanced and often contentious - solving them requires the ability to navigate difficult conversations. Can you give an example of a time you navigated a difficult conversation in an academic or professional setting?"

Secundino - mad at me for not dealing with homelessness, took a very critial approach to homelessness, opposite my view Went to lunch, we talked about

Describe a situation where you exhibited a level of maturity beyond your years.

Senior Year of HS my father left, and I lived in SW Michigan, my mom was working in Chicago, so she was gone for most weekdays and then would be back on weekends. - Lived alone - Shaped me as a person

Name a time that you were not happy with your performance. What did you do to address it?

Spanish capability Dove into more conversations Started reading books in Spanish Still a process, constantly improving, but I've been so pleasantly surprised at how much I've improved

If you could have a conversation with anyone (dead or alive), who would it be and what would you talk to them about?

There are a number of historical figures that come to mind, but if I'm answering this totally honestly, I would talk to my grandmother.

Looking back over your life, what's one thing you would've changed?

Travel more before March 2020 ;) This is a little silly, but I wish I would've done a musical! I played cello in the pit one year which I loved, but I think there's something about a theater production Who knows, life is long.

Name a time you had to solve a complex problem on your own. Give context. (HLS)

Tunnel

What was a disappointment and how did you handle it?

Tunnel - lady refused to meet with us Said she would, took it back We had the meeting without her, instead of asking her if she would help us, we asked everyone in the audience if they would organize with us.

When has a failure turned into a success?

Tunnel - lady who wouldn't respond, wouldn't meet with us. incredibly rude. Eventually we went to the metro board, and they were shocked that no one had addressed our concern.

What is a situation in which you had to work with someone who had a very different perspective or way of solving problems than you? How did you approach it while preserving your relationship with them?

Vero - Policing recommendations Explained my side calmly, respected her authority

Favorite Class in College

Very hard to pick! Music of the border - ska punk in LA. Got to go to a punk show With that we also read a lot of theories around borders and what that means - read Gloria Anzaldua

What is a positive attribute/quality your friends/professors/peers would say you have?

love of learning? - always interested in learning something new new perspective new skill

90% of a class won't be in the top 10%. How would you handle not being in the top 10%?

make sure that I'm still learning what I need to, taking advantage of opportunities that I want to be taking advantage of, getting everything out of my legal education that I need to be. If the answer to that is yes, then I'm happy. Tell myself that I have really phenomenal classmates who will soon become really phenomenal colleagues, which is absolutely a benefit. Challenge myself to make sure that I'm doing well,