⟩ Tell us are you a team player? Do you prefer working alone? Have you ever had an unsatisfactory experience working for someone (or when someone worked for you)? How did you handle it?
Whether you work in a firm of two or 500 lawyers, teamwork is essential. You will work closely with clients, adversaries, other counsel, and colleagues. People who don’t enjoy a team environment or who are too single minded to work effectively with others are likely to fail.
Don’t just tell interviewers you are a team player — come up with a specific example in your current position where you have put other people on your team before yourself (maybe you recently covered for someone or volunteered to mentor a more junior associate). We’ve all had bad experiences with supervisors or subordinates, but don’t use this question as an opportunity to criticize others for whom you have worked. Falling into the pit of disparagement creates an impression that you may be insubordinate at worst and inflexible at a minimum.
