General Counsel Interview Questions & Answers
A General Counsel is the chief attorney of a legal department within a government or corporate office and serves as an in-house legal guide, providing assistance and advice on all matters of law.
Whether you're a job seeker preparing to be interviewed for the role of General Counsel or
an employer preparing to interview candidates for General Counsel position,
these General Counsel interview questions will help you prepare yourself for the job interview session.
General Counsel Interview Questions
Below are a list of some skill-based General Counsel interview questions.
- What is your experience with developing and implementing legal policies?
- There is a lawsuit against the company. What is your process for handling the situation?
- What management style do you use when handling a staff of attorneys?
- Describe an example of when you had to deliver bad news to senior executives.
- If hired, what would be your top priorities as general counsel?
- How do you handle it when you have to say no to a proposed course of action that management wants to take?
- How much of the work do you attempt to keep in-house versus giving to outside counsel?
- This position involves leading and mentoring the legal team. What are the most important things you’ll focus on to ensure you have a cohesive and effective team?
- What would you do if you discovered that senior management was violating company policies?
- Tell me about the most challenging legal situation you’ve dealt with at work. How did you manage the situation?
- What training and experience prepared you for our position?
- When negotiating a contract, what is your process for evaluating the terms and conditions?
- What do you hope to achieve in the first 90 days of working for our company?
- We want to improve our compliance with industry standards. What is your process for monitoring compliance?
- What factors will you consider before seeking outside counsel?
- Describe your process for reviewing legal documents and ensuring accuracy.
- Tell me about a time when your leadership helped the legal team to exceed management’s expectations.
- What do you think is the most important role of general counsel?
- What are the biggest legal challenges that might face our company in the near future?
- How often do you recommend changes to company policies?
- How will you handle attorneys that fail to perform even though you consider them nice people?
- Provide an example of a time when you used your negotiation skills to achieve a successful outcome.
- How will you describe the culture of your current company? Do you think you will be a good fit for our organization considering the differences in our culture?
- How would you handle a situation where a company employee was violating company policies?
- Have you being involved in a merger and acquisition? What do you think are the most important factors to consider before merging with another company?
- Could you give me examples where you gave prudent advice regarding taking legal action or defending a matter in your previous position?
- How would you guide us to move beyond thinking we are doing well—from a legal point of view—based on our compliance with relevant laws and regulations?
- Would you make decisions that overrule our CEO if need be, and why?
- Are you comfortable representing the company in court?
- What are some of the most important qualities for a successful general counsel?
General Counsel Interview Questions and Answers
Every interview is different and the questions may vary.
However, there are lots of general questions that get asked at every interview.
Below are some common questions you'd expect during General Counsel interviews. Click on each question to see how to answer them.
- What is Your Greatest Weakness?
- What is Your Salary Expectation?
- Tell Me About Yourself
- Why Do You Want To Leave Your Current Job?
- Are You a Leader or a Follower?
- What is Your Greatest Strength?
- Do You Have Any Questions for Us?
- Why Should We Hire You?
- What Is Your Greatest Accomplishment?
- Why Do You Want This Job?