Are you looking for a great new legal secretary to add to your team? Hiring top legal support talent will be critical to the success of your firm or department. But how do you know if someone is the right person for the job? Here are several great interview questions and why these questions matter.
What Information Should You Include in a Subpoena or Letter of Intent?
Part of any legal secretary job will be writing correspondence for your firm. You want to know if they understand the process and how to format these types of letters or subpoenas. There will be certain things you can look for in their answer, such as having terms and what is and isn’t included in the transaction as a part of the letter of intent.
In Your Last Job, How Did You Protect Client Confidentiality?
Law firms have to take confidentiality seriously. Lawyers are responsible to their clients, and everyone working with the firm must be accountable for information security. You want to hear how your candidate did this before and how important it is to them now.
How Do You Keep Your Tasks Organized?
Things can’t fall through the cracks when it comes to legal matters. Staying organized is a top priority for legal secretaries. While some standardized organizing methods exist for legal information, each person may have a slightly different process. You want to ensure that their approach matches your company culture.
What Areas of Law Interest You the Most?
Like lawyers, legal secretaries may prefer which type of law they work with. If you talk to someone who loves trusts and estates, they may not be as happy in a personal injury law firm. It’s okay to match on these subjects because if your legal secretary is invested in your practice area, they will be more engaged with the job.
Tell Me About a Time When You Were Faced with an Unhappy Client
Part of their role will be customer service. And handling unhappy clients is part and parcel of any business that provides a service. The key is to take dissatisfaction productively and positively to turn it around. You want to hear them talk about customer service experience and provide examples of how they interacted with unhappy clients in the past and turned the situation around.
Is your firm ready to hire a great legal secretary? Call NRI Legal Staffing today.
