Law Instructor Interview Questions

The interviewer wants to see that you plan classes around what students must learn, not just what you know. Build the answer around one course you teach or would teach: how you set goals for a class session, what you assign, how you prepare, and how you run the room. Mention how you check understanding during class and how you adjust the next session. Sample answer: "For a contracts class on consideration, I start with two or three things students should be able to do by the end, such as spot whether a promise is enforceable. I assign two cases and a short problem. My notes are a set of questions, not a script. In class I lecture for ten minutes to frame the doctrine, then work through the cases with students and finish with a hypothetical they solve in pairs. If many miss it, I open the next class with a similar problem." Pitfalls: describing only your expertise with no plan for students; reading slides word for word; leaving out how you check that students understood.

The interviewer wants to learn how your supervision helps law students produce reliable work while developing their own judgment.

Build your answer using Situation, Task, Action, Result. Choose one clinic, externship, or research assignment and briefly explain the students' experience and responsibilities. Spend most of the answer on your expectations, review, and feedback. End with evidence of better work and a lesson you applied to later supervision.

For example: "I supervised a student researching cases for an article. Their first memo summarized each case but did not connect the cases to the research question. I clarified the assignment and worked through one case with them, explaining the difference between summarizing and analyzing. I then asked them to revise another section independently and reviewed it with them. The revised memo made the connections clearer, and their next assignment needed less direction. I learned to check a short section early instead of waiting for a complete draft."

Avoid describing only the student's effort, taking over the assignment, or claiming the work improved without showing the change.

The interviewer wants to know how you match trial or moot court assignments to what students need to learn, and how you keep them fair across the class. Explain the factors you weigh, then give one example. Useful factors include the skill the exercise targets, such as direct examination or evidence objections, the complexity of the case, students' experience, balanced roles between sides, and the time available to prepare. Sample answer: "In my trial advocacy course, the first assignment is a simple fact pattern with two witnesses so everyone can focus on openings and direct examination. Later I use a case with an expert witness and a hearsay issue. I rotate students between plaintiff and defense so each argues both sides, and I pair stronger and newer advocates on teams. One semester a team got a file much harder than the others, so I adjusted the scoring and added a prep session." Pitfalls: assigning cases at random with no learning goal; ignoring fairness between teams; naming factors without an example.

The interviewer wants a concrete teaching technique for getting students talking and keeping the discussion productive.

Name your method, explain why it works, and give one example from a class you taught. Mention how you include quieter students and keep the conversation on track.

Sample answer: "I often start with a think-pair-share. I pose an open question tied to the reading, give students two minutes to write their own answer, then have them compare with a partner before we open it up to the room. In one class, discussion had been dominated by a few voices. Once I started this routine, I could call on pairs instead of individuals, and many more students spoke up. I close each discussion by summing up the main points and linking them to the next topic."

Pitfalls: Don't describe a lecture with a few questions as a discussion. Avoid naming a method with no example. Don't ignore how you handle students who dominate or stay silent.

The interviewer wants to see that you design fair assessments and learn from the ones that don't work.

Describe both exams briefly. For the effective one, say what it measured and why it worked. For the less effective one, say what went wrong, how you found out, and what you changed. Honesty about the second example matters most.

Sample answer: "One effective exam asked students to solve a problem they hadn't seen before, using the methods from the unit. The results matched what I saw in class, and the mistakes showed me exactly what to reteach. A less effective exam relied on too many recall questions. Most students did well, but later assignments showed many of them couldn't apply the ideas. I rebuilt it with fewer recall items and more short applied problems, and the next term's results lined up better with students' other work."

Pitfalls: Don't claim every exam you wrote worked. Avoid blaming students for a weak exam. Don't skip what you changed.

The interviewer wants to understand how you plan a course so the materials serve the learning goals and the students who enroll.

Name the main factors you weigh and show how they shape your choices. Common ones are the learning goals, students' starting level, accessibility, cost to students, how current the content is, and how you will assess learning. A short example helps.

Sample answer: "I start with what students should be able to do by the end of the course, then pick materials that build toward it. I think about who usually enrolls, so an introductory section gets more worked examples. I check that materials are accessible, such as captioned videos and readable files, and I try to keep costs down with library or open resources. Last year I replaced an expensive textbook with open readings and short weekly practice sets, and students said the practice helped them most."

Pitfalls: Don't list factors without an example. Avoid ignoring accessibility or cost. Don't describe reusing old materials without reviewing them.

The interviewer wants to know that you stay current in your field and bring new knowledge into your teaching and research.

Name the specific methods you rely on, such as journal alerts, conferences, professional associations, reading groups, or working with colleagues. Then give an example of something new you learned and how you used it.

Sample answer: "I set up alerts for a few key journals and block out an hour each week to skim new articles. I also attend one major conference a year and belong to a small reading group with colleagues from other schools. Last year, the group discussed a new approach to a topic I teach every term. I tried it in one unit, asked students for feedback, and kept it because their questions showed a deeper understanding of the material."

Pitfalls: Don't name a long list of sources with no example. Avoid claiming methods you don't actually use. Don't skip how new knowledge reaches your students.

The interviewer wants to understand your research: what you studied, how you did it, and how you shared the results with others in your field.

Give a short, plain summary of one project: the question, the method, the main finding, and why it matters. Then explain how you published or presented it, such as in a peer-reviewed journal, at a conference, or in a report, and what you learned from the review process.

Sample answer: "My most recent project looked at why some students stop attending introductory courses partway through the term. I surveyed students in several sections and followed up with short interviews. The main finding was that students who fell behind on early assignments rarely caught up, even if they kept attending. I presented early results at a regional conference, used the feedback to strengthen the analysis, and then submitted a paper to a peer-reviewed journal. It was accepted after one round of revisions."

Pitfalls: Don't use jargon a general audience can't follow. Avoid listing publications without describing the work. Don't overstate your role on co-authored projects.

The interviewer wants to see how you help students plan their courses and think about careers in a practical, personal way.

Describe your method: how you prepare for advising meetings, the questions you ask, the resources you point students to, and how you follow up. A short example of a student you advised helps.

Sample answer: "Before each advising meeting, I review the student's degree progress so we don't spend the time on paperwork. I start by asking what they enjoy and what they hope to do after graduating, and then we map out the next two terms together. I connect students with the career center and with alumni in fields they're curious about. One student was torn between two paths, so I suggested an elective and a short informational interview for each. By our next meeting, they had chosen a direction and adjusted their course plan."

Pitfalls: Don't describe advising as only signing forms. Avoid steering students toward your own interests. Don't give advice outside what you know; refer students to the right office.

The interviewer wants to see that you work with colleagues to solve problems that are too big for one person.

Use Situation, Task, Action, Result. Describe the difficult issue, who you worked with, what each person contributed, and how the joint effort solved it.

Sample answer: "Several of us noticed that students were arriving in our upper-level courses without skills the introductory course was supposed to cover. Instead of each of us patching the gap alone, I invited the instructors from both levels to meet. We compared syllabi and found that two topics had been dropped when the introductory course was revised. We agreed to add them back and built a short review module for students who had already taken the course. The next year, fewer students needed extra help early in the term."

Pitfalls: Don't tell a story where you did all the work. Avoid criticizing colleagues. Don't skip the result.

The interviewer wants to see that you contribute to the department beyond teaching, including helping to bring in, enroll, and place students.

Use Situation, Task, Action, Result. Describe the activity, such as open houses, advising during registration, or connecting students with internships or jobs. Then say what you did and how it helped students or the school.

Sample answer: "Our department's introductory course had been under-enrolled two years in a row. I volunteered at the campus open house, set up a short hands-on demonstration, and talked with prospective students about where the major can lead. During registration, I held extra advising hours so students could fit the course into their schedules. The next fall the course filled, and several of those students later declared the major. I also started a list of local internships, which our career office now shares."

Pitfalls: Don't describe recruiting as a chore you avoided. Avoid claiming credit for enrollment changes you can't connect to your work. Don't skip the benefit to the school.

The interviewer wants to see how you support students outside the classroom while still letting them lead.

Use Situation, Task, Action, Result. Describe the organization, a challenge it faced, how you advised without taking over, and what the students achieved.

Sample answer: "I advised a student club that wanted to host its first regional event but had never planned anything that large. I met with the officers to map out the steps, pointed them to the campus offices for room booking and funding, and helped them set deadlines. When the budget came in too high, I let them decide what to cut and only checked their math. The event went ahead on schedule and drew a strong turnout, and the officers wrote a planning guide for the next group."

Pitfalls: Don't describe running the organization yourself. Avoid stories with no clear result for the students. Don't skip how you handled school rules, such as funding or event approval.