Interviewing at White & Case can be an intimidating experience. As one of the world’s leading law firms they recruit only the best and brightest candidates. With offices in over 30 countries White & Case handles high-profile cases and multibillion-dollar transactions on a daily basis.
To land a job here, you need to really stand out during the recruitment process. This means thoroughly preparing for the interview questions you’re likely to face.
In this article, we’ll take an in-depth look at some of the most common White & Case interview questions along with tips on how to nail your responses. From behavioral prompts to technical queries, we’ve got you covered!
Overview of the White & Case Interview Process
The interview process at White & Case typically involves:
- An initial phone or video screening interview
- In-person first round interviews
- Callbacks with partners and senior associates
- Assessment centers or writing samples for some roles
Throughout these stages you can expect situational behavioral, technical, and case-style questions. The overall atmosphere is described as professional yet relaxed.
However, the standards for hiring are extremely high. You need to demonstrate exceptional communication skills, legal acumen, problem-solving abilities, and professionalism.
Thorough preparation is key as the competition is fierce. Let’s look at some of the top questions asked and how to prepare winning answers.
Common White & Case Interview Questions
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions during White & Case interviews
1. Walk me through your resume. Why did you choose law?
This common opening question aims to assess your motivations for pursuing law and get a broad understanding of your background. They want to gauge your thought process in making career decisions and your commitment to the legal profession.
How to Answer:
- Walk chronologically through your resume, highlighting relevant experiences.
- Discuss specific events or activities that sparked your interest in law such as internships, moot court, or influential mentors.
- Explain the unique skills and values that make law the right fit for you such as analytical thinking, advocacy, problem-solving, etc.
- Share your long-term legal career goals and why White & Case aligns with them.
- Remain concise while hitting key points – limit to 3-5 minutes.
2. Why are you interested in this particular practice area or office location?
With its vast global presence and diverse practice offerings, White & Case wants to understand why you are interested in a specific area or office. This helps assess your fit, interests, and motivations.
How to Answer:
- Research the work and reputation of the practice group or office location you’re interested in.
- Highlight specific deals, cases, or attorney profiles that excite you about that group and location.
- Discuss how your background, skills, and interests align with the work in that area. Share relevant experiences.
- Emphasize your long-term career aspirations and how this role/location would enable your goals.
3. How do you handle high pressure situations or tight deadlines?
The legal world often involves extremely pressing deadlines and high-stakes matters. They want to know you can operate effectively under pressure without compromising quality.
How to Answer:
- Share an example of successfully delivering results under a tight deadline.
- Discuss your approach to prioritization when faced with multiple urgent tasks.
- Highlight skills like organizational abilities, time management, and calmness under stress.
- Emphasize how you maintain composure and ensure quality control despite challenges.
4. Tell me about a time you faced a conflict with a colleague. How did you handle it?
This behavioral question tests your conflict management skills, maturity, and teamwork abilities – critical in a client-service environment.
How to Answer:
- Briefly describe the scenario – make sure to highlight your constructive approach.
- Discuss how you separated emotions from facts and objectively analyzed the issue.
- Share how you actively listened and sought to understand the other perspective.
- Explain how you found common ground and reached a mutually agreeable solution.
- Emphasize the importance of maintaining respect and professionalism throughout.
5. What do you know about our firm’s culture and values?
Cultural fit is important at White & Case. This question aims to gauge if you’ve researched the firm and understand its core values.
How to Answer:
- Discuss values highlighted on their website such as excellence, teamwork, integrity, and client service.
- Mention their emphasis on diversity, inclusion, and pro-bono work.
- Share examples of how current attorneys demonstrate these values through their work.
- Highlight why their culture aligns well with your own principles and work style.
6. How would you approach working with colleagues or clients from different backgrounds?
White & Case prides itself on diversity. This question tests your intercultural competence and adaptability in working globally.
How to Answer:
- Emphasize the importance of inclusion and embracing diverse perspectives.
- Share an example of successfully collaborating with someone from a different background.
- Discuss adapting your communication style to be sensitive to other cultures.
- Mention proactively educating yourself on other backgrounds to enable cooperation.
- Highlight a willingness to learn from teammates and grow your multicultural abilities.
7. Tell me about a complex legal research project or memo you worked on.
Strong research and writing skills are central to legal practice. This question assesses your ability to handle complex analysis and clearly communicate findings.
How to Answer:
- Provide an overview of the research project or memo – emphasize complexity.
- Discuss your systematic research process and resources utilized.
- Share how you analyzed intricate details and exercised judgment in interpreting laws.
- Explain how you clearly structured and communicated the memo to state findings and advice.
- Highlight the positive outcomes of your work such as impact on case strategy.
8. How do you stay up-to-date on legal developments and industry trends?
Lifelong learning is essential in law. They want to see that you take initiative to be professionally informed and sharpen your expertise.
How to Answer:
- Give examples of professional development activities – seminars, publications, courses, bar associations etc.
- Share resources and strategies you employ to stay current such as news alerts or journals.
- Discuss how you leverage knowledge to enhance client service -Adjusting approaches based on new legislation etc.
- Emphasize your commitment to continuous skills development within your specialization.
9. What do you think distinguishes our firm from competitors?
This aims to gauge your understanding of their competitive strengths in the marketplace and assess your interest level.
How to Answer:
- Highlight their status as a leading global firm with a vast international footprint and multijurisdictional expertise.
- Discuss their reputations in handling cross-border matters and high-value transactions.
- Share examples of marquee deals or landmark cases they’ve handled.
- Mention strengths in particular practices areas relevant to your interests.
- Emphasize their prestigious client roster and talented attorneys.
10. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
This evaluates your career aspirations and desire for advancement. They seek candidates who will grow long-term within the firm.
How to Answer:
- Share your vision for your role growing in complexity, responsibility, and impact over the next 5 years.
- Discuss aspirations to become an expert in your practice area – leading key aspects of deals or cases.
- Mention goals to publish articles or speak at conferences, further building your reputation.
- Highlight hopes to mentor junior associates, leveraging your expertise.
- Emphasize your commitment to advancing your career within the firm long-term.
Case Interview Questions
In addition to behavioral and technical questions, you may be given a business case study to analyze and discuss.
These cases test your problem-solving abilities under pressure – akin to real client scenarios. Some sample cases include:
- A pharmaceutical merger antitrust review
- Structuring a transnational acquisition
- Analyzing contract breach damages
How to Approach Case Interviews:
- Listen carefully and take notes as the interviewer outlines the case details. Ask clarifying questions.
- Methodically work through the case step-by-step, applying a structured framework. Explain your thought process out loud.
- Analyze from multiple angles – legal, commercial, financial etc. Identify the root issues.
- Brainstorm creative solutions and next steps, highlighting pros and cons of each.
- Be collaborative – welcome input and feedback from the interviewer.
- Emphasize key takeaways and reiterate your recommendations at the end.
Preparing for case interviews requires practice. Leverage online resources, books, and mock interviews to master this high-pressure scenario.
Technical Questions
You may also be asked highly specific questions testing your legal knowledge and technical abilities depending on the practice area.
Some examples include:
- Corporate Law – Discuss fiduciary duties in an M&A context.
What should I expect from a case interview?
Our case interviews simulate (in 25-40 minutes) the types of questions we tackle in real client engagements. Previous case interviews have focused on:
- What happens to customers and competitors when two medical products are sold together
- What would happen to prices if two ice cream chains merged?
- The extra cost consumers paid because of a cartel that made digital music players
The interviewers will present you with background information and ask you to brainstorm about the situation.
- Restate the question
- Clarify any key points before you begin your answer
- Your answer should be based on the words used in the question (“beneficial, harmful, or both”).
- “Why?” is always a good question, even if it’s not asked exactly, and it’s more important to explain your thought process than to give the right answer.
After getting to know you and your background, the interviewers will usually give you some numbers and ask you to guess others as needed. With this information, you’ll make a series of calculations. You should talk through your thought process and how you are setting up your calculations.
- Acknowledge alternative approaches
- Don’t be afraid to make assumptions as long as they make sense, can be backed up, and are made clear to the interviewer.
- Simplify the math when possible
- Recognize results that don’t make sense. People often mess up when they add too many or too few zeros to an answer (e g. , millions instead of thousands).
Interviewers may ask you to think more about your solution and assumptions and how they fit into the bigger picture of the case after you’ve done the math.
- Don’t just think about the most obvious answer; also think about the other effects.
- It’s more important how you back up your answers than whether they are “right” or not.
More about the hiring process
Interested in joining our team? Check out the current positions open at Bates White
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Interview tips
FAQ
What are the two main types of interview questions in criminal justice?
What are case-based questions examples?
What is the interview process like at White & Case?
I interviewed at White & Case (New York, NY) in Nov 2022 A very straightforward and quick interview. Arranged the interview over phone and had the interview a week later. Overall, I would say that the interview is very fast paced with predictable personal + behavioral questions. Have you ever turned in an anything late?
What should I expect during a White & Case Interview?
Expect to qualify your opinions and to be probed on your answers – it’s not an interrogation, and doesn’t feel like one, but is an opportunity for you to show off what you know. If you have other law firms on your application, be sure to be able to justify why White & Case compared to those other firms. When was your White & Case interview?
What do case Interviewers look for?
What do Case Interviewers Look For? Why Consulting? Being insightful in a case interview is an important skill, especially as you get in more competitive environments (like a final round interview). Being insightful is analyzing the data and noticing an important relationship that would be significant to the client/CEO.
How to answer case interview questions?
numerous ways to answer any case question. It’s far more important to note the approach and the likely responses from the interviewer. As you sharpen those skills, keep thinking to yourself, “I love these case questions!” Pretty soon you’ll find yourself talking like a consultant! The Case Interview Background
