I applied through a staffing agency. The process took 2 days. I interviewed at Norton Rose Fulbright (Ottawa, ON) in Jan 2013
Interview
There were two parts to the interview process. The first was meeting with the office manager and the lawyers I would be working with and supporting. Once I passed that, the second part involved general testing of language (grammar, spelling, etc.), typing speed, dictation/transcription skills, and legal terminology. Once the job offer was presented, a background check is required (of course, you must be bondable in order to work at the firm).
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Why do you want to work as a legal assistant?
Why do you specifically want to work at Norton Rose Fulbright?
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?
List 3 of your strengths and 3 of your weaknesses.
Why did you chose to pursue a job in law? Why in a corporate law office?
Do you feel that you would be a good fit with Norton Rose Fulbright and align with their values (integrity, equality, unity)? If yes, explain why.
What previous experiences do you have in the legal field (academic and work/professional) for which you can provide references for and also relate directly back to the job/position you are applying for.
Note: I also took it upon myself to let the manager and lawyers know that I had several university degrees (including a law degree) and was hoping to return to secondary education one day to finish up my law school down the road once my OSAP was paid off. Since I had experience in both civil and criminal law, I decided to ask the two lawyers what it was that intrigued them about Norton Rose Fulbright and why they decided to get into corporate/business law as opposed to criminal law or civil law (i.e. torts, injury law, etc.). Apparently, they were very impressed with me asking this question and picked me for the position over another candidate who had double the experience I had!!
I applied through an employee referral. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Norton Rose Fulbright (Toronto, ON) in May 2017
Interview
Received an email with respect to interest in hiring me for the position. First interview was meeting with the Human Resources manager and consisted of getting to know you kinds of questions and experience. Second interview was meeting with the lawyers that I would be working for in order to ensure that we would be compatible. Also included a grammar test and typing test after the interview.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Was there a time that you had to deal with conflict, and how did you deal with it?