How would you answer an interview question along the lines of "There's a pressing client on the phone/ there's an important deal coming through but your supervisor is out of the office/stuck in traffic. What will you do?"
Thank you in advance!
This is one of the more challenging situational judgement questions I've seen. With questions like these, doing well is about how you talk through your thought process and reasoning, so let me try talk through it.
There’s clearly a balance here. It’s important to you and the firm that you respond to clients quickly and professionally.
At the same time, you are just a trainee and perhaps not equipped to handle the needs of a client.
I find the best way to answer these questions is to imagine yourself as a trainee in that situation. Talk through your options honestly; that way, you will be able to justify/back up your reasoning.
If that was me, at first instance, I’d likely see if I could transfer the call to someone more experienced in the matter. Ideally, someone in a nearby office who is likely to be familiar with the client/potential matter. In an answer, you want to specify how you would do this and what your reasons are. For example, you want to be careful when dealing a client that you don't try to handle something you aren't equipped to.
If that was not possible (suppose the relevant lawyers are busy), I’d explain that the supervisor is out of the office at the moment, but you would be happy to take a note of the relevant details and that you will get in contact with the supervisor ASAP. (This one is a bit trickier because it depends on the particular matter but that seems safe based on the facts given. If it was a very experienced client or a sensitive matter, though, offering to take notes may be less sensible.)
I'd be interested to hear if others have a different approach!
