Client Interview Guide

Client Interview Guide 2022

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WHAT IS A CLIENT

TABLE OF

CONTENTS

INTERVIEW? 4

PREPERATION

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Key Dates

Wednesday 6 April / Thursday 7 April - Receive the information pertaining to the interview. This is typically a one or two sentence memo, informing you who the client is and what the interview will be about.

Wednesday 12 April - Friday 14 April Heats begin. Interviews will take place in 45 minute blocks over the course of three days.

Wednesday 27 April - Thursday 28 April - Semi-Finals begin.

Wednesday 4 May / Thursday 5 May Grand Final.

What is a Client Interview?

Client Interview is a competition run by the Deakin Law Students' Society to allow students the opportunity to engage in a vital element of legal practice: meeting with a client to determine if there is potential for legal action. Within the interview, the client will provide details about a possible legal issue that they are facing. As the interviewer, it is your job to gain all of the relevant information from the client, guide the conversation, and make the client feel welcomed enough to take you on as their lawyer.

Why Should I Compete?

No matter what career path you are on, the ability to listen effectively and communicate with others is a vital skill that will help you in all aspects of your future.

Client Interview also has the added benefit of requiring minimal preparation and a minimal knowledge of the law - you are not judged on your legal knowledge, but on how you interact with the client! This allows you, no matter your previous experience, to get your first competition under your belt!

How do client interviews work?

A team of two students will meet with a potential client to discuss an issue to determine if there is potential for legal action.

Over the course of the meeting, you will greet the client, hear their side of the story, and ask pointed questions to uncover more information. These meetings are limited to 30 minutes, as in actual law practises you do not have all day to discuss a singular issue with one client (although they would love that!).

Seated within the meeting are the team of two lawyers, the client, and a judge who acts as a silent observer, scoring your performance. This score is based upon your skill and courtesy in receiving relevant information from the client both in how much information you receive from the client, and the manner in which you go about it!

Preparation On Wednesday 6 April / Thursday 7 April you will receive the information regarding what the interview will be about. It's recommended that you meet with your partner after this and discuss how you will approach the interview.

This planning might include preparing on how you will greet the client, what kinds of questions you would like to ask, and how you would like to conclude the interview.

Starting the interview: Once you enter the room where the interview will take place, introduce yourself to the judge and the person acting as the client. The judge and client will briefly go over the rules of the competition and clarify any last minute questions you may have, and go over what you will be judged on.

When you're ready, the interview will begin!

Greeting the Client: When meeting the client for the first time, it is important to break the ice!

The more relaxed both you and the client are, the easier it is to share information with one another.

Once you and the client are both comfortable, it's also recommended that you explain what your role is as a lawyer. This can include what the purpose of a first interview is, what ethical responsibilities you have as a lawyer, and anything else you want to explain to the client.

Meeting with a lawyer can be scary for a lot of people, so the more you can make the client feel comfortable without becoming unprofessional, the better!

Preparation cont.

The interview itself: Asking the client open-ended questions is a fantastic starting point to understand not only what has occurred, but why they have come to see a lawyer. However, you are also being judged on your ability to keep the client on track, so be sure to ask pointed questions when you feel the client is going off topic.

You are free to take notes throughout the interview of the key information given by the client. It isn't required, but it can be good to write things down to come back to!

It is also important to keep in mind who it is that you're speaking to in the interview. In legal practice you will come across a variety of clients from a variety of different backgrounds, and it is important to be conscious of these differences when conducting your interview. Empathy is the key to a good interview. Also, not every client will have a perfect understanding of the legal system (not even most lawyers do) so go easy on the legalese!

Concluding the interview: Ensure that you keep track of the time during the interview to ensure that the information the client provides is relevant. It is recommended to use the final minutes of the interview to go over the key facts of the case to ensure the client has no more information to add.

You are not required to give any legal advice at this stage - it is only a first interview - and you are not judged on this.

Once the interview has concluded, thank the client for their time, shake their hand and walk them to the door!

FAQs

How much law do I need to know?

One of the big positives about the Client Interview is that you are not being judged on your legal knowledge, but rather on your skills in interviewing your client. The legal problems present within the interview are not designed to be complex, so you are not at a disadvantage if this is your first competition!

What should I wear?

The attire for the interview is business formal. This means dressing nicely, but sticking to neutral colours. A good suit is recommended, but leave the flashy ties at home. Try to avoid low-cut tops or overly flashy jewellery. If you can see yourself wearing the outfit to an interview at your dream law firm, you know you're wearing the right thing.

How much preparation is needed?

Client Interview is designed with minimal prep in mind. So long as you have an idea for the types of questions you would like to ask, who between you and your partner will ask what questions, and if you'll have a structure for greeting the client and finishing the interview. That's about it!

Help! My client won't stop talking!

Not every interview is going to go off without a problem. Often clients will feel the need to tell you every small detail about their claim - they might be unfamiliar with the law and aren't sure what is or isn't relevant, or maybe this is the first time they have been able to open up about these issues.

It is up to you to guide the conversation in a way that is natural but also keeps the client on track. That is what you're being judged on after all!

Who will be judging me?

The judge will be either a member of the Law Faculty or senior Law student.

The Deakin Law Students' Society thanks College of Law for their sponsorship and support of the Client Interviews The DLSS has a "No Partner, No Problem!" policy - if you sign up and don't have another person with you, we will set you up with another person without a problem. It is a fantastic way to make friends and meet new people!

If there are any questions in regards to a Deakin law Student Society Competition please reach out to us: competitions@deakinlss.org

GOOD LUCK!!!