A partner interviews six law graduates in a week. All speak well, all have moot court medals. Three months after joining, one cannot manage a cause list, another drafts a notice that needs a full rewrite, and a third has left for an in-house role. The interview rewarded talk. The job demands diaries, drafts and endurance.
This guide sets out a hiring routine for chambers, boutique firms and in-house style practices. The service behind it is recruitment process consulting, and the sector context sits on the law firms hub.
Begin with what the junior will actually do
Write the role in tasks. A litigation junior files plaints and applications, checks the cause list each evening, prepares the file for the next day's hearing, attends the registry, and sits with the senior in court. A corporate associate drafts shareholder agreements, runs a due diligence checklist and reviews board resolutions. A property lawyer's junior checks title deeds, searches for encumbrances and prepares sale deed drafts. An IP associate runs trademark searches and tracks renewal dates.
- Litigation: diary, cause list, filing counter, registry follow-up, hearing note, vakalatnama and affidavit sets.
- Corporate: due diligence tracker, drafting, signing pages, closing checklist, data room.
- Property: title chain, encumbrance search, sale deed draft, registration appointment.
- IP: watch notices, searches, renewal calendar, opposition hearings.
- Outsourced legal work: document review, tagging, quality sampling, turnaround clock.
See how a litigation firm structures roles and how a corporate law firm handles competency before you write yours.
The pipeline, in order
- 1
Sort applications by a short rubric
Four items: writing sample quality, evidence of sustained work such as a long internship, fit with the practice area, and a reason for choosing a firm rather than a tag line.
- 2
Run a phone screen of fifteen minutes
Ask about their last internship, the longest day they worked, and what they disliked. Listen for specifics, not slogans.
- 3
Set a drafting task of ninety minutes
A legal notice, a short rejoinder or a clause markup. Use real-looking facts, with a deliberate gap to see whether the candidate notices.
- 4
Ask for a one-page research memo
Give a question, a day and a few sources. See how they cite, how they hedge, how they handle a case that cuts against the client.
- 5
Hold the partner conversation
Discuss a matter that went badly and what they would do differently. Explain the hours, the court calendar and the review style.
- 6
Check references by phone
Speak to a past senior about reliability, confidentiality and the quality of drafts.
What the drafting test tells you
It shows whether the candidate reads facts carefully, uses plain language, spots limitation dates, and respects the format of the forum. It also shows habits: a candidate who leaves a blank date or a mismatched party name will do so in a live matter. Mark every test against the same rubric, and have two people mark it independently.
Reading a candidate's file the way a senior does
Look past the college name. Check whether the internships were in a trial court, a tribunal, a bank legal desk or a registrar's office. Count how many drafts they can show: a plaint, a written statement, a legal notice, an NDA, a lease. Ask who corrected them. Candidates who can name the corrector have usually been supervised and improved. A law review article is a plus, but a clean bundle of annexures with page numbers tells you more about discipline.
In a litigation chamber, ask how they keep a hearing diary. In a transaction practice, ask how they track conditions precedent. In an advocate's one-person office, ask how they handle the clerk, the stamp paper and the typist. The answers expose whether the candidate has seen the job or only the syllabus.
Pay, stipend and the honest conversation
Juniors compare chambers across the city. Say the stipend, the review date, the conveyance rule and whether court expenses are reimbursed within a set time. Do not hide the long Friday evenings before a hearing. Do not promise a partner track you do not intend to offer. Candidates who knew the pattern and still chose the firm stay longer than those who found out in month two.
Keep them: the first-year plan in the offer
- Name the supervising senior and the matters for the first quarter.
- Set review points at one month, three months and the first anniversary.
- Rotate the junior through a hearing, a drafting job and a client meeting.
- Say when a partner track discussion happens, and what evidence matters.
- Hold the junior to the diary and file discipline, and train it.
Common failures
Hiring on the senior's friendship with a family. Skipping the drafting test because the candidate came with a warm word. Letting the junior sit with no senior for weeks. Offering a vague title and no clarity on hearings. Each ends in a resignation within the year. Learn from the retention note for law firms.
To have a scorecard and test pack built for your own practice areas, send the details through the requirements form.
