Confident, clear, prepared: your behavioural interview playbook

If you are a Queensland based lawyer exploring your next career move, whether into government, in-house, or another private practice, there is a good chance your next interview will include behavioural questions. These are designed to uncover how you approach challenges, solve problems and work with others in high stakes environments, rather than simply testing what you know.

At Alex Correa Executive, we have helped a great many legal professionals navigate behavioural interviews with genuine confidence. This guide is here to help you do the same.

What is a behavioural interview?

Behavioural interviews focus on real examples from your career to help an employer understand how you have handled specific situations. Interviewers often ask you to tell them about a time when, to assess how you think, communicate and act under pressure.

Legal employers across Queensland, from government to top tier firms and major in-house teams, favour this approach because it reveals more than technical skill alone. It reveals judgement, collaboration and leadership.

Preparing for a behavioural interview

Start by identifying key experiences that reflect your strengths as a lawyer. These might include advising on urgent client matters, managing high volume litigation, navigating legislative or regulatory change, leading junior lawyers through complex files, or coordinating with external stakeholders and agencies.

A few steps to help you prepare well:

• List six to eight strong examples from your career that show leadership, initiative, teamwork, resilience or technical skill.
• Choose a mix of positive outcomes and genuine challenges. You do not need to have saved the day every time, but you do need to show maturity and reflection.
• Include recent examples where possible, from firms, courts or organisations relevant to the role you are pursuing.
• Practise talking through these examples out loud, ideally in a mock interview with a recruiter or trusted peer.

Use the STAR method to structure your answers

Employers are looking for clear, concise and compelling communication. The STAR method remains the most effective way to deliver it:

• Situation: what was the context or background?
• Task: what were you trying to achieve?
• Action: what steps did you take?
• Result: what happened, and what did you learn?
  
  

A tip worth remembering: in legal interviews, focus on your own role, not just the team's. Employers want to understand your personal impact, specifically.

Common behavioural interview questions for lawyers

Here are questions that commonly arise, particularly in government and in-house legal interviews:

• Tell me about a time you worked with a difficult stakeholder or client. (Client management, communication)
• Describe a matter where you had to meet an urgent deadline under pressure. (Organisation, decision making)
• Give an example of when you had to apply legislation in a complex or ambiguous situation. (Legal reasoning, judgement)
• Talk me through a time when you led or mentored a junior team member. (Leadership, team support)
• Tell me about a situation where your advice was challenged and how you responded. (Resilience, adaptability)
  
  

What to expect in today's legal interviews

The Queensland legal market continues to evolve, and interview expectations are evolving alongside it. A few things worth being ready for:

• Hybrid and remote readiness: be ready to explain how you manage communication and priorities in flexible working arrangements.
• Comfort with technology: even if you are not working directly with new legal tools, show openness to learning and adapting to digital systems.
• Values based questions: employers increasingly want to understand what drives you, particularly for roles connected to public interest, governance or broader organisational purpose.
• Career transition awareness: if you are moving from private practice into government or in-house, be ready to explain why, and how your experience translates.
  
  

Our final tips

• Read the role description carefully, especially the selection criteria for government and statutory roles.
• Focus on what matters most to the role, whether that is advising, litigation strategy, risk management or stakeholder engagement.
• Practise behavioural questions with someone who understands legal roles. We can help with this.
• Be honest, warm and professional. Interviews are about genuine connection, not perfection.

We would welcome the chance to help

At Alex Correa Executive, we have supported Queensland's legal community for well over a decade. Whether you are a senior associate considering an in-house move, or a government lawyer stepping up into leadership, we are here to help you tell your story confidently, clearly and with purpose.



If you are actively interviewing, or have a behavioural interview coming up as part of a recruitment process, we encourage you to put this guide into practice. We work closely with the lawyers we represent to help them feel genuinely prepared, because your success reflects our commitment. If you are considering your next move, we would welcome the opportunity to partner with you and support a meaningful next step in your career.