Lord Hope and the Single Biggest Mistake Applicants Make When Preparing for Competency Based Interviews
Conscientious, able lawyers preparing for their judicial or silk competency-based interviews typically spend time identifying relevant examples that are additional to those they have included in their self-assessment application. They will often identify examples that they believe will be strong answers to questions they anticipate being asked. At first blush this makes perfect sense and…
3 Reasons Why You Need a Strong JAC Self-Assessment
I have heard it said several times by applicants applying for a judicial post that the self-assessment doesn’t really matter as you simply have to pass the JAC online qualifying test in order to reach selection day. This view is flawed for the following 3 reasons: Whilst it’s correct that in many selection exercises you…
How to Select Strong Examples For Your JAC Self-Assessment or Interview
Weak Examples Equal Failure When candidates are unsuccessful in a Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) selection exercise, it is not uncommon to read JAC feedback that criticises the examples used in their self-assessment or selection day interview, for not being sufficiently complex or difficult. There are several factors that contribute to this shortcoming which include…
Make Stress your Friend Not Foe and Burn Bright Not Out
The Fast Lane to Stress High Pressure, high consequence work environments require the ability to switch gears and ramp up at short notice in order to respond to unexpected crisis and challenges. This is a familiar experience for many lawyers. Whether it’s the court listing unexpectedly listing your difficult hearing for the following day or…
Why Good Lawyers Do Bad Interviews
When judicial and silk applicants perform badly during their JAC selection days or silk interviews it is not usually because they found the questions difficult. In my experience, having advised and coached over a thousand lawyers and judges over the past 12 years, poor performance invariably comes down to one of the following: A failure…
The Power of the Pause for Judicial and Silk Interviews
Whether you’re a leading junior being interviewed for silk or silk being interviewed for the High Court bench, most interviewees invariably speak faster during an important interview. This is often a consequence of the pressure they experience. This tendency to race ahead has the following negative consequences: Answers are fired off without sufficient thought, almost…
Why Competency Based Processes Are Not About Blowing Your Own Trumpet
Probably the most frequent concern clients express to us when making a judicial or silk application is that they are not very good at blowing their own trumpet. The assumption that competency based processes require you to blow your own trumpet is a misconceived. You are not meant to say how impressive your cross-examination of…