Sample Government
Interview Questions
CLCDN Shared Resource Collection: Sample Government Interview Questions
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 3
CROWN ATTORNEY’S OFFICE (GENERAL) ............................................................... 5
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
CROWN: DOWNTOWN 2010 QUESTIONS ........................................................ 8
CROWN: DOWNTOWN ....................................................................................... 8
CROWN: NORTH YORK 2010 QUESTIONS ...................................................... 9
CROWN: NORTH YORK ..................................................................................... 9
CROWN: BRAMPTON ...................................................................................... 10
CROWN: NEWMARKET ................................................................................... 10
CROWN: WHITBY ............................................................................................. 12
CROWN: ETOBICOKE & SCARBOROUGH .................................................... 12
CROWN: KENORA ........................................................................................... 13
CROWN: KINGSTON ........................................................................................ 14
CROWN: KINGSTON (ARTICLING QUESTIONS) ........................................... 14
CROWN: LONDON (SUMMER QUESTIONS) .................................................. 14
CROWN: MILTON (ARTICLING QUESTIONS) ................................................ 15
CROWN: OTTAWA ........................................................................................... 15
CROWN: OTTAWA (ARTICLING) .................................................................... 17
CROWN: PEEL REGION (ARTICLING) ............................................................ 17
CROWN LAW OFFICE (CRIMINAL) ............................................................................ 18
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
2011 QUESTIONS (SUMMER) .......................................................................... 18
2010 QUESTIONS (SUMMER) .......................................................................... 18
2009 QUESTIONS (ARTICLING) ...................................................................... 19
2008 QUESTIONS ............................................................................................. 19
2007 QUESTIONS ............................................................................................. 21
CROWN LAW OFFICE (CIVIL) .................................................................................... 22
1.
2.
3.
4.
FIRST PANEL .................................................................................................... 22
SECOND PANEL ............................................................................................... 22
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION .................................................................. 22
MISCELLANEOUS QUESTIONS FROM 2009.................................................. 23
CIVIL REMEDIES FOR ILLICIT ACTIVITIES OFFICE (CRIA)..................................... 23
CLOC - ABORIGINAL LAW SUMMER PROGRAM .................................................... 24
CONSTITUTIONAL LAW BRANCH............................................................................. 24
1.
2.
2010 QUESTIONS ............................................................................................. 24
MISC QUESTIONS FROM PAST ...................................................................... 25
MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL SERVICES ............................................. 26
MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY SAFETY AND CORRECTIONAL SERVICES ............... 27
COURT SERVICES ...................................................................................................... 28
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, TORONTO ................................................................... 28
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1. OCI QUESTIONS, 2004 ..................................................................................... 28
2. OCI QUESTIONS, 2005 ..................................................................................... 28
3. OCI QUESTIONS, 2008 ..................................................................................... 28
4. OCI QUESTIONS, 2008 ..................................................................................... 29
5. OCI QUESTIONS, 2009 ..................................................................................... 29
6. INITIAL PART OF THE TORONTO INTERVIEW (2 INTERVIEWERS) ............ 29
7. INITIAL PART OF THE TORONTO INTERVIEW, 2008 .................................... 30
8. SECOND PART OF THE INTERVIEW (WITH MORE SENIOR
LAWYERS) ............................................................................................................... 30
9. SECOND PART OF THE INTERVIEW, 2008 .................................................... 30
10. MISC QUESTIONS FROM 2008........................................................................ 30
11. MISC QUESTIONS FROM IN-FIRM 2009 ......................................................... 32
12. OTTAWA DOJ ARTICLING INTERVIEW .......................................................... 32
MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT ........................................................................... 33
FAMILY RESPONSIBILITY OFFICE............................................................................ 34
MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND LONG TERM CARE ..................................................... 34
2012 QUESTIONS .................................................................................................... 34
QUESTIONS PRE-2011 ............................................................................................ 35
HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION.................................................................................. 37
MINISTRY OF LABOUR .............................................................................................. 37
OFFICE OF THE CHILDREN’S LAWYER ................................................................... 37
OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC GUARDIAN AND TRUSTEE .............................................. 38
2010 QUESTIONS .................................................................................................... 38
MISC QUESTIONS FROM PAST ............................................................................. 39
ONTARIO SECURITIES COMMITION ......................................................................... 39
MINISTRY OF TRANSPORTATION ............................................................................ 39
MINISTRY OF CITZENSHIP & IMMIGRATION, MINISTRY OF CULTURE, AND
MINISTRY OF TOURISM ............................................................................................. 40
CITY OF TORONTO ..................................................................................................... 40
CITY OF TORONTO – PROSECUTIONS OFFICE ...................................................... 40
COMPETITION BUREAU ............................................................................................. 41
CANADIAN RADIO-TELEIVION & TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
(CRTC) ......................................................................................................................... 41
LEGAL AID ONTARIO – BRAMPTON OFFICE .......................................................... 41
TORONTO DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD .................................................................... 42
INTRODUCTION
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Government offices follow strict rules that ensure fairness and consistency in
their interviewing and hiring practices; they are seeking students with a
demonstrated commitment to working in the public sector, and who are
interested in developing a substantive knowledge of one or more areas of law.
Therefore, government interviews are often very different from law firm
interviews; they are usually more substantive and much less “chatty.” Students
often report that they appreciate the challenge and focus of government
interviews, but they find it helpful to know in advance the types of questions that
may be asked. We hope that this document may help you prepare for interviews
with government offices.
The questions below have been supplied by Canadian law students who have
recently interviewed for summer or articling positions with government offices.
The lists are meant to give you some idea of how to prepare for government
interviews, and what to expect when you arrive. Of course, the offices may
change their practices at any time! You should read through the entire document,
even if you are only interviewing with one office.
Many helpful documents, including the Crown Policy Manual (essential reading
for interviews with Crowns’ offices) can be found at
http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/english/about/pubs/default.asp
Note that when possible answers are suggested, these have been supplied
by the students; the CLCDN has not verified that they are correct, complete
or up-to-date!
General Tips
1. All of the government offices I interviewed with were definitely looking for a
genuine interest in the work of the particular office, as well as an interest in
working in the public sector. Know why you want to work for the government
rather than a private law firm.
2. Ministry websites (not just the articling webpage) provide great
information. Know the structure of the government office to which you have
applied, the types of legal issues with which it deals, and whose interests the
office represents.
3. Know the office’s enabling legislation. Review all the important legislation in
the relevant areas of law, and any new or interesting developments in the
case law. Visit the legislative assembly website for information on new bills
introduced.
4. I was asked an ethical question in almost every interview.
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CROWN ATTORNEY’S OFFICE (GENERAL)
I.
Why do you want to be a Crown?
II.
What is the role of the Crown Attorney? (i.e., not to seek a conviction, but
to lay out all the relevant evidence capable of supporting guilt in a fair and
professional way….see R v. Boucher (1954, SCC) and Crown Policy
Manual).
III.
What qualities do you have that would make you a good Crown?
IV.
Who taught you criminal law? (This seemed like a casual question, but
was asked by both crowns who interviewed me, independently.)
V.
Discuss a recent SCC case and its impact on future of criminal law.
VI.
Choose a recent decision of the Supreme Court, tell us the general facts
of the case, and argue for the position of either the appellant or the
respondent.
VII.
What is a recent appeal court decision that you think will have an impact
on criminal law, and what is that impact?
VIII.
What is a recent appeal court decision with which you disagree, and why?
IX.
What is one provision of the Criminal Code that you think needs to be
changed?
X.
What is mens rea? Actus reus?
XI.
What is causation? What case is this from? (significant contributing cause
– Nette)
XII.
Discuss three different defences in criminal law (self-defence, duress,
necessity, insanity…)
XIII.
When should the Crown proceed with a charge? (Test: when there’s a
reasonable prospect of conviction and its in the public interest to do so –
crown policy manual) When is it not in the public interest? (e.g., 70 yearold crippled man with no criminal record who’s been charged w/ a minor
offence such as theft under)
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XIV.
What is the difference b/w 1st and 2nd degree murder? (1st deg murder is
listed in s.231(1-6) – all murder that isn’t 1st deg murder is 2nd deg murder
(s.231(7))
XV.
What is the difference in punishment for the actual offender and someone
convicted of aiding and abetting the actual offender? (nothing, s.21 of CC)
XVI.
How would you prepare a child witness for trial? (see crown policy
manual)
XVII.
What are some of the things you have to think about when you have a
child witness? (s.715.1 – getting evidence in through video, s.486 –
testifying behind screen, closed circuit TV, …, s.16 of Canada Evidence
Act and competence, Khan applications if child is unable to testify…)
XVIII.
What are the criteria for pre-trial custody/bail? (primary, secondary and
tertiary grounds - see s.515(10) and crown policy manual)
XIX.
Who is a person in authority for the purposes of confessions?
XX.
What is a KGB application ? (read R v. KGB). How would you go about
initiating one? (have to do s.9(2) of Canada evidence act first). How has
this test been modified to allow for other types of statements (see R v.
F(JU))?
XXI.
What is a Corbett application? (See R v. Corbett – when defence applies
to have accused’s criminal record excluded from the trial – application is
made at the end of the crown’s case).
XXII.
What is “colour of right”? Mistake of fact? Mistake of law?
XXIII.
What is the test for committal to trial at end of preliminary inquiry? (If
there’s sufficient evidence upon which a jury, acting reasonably, could
convict – Sheppard v. USA, R v. Arcuri)
XXIV.
You're a Crown Attorney prosecuting the sexual assault of a blind woman.
Because she is blind, identity is a major issue. You and defence counsel
have worked out a plea in which the accused will plea to simple assault
and get a non-custodial sentence. On the way to court, you pass by the
accused speaking to a friend and overhear him say "All I have to do is
plea to assault and I'll get away with raping her! I don't have to do jail or
anything!" Then once you get to court and open your file, you find a report
from a police officer that nobody has yet seen that says that on one prior
occasion, the complainant of this case had made a false allegation of
sexual assault against somebody else. What do you do with this new
information?
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XXV.
An hour before the sexual assault charge you are prosecuting, you
overhear the complainant speaking on her phone, saying that she made
up the charges to get back at the accused for something he had done.
What do you do? (You have prepared for this trial for months and the
judge has previously ruled that there can be no further adjournments.)
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1. CROWN: DOWNTOWN 2010 QUESTIONS
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
Question regarding bail and how to know whether it should be granted
(Charter and case law)
Question describing plea negotiations: Negotiations take place, deal was
not yet accepted as the accused went to consult his lawyer, Crown finds
new, strong evidence against the accused in the meantime – what do you
do as a Crown when the accused decides to now accept the deal?
Scenario where a police officer attempts to give the Crown tips on how to
treat witnesses
Disclosure and Stinchcombe question, who discloses what, when, why
Why are you the very best candidate for this position?
What is mens rea?
What is the burden of proof and who is it on? Does it shift, if so, when?
Name and describe 3 defences
Describe a recent SCC case which will have an impact on criminal law
What useful skills do you have that would be beneficial to us?
2. CROWN: DOWNTOWN
I.
What does a Crown Attorney do?
II.
Tell us about yourself, your skills, and why you want to work for the
Downtown Crown Attorney, and how does this factor into your long term
career goals?
III.
I had to answer a series of oral substantive questions pertaining to the
rules of evidence.
IV.
You are the Crown on a domestic assault case. A few days before the
trial, the complainant tells you that she will not testify and wants to reunite
with the Accused. What do you do? What are three issues that you will
need to deal with?
V.
Police are performing a patrol in and around a school. They see a man
walking down the sidewalk. When the man sees the patrol, he flees. As he
flees, he throws an object into the bushes. One officer pursues the man,
as the other goes to retrieve the object thrown into the bushes. The object
turns out to be a firearm. The officers run a CPIC search on the man. He
is on probation for various drug offences, and a term of his probation
requires that he not be in possession of a firearm. He is charged with
possession of a firearm. As the Crown on the case, what kind of sentence
would you pursue?
Summering Hypotheticals from fall 2011:
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The first one involved a KGB application.
The second one is the same judge situation set out in the document online, with
the out of town judge’s son.
Important note: I noticed that all the substantive questions came out to a total
value of 25 points. Then there was a hypothetical worth 20 points. Then the
description of an SCC case was worth 15 points. Then another hypothetical
worth 10 points. The upshot of this is that spotting the issues and doing the
hypotheticals well was worth more than the substantive questions.
3. CROWN: NORTH YORK 2010 QUESTIONS
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
Question regarding disclosure and Stinchcombe ruling – who has to
disclose what/when/why
Policy Manual question: What happens if you disagree with something
being illegal and you are required to prosecute it?
Describe a recent SCC case which changes criminal law
What Charter section deals with being tried within a reasonable time? How
is this application made? What is an appropriate remedy for a violation of
the section? What would the Crown do to oppose it?
Fact pattern where a woman wants to lay an information against her
neighbour – had to know requirements and standards for laying an
information against someone
Written question – Given 15 minutes to write about why you want to work
at the Crown
4. CROWN: NORTH YORK
I.
Name three differences between a summary and indictable offence.
II.
What is the significance of s. 11(b) of the Charter? Name the three leading
cases that discuss this issue.
III.
Describe the significance of various Criminal Code sections.
IV.
What would you do if you were asked to prosecute an offence which
you didn't feel should be an offence (e.g., marijuana possession)?
V.
What would you do if a defence witness, who was in the middle of
examination when the trial was adjourned for the day, contacted you with
a question? What is the leading case on this?
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VI.
What is the difference between the role of a Crown Attorney and that of a
defence lawyer?
VII.
Situational question regarding a "pre-enquete" hearing in a criminal
harassment case - what factors would be brought before a JP to establish
a prima facie case in this situation? Do you think a case can be
established?
5. CROWN: BRAMPTON
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
XI.
XII.
XIII.
What did you do to prepare for this interview?
What do you see your future relationship with the Crown's office to be?
What do you know about the Brampton court?
Will you have a car to access the various buildings you will have to
attend?
What is the nature of the relationship between the Crown and the police?
What is the nature of the relationship between the Crown and the defence
attorney?
What is the nature of the relationship between the Crown and the
judiciary?
How would you go about preparing to prosecute several POA offences?
Would you have any difficulty taking direction from the office support staff?
What's the difference between absolute liability offences and strict liability
offences (supported with examples of each)?
What applicable experiences and courses have you taken, and what
applicable statutes are you aware of?
How would you handle a personality conflict with someone working in the
office?
What part of criminal law relates to remedies?
6. CROWN: NEWMARKET
I.
What do you hope to gain from a summer position with our office?
II.
What is the most significant experience you've had in the area of criminal
law thus far?
III.
Do you plan to do any defence work in the future? (They were quick to
note that it's okay to say yes)
IV.
How would you go about writing a legal memo?
V.
Discuss a recent Supreme Court case that has affected the law on
hearsay or on police powers.
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VI.
Discuss a recent appellate court case that will have an impact on criminal
law (they told me afterwards that instead of this they used to ask for the
applicant's thoughts on the Mann decisions (i.e., protective pat downs
during investigative detention), but too many students couldn't remember
the case, so they changed the question)
VII.
Hypothetical question: You come into work and there are the following 4
things waiting for you. How do you go about handling them, and in what
order?
a. A Crown asks you to do some research on a sentencing issue for
her case the next day;
b. You have to review several HTA prosecutions you will be doing the
next day;
c. You are asked to call 4 lawyers to see if a jury trial is still scheduled
for the following week; and
d. You are working in a Crown office library with a phone, computer,
research materials, and case files and a Crown asks to borrow the
library to interview a witness.
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7. CROWN: WHITBY
I.
I was given a fact scenario regarding an assault, and asked to give the
sequence of steps the Crown would take.
II.
What information must the Crown put before the courts regardless of the
charge? (identification and jurisdiction)
III.
What is the role of a Crown Attorney?
8. CROWN: ETOBICOKE & SCARBOROUGH
Summering Questions from Fall 2011:
1. Who has the burden of proof in a criminal trial?
2. What is Mens Rea?
3. What is the Confession Rule? Who is a person in authority?
4. What is the test for causation, and what case does it come from?
5. What are the grounds for denying bail?
6. What is a hybrid offence, and give an example?
7. Name three (3) defenses and discuss?
8. What is the difference in intent between 1st and 2nd degree murder? (This
one the interviewer admitted was a little confusing, it basically the question
became what is the difference between 1st and 2nd degree murder)
9. Name recent SCC decision, discuss, and do you agree or disagree with it?
10. What part of the Criminal Code would you change and why?
11. Why do you want to be a Crown Attorney?
12. What is the role of the Crown Attorney?
Summering Hypothetical from Fall 2011:
You are an Assistant Crown Attorney working on a very serious case of
Aggravated Sexual Assault. The allegation is that the accused, David Heathcliff,
raped a blind woman, Ms. Catherine Earnshaw, in her bedroom after breaking
into her house. There is evidence that the person who raped the victim wore a
condom with the result that there is no DNA evidence which might incriminate the
accused. You have another difficulty: because of the victim’s inability to see, she
is unable to identify her assailant. As a result of these problems, you have
arranged a plea bargain with defence counsel so that the accused pleads to the
offence of simple assault with a joint submission for a non custodial sentence.
As you are walking down the hallways to the courtroom, you pass Heathcliff who
is talking excitedly to a companion. You hear him say, “That’s right. I’m going to
get away with raping her. In fact, all I’m going to have to plead to is a simple
Assault and not have any jail time to worry about. I’m having a laugh…!”
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When you get into the courtroom, you open the file and a memo that you have
not seen before falls into your lap. The memo is from an officer who informs you
that he has found out that in another case, Ms. Earnshaw made a false complaint
to the police, which resulted in another, accused being arrested. That other
accused was later released and the charges dropped.
What, if anything do you do with this new information?
MISC Scenario questions from pre-2011:
I. A woman is sexually assaulted in a dark, secluded park one night. The next
day, she reports the incident to the police, takes them to the scene of the
crime and points to a condom on the ground identifying it as the condom
used by her attacker. The woman saw her attacker clearly that night and is
able to pick him out of a line up. You are the Crown on the case, and
defence counsel for the accused comes to you to make the following
bargain: the accused will voluntarily supply a sample of his semen to police;
however, if his semen does not match that on the condom, then the Crown
will drop the charges.
II. Do you, as the Crown, make the bargain?
III. You make the bargain. The semen does not match and you drop the
charges. Later, a co-worker of the accused overhears him bragging about
how he sexually assaulted the complainant. What do you do, given the fact
that you made the bargain?
IV. You are the Crown on a case where the accused is the son of a judge in
another district. Examinations, cross and closings are finished, and the
judge on the case reserves his decision until after lunch. You go to a
restaurant for lunch, and see the judge whispering at a table with the
accused's father (the judge from out-of-town). The accused's father
eventually makes to leave, and you hear the judge on the case say, "Don't
worry, everything will be OK." What do you do?
V. What did you do to prepare for this interview?
9. CROWN: KENORA
I.
II.
III.
Describe how the decision in Gladue has affected the way the courts deal
with Aboriginal defendants.
What is the catchment area for this office?
What is the role of the Crown Attorney?
How do you feel about flying in little airplanes?
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10.
I.
II.
III.
11.
CROWN: KINGSTON
What do you think of Professor X?
Name one criminal court decision with which you disagree and explain
why.
What is the relevance of the Stinchcombe decision for Crown Attorneys?
CROWN: KINGSTON (ARTICLING QUESTIONS)
If asked, how would other people describe you?
I.
Why do you want to be a Crown?
II. Hypotheticals:
o A man pulled over by the cops, impaired driving suspected, took
him down to the station to give him a breathalyzer. You are asked
to prepare a charter response – what issues does the scenario
raise and how would you go about preparing the Charter response?
 Would you focus on researching common law or statute, or
both?
o Interviewers gave me a hypothetical where I had to prioritize
different tasks, such as which would you do first – draft an urgent
memo, help out the secretary or photocopy materials for another
lawyer which he needs in a week.
III. How do you feel about working overtime?
12.
CROWN: LONDON (SUMMER QUESTIONS)
I.
Why did I want to work for the London Crown specifically, and not another
crown or another firm?
II.
What is the role of the crown?
III.
The crown needs to have a lot of confidentiality and discretion- what does
this mean? (I gave a more Abstract/"big picture" answer- they followed up
by asking what it means in a practical sense)
IV.
Describe a situation where I had a difficult situation/problem at work and
how did I deal with it.
V.
VI.
What is mens rea and actus reus? Are there different types of mens rea?
(I had an answer for this but they told me that they knew I was in first year
and likely hadn't taken this yet, so just to try my best)
VII.
What are 3 skills or attributes that i have that I think would be beneficial
working for the Crown?
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VIII.
What is my favourite movie?
13.
CROWN: MILTON (ARTICLING QUESTIONS)
I.
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
XI.
XII.
XIII.
XIV.
XV.
XVI.
XVII.
XVIII.
XIX.
XX.
XXI.
XXII.
XXIII.
14.
How did you prepare for this interview?
What would you do if you had a personality conflict with someone from
this office?
How do you feel about working overtime?
Say you had to handle all cases in court on a given day. How would you
handle them?
a. Hypothetical question – most serious requiring imminent action first
Suppose you have given the support staff a file on which something had to
be done. The staff returns the file with a delay and there are many
mistakes. What do you do?
What is the remedy section of the Charter?
a. S.24(2), be prepared to talk about cases and applicable tests
Explain how s.24(2) operates.
What does s.8 of the Charter relate to?
What does s.10 of the Charter relate to?
What do you know about our office and why do you want to work here?
What is the relationship between the Crown and the victim?
What is the relationship between the Crown and the police?
What is the relationship between Crown and Defence?
What is the relationship between Crown and Judiciary?
How do you see your relationship with the Milton Crown Office?
Why do you want to be a Crown?
What skills do you think are essential for a good Crown?
What is the one most relevant experience that will help you as a Crown?
What relevant courses have you taken and why do you consider them
relevant?
a. Why haven’t you taken the Correctional law project?
The police had interviewed witnesses and taken notes, another officer
took measurements. What should the police do with these documents, if
anything, and when?
a. What if documents get lost?
i. Answer  police’s duty to disclose in a timely manner, the
Stinchcombe decision; “will say” notes if documents get lost
What is the Crown’s duty to witnesses who have been subpoenaed
What is the role of the Crown
Difference between Strict and Absolute liability, provide examples of each
Difference between Summary and Indictable offences
CROWN: OTTAWA
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Summering questions from Fall 2011:
1. Why do you want to be a Crown Attorney?
2. What is the role of the Crown Attorney?
3. What is the relationship of the Crown Attorney with the defence bar?
4. What is the relationship of the Crown Attorney with police?
5. Describe the three most important qualities that you think are necessary
for a crown attorney, put them in order of importance, and explain your
choices?
6. Name two (2) Charter Applications (possible charter challenges), what
section of the Charter they are from, and explain the basics? (i.e., 11(b):
right to be tried with a reasonable time- what are the important cases that
deal with this and what do they say)
7. Describe a recent SCC case, do you agree or disagree?
8. Tell us something interesting about yourself? (This one looked like it was
actually worth a bit, first time I saw a question like this)
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15.
CROWN: OTTAWA (ARTICLING)
I.
Why do you want to be a Crown Attorney?
II.
Why do you want to work for the Ottawa Crown Attorney’s office in
particular?
III.
What is the role of the Crown in relation to:
a) The police
b) Victims of crime
c) Defence counsel
IV.
What are 3 Charter challenges an accused person may bring in a criminal
proceeding?
V.
What is hearsay? What is / are the leading cases?
VI.
You have been asked by senior counsel to research a specific issue and
the work is due in a few days. What resources do you use and where do
you start?
VII.
You have been assigned to conduct an assault trial, which takes place in a
week. What do you do to prepare?
VIII.
On the day of trial, the investigating officer tells you that a certain witness
is missing and, as a result, you are unable to prove a material element of
the offence.
a) What do you do?
b) Do you share this information with defence counsel?
c) The accused says he wants to plead guilty. Do you accept his
plea?
IX.
The day of a sexual assault trial, the victim tells you she doesn’t want to
testify.
a) What do you do?
b) What if she told you she lied to the police and her initial statement
was false?
X.
A 47-year-old single mother has been convicted of stealing $200 worth of
merchandise from her employer.
a) What is the appropriate sentence?
b) What factors would you take into account?
16.
I.
CROWN: PEEL REGION (ARTICLING)
Go through sections 7 to 11 of the Charter from memory
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II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
XI.
XII.
What is an absolute liability offence? Give an example from a case.
What is a strict liability offence and what mens rea does it require?
Example from a case.
Difference between criminal offences and regulatory offences, and the
leading case on this.
Who taught you criminal law?
What were your marks in Criminal Law (1L) and Evidence?
Describe a paper you wrote recently
Asked to compare right to counsel protections in Canada vs. the USA
since I mentioned it in my paper (i.e., Miranda rights vs. Sinclair ruling,
Singh case, etc.)
What is the leading case on s.9 of the Charter? (Describe)
What is the leading case on s.10b of the Charter? (Describe)
What do you like to do outside of work and law/school?
Why do you want to work at the Crown?
Ethical Questions:
You are handling a sexual assault case (involving children). In the meantime your
neighbour hires the accused as a babysitter for their children. What do you do?!
Written Question:
You have 30 minutes to write 300-400 words on the role of the Crown in
interacting with police, defence counsel, and the judiciary.
CROWN LAW OFFICE (CRIMINAL)
1. 2011 QUESTIONS (SUMMER)
Three hypotheticals. Each of which was from an important recent SCC or Ont
CA case.
I.
Basically the exact fact situation of R v JA (SCC, 2011)
II.
A s. 8 search and seizure hypothetical to do with child pornography on
computers and how it was found. Similar to R v Cole (Ont CA, 2010) but
there were variations on what the issues were.
III.
Hypothetical to do with the inference of guilt from the accused not
testifying.
2. 2010 QUESTIONS (SUMMER)
I.
Situational question regarding a sexual assault trial - the complainant has
shown up for trial wearing a hijab, which she did not wear to the
preliminary hearing. What factors should be considered? Would you argue
that she should be forced to remove it or be allowed to keep it on?
II. You have been asked to write an opinion as to whether a sentence appeal
in an impaired driving case should be taken on. What factual information
would you require? What legal and policy factors should be taken into
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account? Should public outcry and extensive media coverage on this
issue influence your decision?
3. 2009 QUESTIONS (ARTICLING)
Tell us about a recent case that has changed the law?
a. Many sub-questions on the case I talked about such as:
i. Do you prefer the state of the law (on the given issue) prior to
the case or after it?
ii. Why do you disagree with the majority?
II. Why do you want to work here?
III. Hypotheticals
a. Man charged with impaired driving and causing death of a bicyclist.
Friend of the bicyclists first stated that he saw the bicyclist swerve in
the direction of the driver and that the bicyclist was driving erratically.
Later on, however, the witness testifies he cannot remember anything
about the incident.
i. What do you do?
ii. Do you proceed with the case?
1. Why?
iii. What steps do you take to proceed with the case?
iv. Suppose the prior statement is ruled inadmissible. What next?
b. You have been asked to assist a Crown with a sexual assault appeal.
The Crown proposed a range of 5-7 years custodial sentence. The
accused is appealing the sentence.
i. Do you agree with the Crown’s proposed sentence? Why?
ii. Describe the steps you will take to either initiate or cease the
appeal.
c. You have been assigned to work on an inmate appeal. As you are
reading the court transcript, you find yourself strongly disagreeing with
the judge’s reasons for the conviction, and feel there wasn’t sufficient
evidence to sustain the conviction.
i. What do you do?
ii. Why would you proceed / end the appeal?
iii. What steps would you take to proceed with or end the appeal?
I.
4. 2008 QUESTIONS
Discuss a recent SCC case
- they will ask you many questions about this case so come prepared
- know what the majority, minority, and/or dissent said
- know if you agree with one side or the other
Talk about your litigation experience
moots are great to talk about - make sure you know your moot inside and out
they may ask you which side you agree with - focus on the wholes in their
arguments rather than choosing sides - it shows you have a depth of
understanding about all the different viewpoints
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Why do you want to do appellate work?
remember this is an appellate not a trial office
you can focus on your interest in Charter issues as many appeals deal with
Charter rights etc.
Why do you want to be a prosecutor and not a defense attorney?
I focused on the variety of interesting cases, the opportunity to work on appeals
(as a defense attorney you don't get to do appeals very often when you're
starting out)
also, talk about getting a depth of experience, having a set program, managing
your own case files
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Why did you choose certain courses?
they are impressed by moots, appellate/trial advocacy, evidence, criminal
procedure, clinical litigation practice
focus on these courses and take this opportunity to bring up something
interesting you are doing/talking about in one of these courses
They asked questions about your resume
if you say you've done something, make sure you have and that you can
elaborate on that. I talked about working on an HIV transmission case in
Hamilton - they expected me to know the recent decisions/trials that were going
on right now in Hamilton that dealt with HIV transmission.
FACT PATTERNS:
Given 2 hypothetical situations and asked what I would do.
First situation was about not agreeing with counsel's legal opinion right before a
trial. What would I do?
Second situation was about a court of appeal case where the accused was
convicted at trial but wasn't represented by legal counsel and potential issues of
being unlawfully detained. What would I do?
5. 2007 QUESTIONS
Why don't you want to work on Bay Street? What interests you about criminal
law?
Why are you interested in working at this particular office?
Do you also have an interest in working as a defence counsel? Is it important to
work for both defence and the Crown in order to practice criminal law well?
Discuss a recent SCC decision in criminal law.
Name a recent case that has radically altered criminal law.
What area of the criminal law do you think requires improvement?
What would you do if you were reviewing the defence's factum and realized that
counsel had missed two substantially important grounds for appeal in the judge's
reasoning?
What would you do if the complainant in a sexual assault trial told you right
before trial that she had taped conversations she'd had with the accused? I was
also asked some procedural questions about unreasonable delay. Modification:
What would you do if the complainant in a sexual assault trial told you right
before trial that she had taped conversations she'd had with the accused, that
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she did not have the tape on her, and that several adjournments had already
been consented to and the judge was not likely to give you another one?
Describe mens rea and actus reus and compare the two.
Talk about a challenging experience.
CROWN LAW OFFICE (CIVIL)
1. FIRST PANEL
I.
What do you know about our office and the work we do?
II.
Why are you interested in working in the public law area?
III.
What kind of research skills do you have?
IV.
What courses are you taking next term?
V.
Tell us about a situation in which you have been successful as an
individual and another situation in which you succeeded as a team player?
VI.
What kind of litigation experience do you have?
VII.
Tell us about a non-legal experience.
VIII.
If a client approaches you and the case involves some moral issues which
are not necessarily against the Code of Conduct, what do you do?
IX.
If you are busy and you are asked to help with a case in which you are
interested and would like to get involved, what do you do?
X.
Do you have any questions for us?
2. SECOND PANEL
Friendly interview. However, probing questions asked about specific experiences
listed in the résumé. Discussion of masters thesis. Questions about my
background. Testing of French knowledge and other languages listed on my
résumé (i.e., Italian).
3. MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION
From 2009 law student
CLOC specifically looks for a few things in their candidates:
--advocacy/mooting experience (CLOC does all of Ontario's litigation, so litigation
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interest is a must)
--Legal Aid/Legal Clinic experience is highly regarded by the office
Aside from the above, they like to see that you're actually interested in litigation.
They'll check your 2nd year course selections as well as your planned 3rd year
courses. Other than that, I'd encourage interviewers to seriously consider
whether working in the government is right for you-- it's not for everyone. In my
opinion, CLOC is very good at picking out candidates who have a genuine
interest in working in government and particularly litigation. If that matches the
students' interest, then I think it will come out quite clearly in the interview.
Also, CLOC (in past years) has not asked any substantive questions. They also
didn't ask me to pick a case and to provide an opinion on it. But their interviews
do look for very specific things as per above.
4. MISCELLANEOUS QUESTIONS FROM 2009
 Why do you want to work for CLOC?
 Tell us what you would do if you found you had a ton of things to do and a
very tight deadline.
 A coworker is not working as hard as the other students in the office, but is
very popular in the office because of his or her charisma (or other
qualities). How would you address the problem?
 Can you tell us about the kind of work CLOC does? Any recent cases
CLOC has been involved with? Where did you get this information?
 If you had to research the interpretation of a particular statute, say s.X of
the Highway Traffic Act, how would you do that? (they didn’t seem to like
my answer including Westlaw/Quicklaw – have an alternative ready).
 Do you like litigation? What kind of litigation experience do you have?
 Why do you want to work for OPS instead of some other public service?
(could have been because I’m from Alberta).
 What skills can you bring to CLOC that would be useful or relevant?
 What is your proficiency in French?
CIVIL REMEDIES FOR ILLICIT ACTIVITIES OFFICE (CRIA)
Provided below are the unique questions that were asked on the CRIA interview.
Most of the questions were typical MAG questions.
1. What is the role of the Attorney General?
2. Do you have any experience dealing with public law?
Specific CRIA questions in relation to the Civil Remedies Act, were:
1) Police stopped C's vehicle and C was arrested for breach of recognizance —
Police found in vehicle $29,020 in cash, light socket, light ballast and exhaust
fan, items which are commonly used in indoor marijuana operations — Items
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smelled strongly of marijuana — C was not charged with any drug-related
offence.
Discuss how you would go about conducting a forfeiture claim.
I had read AG v Chatterjee, from which these facts were borrowed, and cited it in
my response. The answer is contained within the case.
2) Discuss the constitutional validity of the Civil Remedies Act.
Again, this was canvassed by the Ontario Court of Appeal in AG v Chatterjee. I
went ahead and conducted a pith and substance analysis, which I had thankfully
memorized.
The accused unsuccessfully appealed. The appellate court found that the trial
judge was correct in refusing the accused standing to challenge certain parts of
the Act and that the challenged provisions were not necessary to the resolution
of the case, part of the Act was not engaged on the facts of the case, and that
refusal of standing did not have the effect of immunizing the challenged
provisions. The appellate court agreed with the judge's assessment of the pith
and substance of the Act and could not find there was any basis on record to
support the submission that the Act was a colourable attempt to legislate in
relation to criminal law. The true purpose of the Act was not to punish offenders.
The Court also found that forfeiture of ill-gotten gains should not be classified as
falling exclusively within federal powers. The Act dealt with matters that all fell
within the province's power to legislate in relation to property and civil rights in
the province or in relation to matters of a merely local or private nature. While the
matter of proceeds of crime had a federal criminal law aspect, it did not constitute
a watertight compartment into which provincial legislation could not intrude. The
proceedings under the Act were not criminal in nature and did not result in true
penal consequences. The accused appealed.
CLOC - ABORIGINAL LAW SUMMER PROGRAM
1.
2.
3.
4.
Name the case you think is most important in the history of Aboriginal rights.
What programs/issues have you worked on dealing with Aboriginal issues?
What do you think is the most significant issues facing the ministry today?
How would you change the way the past policies have dealt with Aboriginal
issues?
CONSTITUTIONAL LAW BRANCH
1. 2010 QUESTIONS
I.
Why public sector?
II. Why Constitutional Law Branch? Do you want to litigate?
III. What does the CLB do?
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IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
Discuss your research and your litigation experience
What non-law related experience do you have that would be helpful in the
job
What are 3 characteristics that you think are most important for a student
working for the CLB?
What work/courses have you taken that would be relevant to this job
(include any human rights related classes you have taken)
What would you do if you were given a case to work on that you disagree
with (the example they gave me was that the policy was very anti-feminist
and I had to defend this policy).
Talk about a case/series of cases related to a constitutional law issue.
(Note: they will ask follow-up questions, both to see your knowledge of the
case and issue, and to see your opinions on the broader policy.)
What is your proficiency in French (can you argue a case in French? Can
you read and translate a case in French? Not a requirement, but a bonus)
2. MISC QUESTIONS FROM PAST
Make sure you arrive at least ten minutes early as you will need to check in with
security, call up to the branch office and have someone come down to meet you
and escort you to the branch.
I was interviewed by two lawyers in a boardroom. They gave me an overview of
the work of the office: the lawyers intervene in cases before the Supreme Court
or various provincial Courts of Appeal, write legal opinions for other branches
and assist with the drafting of some legislation. All lawyers at the branch are
expected to do some of each type of work (i.e., there are no lawyers who deal
with litigation exclusively and all lawyers take part in some litigation). The main
topic areas are federal-provincial relations, the Charter, and Aboriginal law.
I was asked a series of questions, and allowed about 10 minutes at the end to
ask questions (have some prepared!)
1. Why are you interested in working at the Constitutional Law Branch?
2. What courses have you taken that will prepare you (or are related) to the work
you would be doing here? HINT: Be prepared to answer questions about
specific courses on your transcript.
3. What do you think will be most challenging about your experience here?
HINT: This is the “what are your weaknesses?” question reworded. Your
answer should address a challenge you are willing and able to meet and
demonstrate your ability to meet it.
4. Discuss a specific area of constitutional law including a leading case in that
area.
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a. How was the case decided?
b. What was good and bad about the decision?
c. What do you think about the legal test that was applied?
d. What, if anything, needs to be addressed in this area of law?
HINT: Pick an area in advance, and know it well. They will ask follow-up
questions and challenge you to get at the details of the issue. I cited the
Same Sex Marriage Reference. In addition to the questions above, they
wanted to know what I thought was significant about it being a Reference
as opposed to allowing a specific case to go to the Supreme Court, and
whether I thought it was good or bad that the legislature had pursued this
course of action. I was then asked what I thought about the Section 15
test (because that was the area of constitutional law I had identified). I
spoke mainly about the “enumerated and analogous grounds” aspect of
the test, and had one lawyer point out that my personal opinion was
different from some scholars in the area. I did not readily have the name of
a scholar in the area that argued in favour of my view. So you see, you
need to know your stuff.
5. Discuss your extracurricular activities and how they relate to the work you
would be doing. HINT: be familiar with all extracurricular experiences listed on
your resume as they will ask you specific questions. Everything on your
resume is fair game.
6. What (if any) interest do you have in litigation and what experience do you
have in this area?
7. How well do you read/write/speak French? (French is not a requirement; it is
simply helpful.)
MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL SERVICES
1. I was given a written case study to complete – I was left alone for 20 minutes
to answer 2 questions. The first was a question of prioritizing tasks (you come
into the office and have a bunch of new requests to do work, and you already
have things scheduled: i.e., be aware of deadlines, prior commitments, check
with supervisor for guidance, etc.). The second question was an ethics
question.
2. Why do you want to work in the public sector?
3. What legislation governs the work of the ministry?
4. Tell me about a current issue in the news that is relevant to this ministry.
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MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY SAFETY AND CORRECTIONAL
SERVICES
For this interview, I was given the questions 15 minutes before the interview
began. Best to arrive right on time to take advantage of the full 15 minutes
(though they will not give you any more than 15 minutes to read the questions if
you arrive earlier). You can make notes on the pages and can take those notes
into the interview and refer to them (though my interviewers did not tell me this
until the end of the interview, so it may be worth while to ask).
Questions:
1. Tell us about 2 pieces of legislation that govern/are related to the ministry.
Discuss their purpose, format, and content in as much detail as possible.
2. What bodies/who governs the police?
3. Mr Smith is an athlete. The police pulled him over for speeding and find
drugs in his car. Mr Smith believes this may have been due to racial
discrimination. What procedures/remedies are available to Mr Smith?
4. You are assigned a legal memo to write, and the lawyer who assigned it is
away and cannot be reached. The topic of the memo has recently gained
media attention. The Commissioner has approached you and wants your
memo. You think it is ready but it has not been approved by the lawyer.
How do you proceed?
5. Time management question: You are given 3 projects all in one morning.
How do you deal with this?
6. An indigenous group is claiming that discrimination occurred because they
did not receive funding for their programs. They claim that according to the
human rights legislation, they are entitled to “services” and have not been
provided with such services. How would you go about determining the
meaning of the term “services” as used in the legislation to determine if
the funding claimed is/should be included? (this appeared to be the
question assessing your research skills)
7. Statutory interpretation question: I was given a page of regulations and a
fact scenario. I was then asked questions based on the scenario.
Specifically, the regulations outlined the duties of police officers to provide
notes of an incident for the sake of an investigation. In the scenario the
officer was asked to provide his notes. I was asked: a) is the officer
required to provide the notes b) what are the timelines for providing the
notes c) whether the officer had a right to counsel [all of the answers came
from the regulations provided]
After completing the substantive questions, the interviewers put away their
marking sheets, and asked me why I wanted to work for the Ministry of CSCS.
The discussion then turned more informal and conversational and I was given
time to ask questions.
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COURT SERVICES
I was asked a series of seven questions, many of which were broken down into
four parts (i.e., a, b, c, and d.)
1. Describe the structure of the court system. Outline the relevant statutes.
2. I was given a proposed legislative change and asked to comment.
3. Talk about a recent initiative that relates to the work of the department.
4. Why do you want to work in the public sector? Why court services in
particular?
5. Ethical question: You have several deadlines pending for different lawyers at
the department. A student from another department in the Ministry calls you
for help and she has a deadline to meet. What issues arise out of this
situation? How do you deal with it?
6. Comment on a long fact pattern re: high costs and long wait times for a
resolution in the court system. The AG wants you to research and propose
broad policy initiatives to deal with the issue: (a) How would you go about
researching? (b) What would you propose? (c) What would you adopt? They
are not interested in the specific answers, but rather the rationale and
reasoning behind your answers.
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, TORONTO
1. OCI QUESTIONS, 2004
I.
Give us the facts of a case decided by the Supreme Court. What does the
case stand for? What was the split of the court? Who wrote the majority
decision? Did this decision spur any legislative changes? (I think they
were trying to get me to the point where I didn't know the answer so they
could see how I would react.)
II.
What does this office do?
2. OCI QUESTIONS, 2005
I.
II.
III.
Discuss the rule of law.
Discuss morality and the law.
Discuss the impact of increasing tuition on the practice of law.
3. OCI QUESTIONS, 2008
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I. Give a time when you were in a difficult/stressful position and how did you
handle this?
II. What would make you a good litigator?
III. One question was a bit different in that they wanted to know if I understood
the difference between the DOJ and big firms (it's might be good to also
insert why you prefer the DOJ or what you like about it that you might not
receive from the other firms)
IV. Tell us about either a moot case or research/class case from the Supreme
Court of Canada that is of interest to you. (I found I talked a lot about it and
they didn't grill me on it because I had already mentioned all the main points
and some issues at hand. I was prepared with the number of judges that
agreed/disagreed as well. If the case relates to the DOJ's areas of focus it is
probably better and keep in mind that the assoicates will know most of these
kinds of cases)!
V. Some questions specifically from my resume
4. OCI QUESTIONS, 2008
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
Why do you want to work with the DOJ?
What relevant experience do you have that would be helpful to a position
with the DOJ?
What was your favourite course in first year?
I see you did a first year moot. What was your moot about?
Can you name a situation in which you experienced conflict and how did
you resolve it?
You said you wouldn't do something against your principles. How do you
feel about litigating on something if it doesn't agree with your principles?
5. OCI QUESTIONS, 2009
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
What do you think is the greatest legal challenge facing the Government
of Canada today?
Do you think the courts have a role to play in meeting this challenge?
Why do you want to work for government?
What are three words you’d use to describe yourself?
Why do you think that you would be a good candidate for our office?
What do you hope to get from a summer experience at DOJ?
6. INITIAL PART OF THE TORONTO INTERVIEW (2 INTERVIEWERS)
I.
II.
III.
IV.
Tell us a little about yourself (questions drawn from resume).
Fact scenario about breach of confidentiality outside the office - how
would you handle it?
Take a side on a legal case relevant to the DOJ- explain the issues and
argue from one of the positions in the case.
Discuss some area of the law that needs improvement; how could it be
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V.
improved?
Describe your litigation experience.
7. INITIAL PART OF THE TORONTO INTERVIEW, 2008
I. Describe a situation that you had where you were put on the spot or under
pressure and how did you handle this?
II. What would you do if you did not agree with a case that was given to you to
work on?
III. What would you do if an upper year associate gave you an additional
assignment and you could not see yourself finishing it along with the other
assignments you had in a timely fashion?
IV. Tell us about either a moot case or research/class case from the Supreme
Court of Canada that is of interest to you. (Same procedure as for the OCI
just use a different case).
V. Questions about my resume and time to ask the DOJ members any
questions I had at the time.
8. SECOND PART OF THE INTERVIEW (WITH MORE SENIOR LAWYERS)
I.
Why do you want to work for the DOJ in Toronto?
II.
I was asked about my course choices.
III.
The rest of the questions were drawn from the conversation / my resume
(what interests aside from law do you have?, etc.); they were aimed at
encouraging discussion of issues facing DOJ. It’s a good idea to have
read the newspaper and their website!
9. SECOND PART OF THE INTERVIEW, 2008
I. Tell us about a Supreme Court Case where you disagreed with the
majority's opinion. (This I wasn't prepared for but I used my OCI case and
luckily talked about one aspect of it that they themselves weren't as familiar
with at the time. It was a small part but knowing the cases well pays off in
the end.)
II. What would you do if three senior associates all gave you projects to have
completed by the end of the week and you knew you could not finish them
all?
III. What would you do if you felt like you were doing more work on a project
then your partner (or if you felt that you were picking up his/her slack)?
10. MISC QUESTIONS FROM 2008
Describe a time when you were busy and how you interacted with the
people around you when you were busy.
What they wanted: that you could delegate time for each task and that you were
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respectful of other people when you were busy – i.e., you called them in advance
to set up a meeting to talk about some issue rather than barging into their office.
Describe a SCC case.
What they wanted: describe a case that matters to their office. It’s a good idea to
come prepared with a case from the past couple months that the department of
justice was involved in!! Also, it is a good idea to reference the case history, but
make sure you know everything about those cases that you are citing within that
cases history. For example, I discussed R. v. Kadhr and referenced R. v. Hape - I
was asked about my viewpoints on the majority and dissent in Hape and asked
what I thought about the decision in Hape (I was also asked about the DOJ's
position in Hape).
How would you react to prosecuting a case that went against your own
personal morals or viewpoints?
What they wanted: Mention that you are impartial - it's part of the job - your role is
wholely separate from your moral viewpoints. I also mentioned that if it was so
offensive to me that i didn't think i could prosecute it well that I would let my
superior know.
Discuss a recent decision that you disagree with.
What they wanted: Not necessarily proving a case was decided wrong but
identifying the contentious points and issues - showing that you understand that
sometimes decisions are not clear.
What would you do if three lawyers gave you three different tasks and all
asked for you to complete these tasks by the end of the week? You have
reviewed your week and there is no way you can complete these tasks in
the time given.
What they wanted: You would accept the task that was from your immediate
superior (if you had one). You would notify those lawyers immediately that you
would not be able to complete those tasks by the end of the week and ask what
they want to do. I suggested that I would ask them if they wanted me to ask
another student if they could work on their file - out of courtesy. It was important
not to say that you would pass off the work to someone else.
Why do you want to work for the government?
Why do you want to work for the department of justice?
If you want to do prosecutions it's important to remember that the prosecutions
are separate from the department of justice and that you won't get to work solely
on prosecutions as a summer student. However, if you show a keen interest in
prosecutions then feel free to mention that - but also say you're comfortable
doing other research etc. as you will be required to do a bit of everything.
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What kind of work environment do you see yourself working in in five
years?
I said a collaborative work environment. Basically say whatever you feel but its
important to stress that you don't mind working as a team as in government you
will be assigned tasks etc. Also, if you want prosecutions then say you want to be
in court. If you want to do research then say you do.
What about your personality makes you a good fit for the Department of
Justice?
11. MISC QUESTIONS FROM IN-FIRM 2009
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
Can you tell us about a recent Supreme Court of Canada case and
whether you agreed or disagreed with it? Assume that we have no
background knowledge of the case
(Detailed followup questions on this case, such as “Didn’t the SCC find X
in the case?” and “Did the plaintiff do Y, or did he just do Z?” in my case,
Mustapha, they asked if the SCC found negligence and also asked if the
plaintiff actually drank the water or not)
Which section of our office would you most like to work for?
If you were involved in a drug prosecution, but heard tell that the police
had collected the evidence improperly, what would you do? Would you
flag the problem even if the charges were going to be dropped?
Tell us about a recent challenge you had to face and how you dealt with
it.
12. OTTAWA DOJ ARTICLING INTERVIEW
I.
First general questions, - name, where you are studying, what I was doing
in Holland, etc - they had very thoroughly read my C.V. though, in
comparison to some of my other interviews
II.
Then 20-minute presentation on a subject of relevance to the DOJ (I
discussed Canada's approach to dealing with suspected international war
criminals, and went through the different sections within the DOJ that have
a role.)
III.
Then questions about my presentation - just interest type questions and
probing my knowledge a bit more on the topic.
IV.
They then informed me that they would ask their standard questions
1. What does the DOJ do, and what is its mandate? - just wanting to see
if we read the website, specifically seeing if we knew about the dual
mandate.
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2. How was the DOJ's mandate divided, do you think this is a good thing?
- In 2006, they split the DOJ into the Ministry of Justice and created the
Public Prosecution Service Canada, which they were wanting me to
discuss generally. *as of right now this information is not on the official
DOJ website, but I found the PPSC website which lays it out pretty
well.
3. If the deputy minister called you at 6:00 on a friday and told you to start
shredding some documents, what would you do? - I made specific
reference to the Code and Values of Civil Servants and set out the
entire procedure for reporting suspicious / questionable commands.
4. They gave me a list of 5 different tasks that needed to be done and
asked me to arrange them in the proper order of completing them - I
asked the Judge I worked with about this questions (as she used to be
a director of a section in the DOJ) and she said it is a standard DOJ
question, where they don't care about the answer at all, just want a
quick response that shows we can be organized.
5. Give a recent initiative of the DOJ - again I just went to the website and
found something under "news" and read into it. Why do you want to
work for the DOJ in Toronto?
V.
I was asked about my course choices.
VI.
The rest of the questions were drawn from the conversation / my resume
(what interests aside from law do you have?, etc.); they were aimed at
encouraging discussion of issues facing DOJ. It’s a good idea to have
read the newspaper and their website!
MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT
1. Describe the structure of the Ministry’s legal branch (3 teams of prosecutors,
solicitors, hearings team).
2. Which team’s work interests you most, and why?
3. How have you demonstrated an interest in environmental law?
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FAMILY RESPONSIBILITY OFFICE
1. What legislation governs the office?
2. What measures can the director take to enforce payment?
3. Describe how you would research a legal issue.
4. Why do you want to work for the Ontario government?
5. Describe your advocacy experience.
6. You are at lunch with another articling student and she starts speaking loudly
about a current case, using the names of the parties. What do you do?
MISC QUESTIONS 2008
I. What enforcement mechanisms does the director have to enforce support
orders?
II. Why do you want to work for the Ministry of Community and Social
Services, specifically FRO?
III. Favorite class, least favorite class and future classes.
IV. What volunteer/community experience do you have that you think would
relate to working at FRO?
V. Name the types of enforcement FRO employs under the Family
Responsibility and Support Arrears Enforcement Act, 2005.
VI. If counsel is going to court and you don't agree with their legal opinion what do you do?
VII. What do you want to gain out of your summer experience at FRO?
MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND LONG TERM CARE
2012 QUESTIONS
It is definitely a smart idea to show up early as they make you re-fill out your
references and their information by hand, as well as give them permission to run
a background check on you. They also give you a list of their questions (with their
relative weight). The interview wasn’t as formal as you would expect for a MAG
interview, and they really appreciated questions afterwards. It is especially
important to do your research beforehand as they expect you to bring up recent
issues and be able to talk about them in depth. They made it clear that being
concise was not a priority as points were given for hitting different things, so the
more you say the better. After the interview they allowed you to talk to one of the
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intermediate lawyers, as well as the two articling students. All in all from arrival to
departure was approximately 2 hours.
1. Please tell us about one issue currently faced by the Ministry of Health
and identify the legal issues within it (/15)
2. Please describe your skills with examples in your academic, work or extracurricular experiences and discuss how each would benefit you as a
summer student in this office (/25)
3. Please describe one time where you took initiative to take on a challenge,
why you did it, what you did and what the outcome was (/10)
4. A senior lawyer asks you to do research on a legal question. You get to
your desk and realize you aren’t exactly sure what the question really is or
if you need to write a formal legal memo. How do you go about clarifying
the question and your assignment and conducting the research.(/15)
5. Please tell us what you want to get out of your summer experience here
(what type of work you want, etc)? (/5)
6. You have been working on an intensive research assignment given to you
by a senior lawyer for 3 weeks that is due today. Another lawyer asks you
to conduct research on an urgent matter sent over from the Minister’s
office. You will not be able to accomplish both. What do you do.
QUESTIONS PRE-2011
Upon arrival I was asked to fill out a consent form so that my references could be
checked and a police background check could be done. You should have the
name, title, organization, and phone number of three referees. I was also asked
to submit a writing sample, which was placed in the folder with the consent forms
and left at reception. I was given a list of the interview questions to go over
before the interview began, and asked to hand the question sheet to the
receptionist before the interview. HINT: The earlier you arrive for your interview,
the more time you have to think about the questions. If you bring a typed sheet of
your references, you will save more time to review questions, as you will not
have to fill them out there.
The interview was conducted by three lawyers who took turns asking questions.
The questions were standardized and scored (the value of each question was
indicated on the sheet I was allowed to read in the reception area). The interview
itself is about 45 minutes long with an optional tour.
First, I was given a description of the Legal Services Branch and what a student
could expect to do during the summer. Second, I was asked the list of questions.
Third, I was given an opportunity to ask questions. Fourth, I was offered a tour of
the office. HINT: Take the tour -it’s very short, and taking it will indicate your
interest in the Ministry. The person giving the tour may be asked about his or her
impression of you so make an effort to be polite and interested.
1. Why are you interested in working for a government legal branch?
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a. Why the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care in particular?
b. What are your qualifications for the position? Discuss in terms of work
and extracurricular activities.
2. What are the main difference between working for a private firm and the
government?
3. Identify some issues currently faced by either the Ministry of Health and Long
Term Care or the Ministry of the Attorney General.
4. Discuss two pieces of legislation administered by the Ministry of Health and
why they are important to the health system in Ontario. Please talk about two
recent health initiatives and identify the legal issues.
5. How would you handle the following fact scenario?
“A summer student calls from another ministry with health law questions.
You have a deadline looming for your lawyer at the MOHLTC. The
student also has a deadline pending. What do you do?”
6. How would you conduct legal research on the Health Insurance Act?
a. How would you find out when the law was first enacted and what
amendments have been made?
b. How would you find out how the courts have treated the Health
Insurance Act?
c. How would you find the answer to a specific question of law?
d. While you’re in the process of completing this task the computer
network “crashes.” How would you find the answers to your
questions?
HINT: Recall your first-year small section training. There is a small
library at the MOHLTC as well as a larger library down the street at
the AG’s office at 720 Bay Street. The University of Toronto law
school as well as Osgoode Hall (the court, not the school) are also
nearby.
7. Discuss a piece of legal writing you have completed.
a. How and why did you choose the topic?
b. What were the legal issues?
c. How did you go about conducting your research?
d. What was your conclusion and why?
8. What is one of the most challenging thing you have done and why? Discuss
in terms of any experience – it does not have to be law-related.
9. What is one of the most rewarding things you have done and why? Discuss in
terms of any experience – it does not have to be law-related.
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HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
After the interview, there is a tour of the office. This is your chance to meet other
counsel at the OHRC. If you really want the job, take the time to speak to the
different lawyers. It makes a difference -- I was there for 45 minutes after the
interview just chatting away (because the people are so nice and because I
found the work so interesting). I think this helped me secure an offer.
1. What is the difference between the Charter and the Human Rights Code?
2. Talk about two current or recent initiatives in the area of human rights.
3. Talk about any advocacy experience (could be either work, school, or
volunteer).
4. Talk about your research or writing skills in relation to school, work, or
extracurricular activities.
5. Describe a challenging situation, how you dealt with it, and your feelings on
the outcome.
6. Talk about a research paper you wrote. What was challenging about it? How
did you research it? What were your conclusions?
MINISTRY OF LABOUR
1. Describe some current ministry programs.
2. You are already swamped with work and a ministry lawyer comes and asks
you to work on a new project. What do you do?
3. In court, the defence raises a Charter challenge based on unreasonable
delay. What factors would you look at in assessing the validity of the
defence's argument? How would you respond to this argument?
4. You have been given a memorandum to write: describe the research path you
would take.
OFFICE OF THE CHILDREN’S LAWYER
1. What is the difference between advocating for adults versus advocating for
children?
2. When can the Children’s Lawyer become involved in a case?
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3. What factors should you keep in mind when interviewing a child?
4. In your view, what qualities, attributes, skills and/or knowledge are necessary
for a children’s lawyer and why?
5. Can you tell us about some recent developments in the area of children’s
law?
6. What do you know about the property division of the OCL?
7. There are different laws regulating when the OCL can get involved in
custody/access; child in need of protection and civil litigation cases. Can you
outline the criteria applicable to each case?
8. Hypothetical
a. A father is charged with sexual assault on his 13-year-old daughter and
any contact between them is forbidden by a court order. The OCL is
appointed to represent the girl and in private, she confides that her mother
makes her visit her father over the weekends despite the order.
Nonetheless, at the hearing, the girl insists she wants to return home to
her father. What do you do?
OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC GUARDIAN AND TRUSTEE
2010 QUESTIONS
1. Why do you want to work at the OPGT?
2. Can you tell me a bit about what you know about our office? (What legislative
schemes do we work with?)
3. Can you describe a difficult work situation you were in? Explain to me how
you resolved it.
4. 3 lawyers give you an assignment due on the same day. It becomes
abundantly clear to you that you cannot finish all 3. What do you do?
5. You are given the following research assignment: what are the obligations of
the PGT in regards to adult children of the marriage? How have courts treated
those obligations? Please compare to other Canadian jurisdictions. Describe
your research methodology.
Guidelines
1. Arrive at least 15-20 minutes early to fill out forms
2. You have 30 minutes to complete the interview. You may go back to any of
the questions to add to the materials.
3. While some government offices will give you the questions ahead of time,
they were not given to me.
4. Don’t be caught off guard by your interviewers staring at their notes and
scribbling furiously as you answer the questions. This likely will occur for the
entire duration of the interview.
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MISC QUESTIONS FROM PAST
1.
2.
3.
4.
What is the role of the PG&T?
Describe the scope of duties and responsibilities of a guardian.
Why do you want to article here, specifically?
What skills/experiences do you have that are relevant to working with this
Office?
5. Two lawyers have both assigned you tasks that are due at the same time, but
cannot be completed in the allocate time period. What do you do?
ONTARIO SECURITIES COMMITION
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Why did you choose to go to law school?
What are the subjects that you liked and disliked the most at law school?
What would you say are your strengths and your weaknesses?
Do you know anything about the OSC?
Why do you want to work with the OSC?
Are you aware of the direction the OSC is heading to? Any cases, policy
matters, regulatory instruments or proposed papers helps to answer this
question.
7. Is there anything on your resume that you would like us to know or you would
like to talk about?
8. How do you think working with the OSC will be different from working with in
private practice?
9. What do you think will be the kind of projects that you will be assigned to
while working at the OSC?
10. Would you feel about yourself, are more academic or practical? (This
question I thought was particularly set for me)
11. What would you say are you greatest accomplishments in your life?
12. What kind of special skills do you have that would help you in the position?
13. Do you have any questions for us?
Unlike an interview at a law firm, the staff at the OSC does not give out any
information in the beginning about the office. It is only after they have asked you
the set pattern of questions, that they give out more details about administrative
details concerning the position, timeline, salary, benefits, vacation and vacation
pay.
MINISTRY OF TRANSPORTATION
1. What does the Ministry of Transportation do?
2. Which ministry programs are you familiar with?
3. If you did not have access to the Internet, how would you go about
researching a legal issue?
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MINISTRY OF CITZENSHIP & IMMIGRATION, MINISTRY OF
CULTURE, AND MINISTRY OF TOURISM
1. Why do you want to work for the government of Ontario? Why do you want to
work for this specific branch?
2. What experiences do you have that will make you a good fit at the ministry?
3. Describe your legal research skills.
4. Talk about a legal memo you've writing (they were specifically looking for how
you would structure your legal research)
5. Then there was a 5-part question in which they asked me how to find specific
things, such as how would you find the legislative history of a section of an
act? How would you research what a word would mean (they were looking
specifically for legislative intent)?
6. Then they asked a hypothetical question in which you walk into your office at
3 PM and you have three things due the next morning almost simultaneously.
How do you deal with the situation?
7. What is an issue facing one of the ministries?
8. WRITTEN COMPONENT: Students were given a half hour to complete a
short, one page set of facts where you had to spot basic legal issues. In the
past, they have been generally in the areas of contract, tort or property.
CITY OF TORONTO
It was very much like a firm interview – more chatty than substantive. I was
interviewed by a panel of three and then by a lawyer at the “second-tier” of the
decision-making process. The only formal question I was asked was to “talk
about a challenging situation.” I was also asked about my courses, what I
learned, and what I found most interesting. I was also asked to apply my
knowledge, e.g., I mentioned examining racial profiling in one of my classes so
they asked about the law and evidence to support that it occurs.
CITY OF TORONTO – PROSECUTIONS OFFICE
1. Why do you think that you are the best candidate for the position?
2. Has your understanding of the practice of law changed as a result of your
experience so far in law school? Please explain.
3. Tell us about the major paper that you wrote this past year.
4. Why are you interested in working for a legal department in government?
5. Why are you interested in prosecutions?
6. What skills or strengths do you possess that would assist you in a courtroom
setting?
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7. Why do you think the principle of the presumption of innocence is important
for the justice system?
8. What do you think is the most challenging aspect of conducting legal
research?
9. What is your concept of the ideal lawyer? (feel free to draw on fictional
characters)?
COMPETITION BUREAU
1. What is your knowledge of what we do?
2. Can you name the specific acts that we deal with? (i.e., mainly Competition
Act, but there are a few others too, can find all of this on their website)
3. What skills do you have that would help you with this position?
4. There may have been a question about your strong points and weak points.
5. They will ask you to speak to points on your resume.
6. They may have asked about bilingual abilities, although I think they specified
that it was not a requirement.
7. I believe that they had a list of questions, but none of them were substantive
in nature (i.e., no specifics about provisions of the Competition Act, although
showing knowledge of it would be pretty advisable, I would still say).
Generally, I found it to be pretty similar to a firm interview in terms of types of
questions that could be expected, so reading Interview Questions and Tips
handout and should have you in good shape for most of it. But the caveat to this
is that you really should know as much as you can about what they do. So read
their website, check out some of the key application/scope provisions of the acts
so that you can demonstrate knowledge of this and know where they get their
power from. They won't really drill you on it, but showing knowledge will get you
major points with them; the guy who interviewed me even mentioned that to me
after I was hired.
CANADIAN RADIO-TELEIVION & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
COMMISSION (CRTC)
They ask two hypothetical fact patterns (one to do with Constitutional law and
one administrative law), and give 15 minutes to think about them and make
notes, and then they bring them up about 20-30 minutes into the interview. The
answers they look for are really straightforward (on the Constitutional one they
just wanted me to say s.2(b) and s.1.).
LEGAL AID ONTARIO – BRAMPTON OFFICE
The area director of Peel began by giving me a backgrounder to the organization.
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Questions
1. She then asked me questions relating to my CV (i.e., my placement with the
legal services branch manager of the Frontenac Children’s Aid Society for
Clinical Family Law).
2. Why do you want to work here?
3. Why are you interested in family law?
4. What strengths do you bring to us?
At some point, I was given a list of seven tasks and asked to prioritize them.
Fairly straightforward. Just use common sense for the most part.
The last panelist asked a number of fact scenarios and hypothetical situations
relating to court procedure and family law.
5. A victim of domestic abuse calls you; what do you do?
6. A man calls and he is verbally abusive; how do you respond?
7. A client comes in to see you and wants an order from the judge immediately
(i.e., Can he appear before the judge?)
8. A man owes spousal support but does not want to pay. He tells you he wants
to leave the country. How do you advise him?
9. Two people in a common law partnership have been living together for 4
years. They decide to separate and one partner wants to know his or her
rights to property. How do you advise him or her? (i.e., statutory property
rights are currently not extended to common law partners; they cannot opt for
an equalization payment but may apply for a constructive trust, etc.)
10. Calculate child support payment.
11. Question relating to custody and access.
Finally, I was asked to draft an affidavit for an emergency motion (without notice
to the other party) onto the computer. I was given detailed instructions, a
template and 45 minutes to complete this exercise.
TORONTO DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
1. Why do you want to article at the TDSB?
2. What skills have you developed through legal research? (at school/work)
Describe research that was particularly interesting to you.
3. What types of legal issues does the TDSB face?
4. Sexual misconduct by employees is an issue faced by the TDSB. Describe
the ethical and legal issues faced by the board when presented with an
allegation of sexual misconduct by an employee past/present.
5. TDSB is very diverse (approx 41% of students don't speak English as their
first language). Describe experiences (school/work) that you have that would
make you aware and able to address equity issues.
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The CLCDN would like to thank law students at Queen’s University Faculty of
Law for contributing the questions for this guide.
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