Oxbridge Law Interview Questions
By far the best way to prepare for an Oxbridge Law interview is through mock interviews. As well as giving you general interview experience, they also focus your mind on the unique types of questions asked at an Oxford or Cambridge Law interview, training yourself to think in the way required for the real thing.
Below, we have compiled a list of questions of the type you can expect in your Oxbridge Law interview. You can use these just to give yourself an awareness of what's expected, plan out answers on your own, or give them to a teacher, friend, or family member, and ask them to conduct a mock interview with you.
Note: If you are doing mock interviews with us, we recommend waiting until afterwards to look through these questions, so that you aren't asked questions you have already prepared for (as you won't have that opportunity for the real thing!). If you haven't booked any mock interviews yet, you can do so here.
Law Interview Questions
What are the arguments for and bicycle helmets?
What does it mean for someone to ‘take’ another's car?
If a wife had expressed distaste for it previously, would her husband’s habit of putting marmalade in his egg at breakfast be grounds for divorce?
If my friend locks me in a room, and says I am free to come out whenever I like as long as I pay £5, is this a deprivation of liberty?
What effect on the whole of society does someone crashing into a lamppost have?
Does a girl scout have a political agenda?
Should the use of mobile phones be banned on public transport?
Where does honesty fit into law?
How would you define 'at fault’?
How do you think the House of Lords should be reformed?
What is the difference between intention and foresight?
What is best: a written or unwritten constitution?
If the punishment for parking on double yellow lines were death, and therefore nobody did it, would that be a just and effective law?
Can you imagine a world without laws?
How would you describe ‘respect for the freedom of conscience’?
Can a computer have a conscience?
Should judges have a legislative role?
What do you think the uses of traffic lights are?
Smith sees Jones walking towards the edge of a cliff. Smith knows Jones is blind, but doesn’t like him, so allows him to walk off the edge. Is this murder?
If A gave B £100 thinking it was a loan and B accepted the money thinking it was a gift, should he give it back?
What is reasonable belief?
Where do you see International Law in fifty years’ time?
Is wearing a school uniform a breach of human rights?
Is someone guilty of an offence if they did not set out to commit a crime but ended up doing so?
Would you trade your scarf for my bike, even if you have no idea what state it’s in or if I even have one?
Should anyone be able to serve on a jury?
Where does the state have the right to violate privacy?
Do you think courts are like theatres?
Does law create morality or does morality create law?
Should judges be able to overrule decisions made by parliament?
A man, who is stuck in a burning house, calls to you and offers to pay you a lot of money if you save him. However, upon being saved, he refuses to pay you this money. Can you sue him?
What is the difference between a rule, a command and a request?
If a bank manager tells me I have £100 in my account when I actually have £90, and I go out and spend £100 thinking I have that amount, who is at fault and should I have to pay the money back to the bank?
If I said Manchester won a football match believing without a doubt that this was true but actually Chelsea won, was I lying?
If a man was in prison and dying, would it be right to kill him and give his organs to several people?
If there is a baby in a supermarket with a bomb strapped to it, would you shoot the baby to save one person? How about 100 people?
You’re in a desert and 2 enemies are working independently. one poisons your water bottle, the other then tips the water out (not knowing it was poisoned). you walk out into the desert and die of thirst. Which one is guilty of murder?
Your old aunt Ethel has given you too much money for your birthday and you're aware of her mistake. She's getting on a bit so what should you do? What does the law require you to do?
A farmer lights a furnace, however the farmer then leaves one of his workers in charge to look after the furnace. The worker then falls asleep and the fire escapes the furnace, burning the neighbours house. Who do you think caused the accident? Who should have to pay for the loss? Are there any justifications or defences for the person who is liable to pay for the loss?
Should people have the right to die?
Should the law exist to protect us from ourselves?
Should the law restrict our freedom of speech?
Should the media be more regulated by the state?
Should those who make the laws (i.e. politicians) and those who enforce the laws (i.e. judges) be kept separate?
A doctor is asked by a patient’s family member to kill the patient as they are in a lot of pain. Would this be murder?
A man is sentenced to seven years in prison after falsely being convicted of murder. It later transpires that the victim is still alive. Can the convict be sentenced again if he kills the ‘victim’ after he is released from prison?
A cyclist is injured following a road traffic accident during the day. He was cycling in a car lane rather than the cycle lane. Who is liable - the cyclist or the motorist? How about if the accident occurred at night and the cyclist had no lights?
A father promises to give his daughter £100 a week during her time at university. After the first term, he decides she needs to be more self-reliant and stops paying her. Can she sue him for breach of contract?
A Field Marshall orders a soldier to kill his squad mate. Would this be murder?
A man holds a gun up to your head and says ‘shoot your father or I’ll kill you both’. You then shoot. Are you guilty of murder? What about if he had said ‘shoot your father or I’ll kill you’? What about if he had said ‘shoot your father or I’ll kill him’?
A manufacturing defect stops a parachute from deploying in a charity skydive leading to two people dying. Is this manslaughter or murder?
A parent slaps their child because they behaved badly. Is that abuse? What about if they caused a bruise?
Are babies born with a moral code or is it learned?
Are school uniforms a contravention of human rights?
How would you describe ‘respect for the freedom of conscience’?
Do we have an obligation to obey the law?
Does a girl scout have a political agenda?
How do you know what you don’t know?
If your neighbour fixed your collapsing roof while you were away on holiday, should you pay him for this?
If a law limits or restricts our freedom to do something, is that an unjust law with regard to autonomy?
If we lived in a world of angels would there be any need to have the law?
If you could change three laws, which ones would they be?
If you have a client who refuses to go to court despite being summoned for multiple charges, what advice would you give him?
In France, if a person sees somebody drowning, they have a legal obligation to help them. Should this be the case in the UK?
Is it fair to impose a height restriction on those wanting to become firefighters?
It’s raining and you have forgotten your umbrella, so you shelter in an unlocked car. Are you guilty of the offence of allowing yourself to be carried in a conveyance without the owner’s consent?
Lots of legislation includes phrases like ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ - what does this actually mean?
Rowan offers to sell Graham his car for £500. They shake on it and Graham gives him the money in cash. En route to delivering it, Rowan crashes and the car is written-off. He refuses to give Graham his money back. What can Graham do next?
Should airlines be allowed to charge people for using the toilet on a plane?
Should fat people have to pay extra on planes if they need to take two seats?
Should judges have a legislative role?
Should the law be black and white, or should it be flexible enough to look at each case on an individual basis?
Should the state have the right to violate our privacy?
The Supreme Court has taken over the judicial functions of the House of Lords. What impact do you think this will have?
To what extent should our data be available to the government? What about the data of foreign citizens?
What are the fundamental differences between US and British Law? What are the implications of this?
What are the pros & cons of juries?
What do you think the uses of traffic lights are?
What is the point of having a judge when decisions are made by the jury?
What is the difference between a barrister and a solicitor?
What is the difference between intention and foresight?
What is the difference between manslaughter and murder? What is its significance?
What is the difference between the House of Lord and House of Commons? Which has more power?
What is the hierarchy of courts in the UK?
What stops countries from invading each other on a daily basis?
What would it be like to live in a country with no laws?
What’s the difference between a civil and criminal case?
Where does honesty fit into law?
Which law is broken most frequently?
Which laws could we introduce to curb the obesity epidemic?
Who has the power to write and change laws?
Why are some professions exempt from Jury duty?
Why do we bother with environmental protection?
Why is Roman law relevant to our modern study of law?
Would it be a good idea for there to be a minimum IQ for jurors in a trial?
Would it be wrong for judges to be elected?
And that's all of them! Hopefully, you now have a sense of the types of questions you might be asked. To be even better prepared, try answering these and other questions with our tutors - you can book your mock interviews here.
Comments