Understanding The Role of A Legal Assistant
It is important when writing a resume to have an understanding of the position you are applying for. A legal assistant or paralegal’s duties will vary from firm to firm. However, it will be a position where you will be called upon to manage pretty much every aspect of a case – from billing clients to reviewing their files and ordering records from different jurisdictions. There is a lot of administrative work involved but more importantly, there is a lot of case management as well.
A firm that hires a legal assistant also expects that you have the ability to manage a caseload with respect to deadlines. Some firms expect you to rely upon your own computer skills to research for your assignments as well. Today, there is very little hand holding and legal assistants and paralegals are expected to have a mastery over their practice area so that they can take more ownership of the case on behalf of the attorney or attorneys they are working for .
Many legal assistants and paralegals can work weekends or evenings. For example, on the weekend you may need to catch up on some research as to a case client law. Or, you may need to update pleadings that were not filed on time. If you are out with your family on a Saturday or Sunday and you receive an unsigned order via email of your attorney, you are expected to type the order, obtain signatures before it can be filed and then electronically file it, not just on weekends, but also during the week as well. This may sound like a lot of work and pressure, but if you are a person that finds yourself checking emails into the night and has trouble falling asleep until everything that needs to be done for the next day is completed, then you are the type of candidate that firms are looking for. If however, you need to turn your electronics off at 9:00 pm and cannot check emails, then becoming a legal assistant is probably not the right position for you and many law firms today.
The Main Components of a Legal Assistant Resume
A typical legal assistant resume includes several standard sections that concisely summarize your qualifications, credentials, and skills to give prospective employers an overview of your suitability for the position. Your resume should include the following sections:
Contact Information
Clearly displayed at the top of your resume, your contact information should include your name, home address and current email address and phone number so the hiring manager can easily contact you for follow up.
Objective Statement
A succinct statement with your employment goals, this brief paragraph assures potential hiring managers that you are targeting your job search to fit their current opening. If you are applying for a specific position, include the name of the position and the law firm in your objective statement.
Experience
This section details any relevant experience in legal assistant work. You should include any relevant experience from internships or pro bono legal work. List all organizations you have worked for in reverse chronological order, including dates of employment, responsibilities, and accomplishments. Include information about your workplace such as size, type of clients, and potential obstacles your overcame while working there.
Skills
List all relevant skills here, including technical and computer skills, language capabilities, and anything else that would make you desirable as a legal assistant. Separate your skills into two sections, one for technical proficiencies and another for legal-related skills.
Education
This is where you include information on the education requirements for the position. Include the degree (for example, paralegal certificate, legal assistant diploma, etc.), institution where you earned your degree, date of graduation, and other relevant information such as the name of any relevant courses you took during your studies, special projects, and so on. If you have earned more than one degree, list your most recent degree first, then work back in reverse chronological order.
Writing An Objective Statement
The objective statement is an important tool, helping you to attract the attention of a busy hiring manager and get your foot in the door of the interview room. A strong objective statement is tailored to each position you are applying for and speaks directly to the reader’s immediate needs. Start with the job listing to determine primary skills and backgrounds sought by the employer, and use those as your guide when crafting a customized objective statement. Be specific, but brief, and if appropriate, refer back to relevant items that are listed in your resume. Once you have a resume that you are happy with, consider rewriting your objective statement for each job you apply for, making it as closely tailored to that specific position as possible. Keeping your objective statement updated will also make it easier to ensure that your resume reflects the current job market, as you change your objective statement according to the jobs you are applying for.
Describing Your Experience
With there being common term language that is universal regardless of the type of law involved, you can pull from all your relevant experience regardless of what type of legal position you have been in. Look at your past roles and identify commonalities. Did you draft a lot of pleadings? What was the volume of drafting? Did you do a lot of calendaring? If possible, use tangible numbers about the amount of time spent doing the various tasks. Your actual responsibilities are just one area of expertise you must focus on. Think about the kinds of cases and situations you managed. Were they mostly litigated cases, or were they pre-litigation negotiating scenarios? Did you handle bankruptcies or was it solely corporate business? Did you interface with clients face-to-face, correspond or both? Have you worked for bigger, more prestigious firms or smaller boutique or practice-focused firms? All of these things can demonstrate depth of experience.
Emphasizing Skills and Abilities
A legal assistant’s resume should highlight a diverse skill set that caters to the demands of their specialized role. The following are key skills and competencies that should be prominently featured.
Legal Research
With research constituting a significant portion of a paralegal’s day, expertise in finding and utilizing legal and non-legal resources is crucial. This includes a strong grasp of statutory and case law, and familiarity with the legal research process, using tools such as Lexis Nexis, Shepards Citations and the Witcha Law and Legal Area Index.
Document Preparation
Attention to detail is vital to ensuring the accuracy and quality of legal documents. From drafting briefs and memoranda to preparing motions and correspondence, it is essential to create error-free documents. Legal assistants must also be capable of creating and managing complex filing systems.
File Management
An organized filing system is the backbone of any attorney’s office. A legal assistant should be able to sort and manage files for current cases, previous cases, and client information. This can involve cataloging items from correspondence, pleadings, evidence and records, to digital files, email, website material and back-up copies.
Client Interaction and Communication Skills
Legal assistants are often the first point of contact for clients on the phone , in person and on digital applications. Having excellent communication skills and the ability to handle client inquiries can boost customer confidence and enhance the firm’s professionalism.
Technical Skills
As most firms are now primarily technology and computer based, having advanced technology skills and the ability to navigate new software is imperative. Beyond technologies associated with the law, it is important to be knowledgeable in commonly used software such as Microsoft Office, Gmail, and so on.
Writing
Legal Assistants are often the people who language of a case is precisely, properly constructed. Therefore having excellent written communication skills is essential. Legal jargon and lingo may be difficult for outsiders to deal with, so an aptitude for writing and translating is essential.
Attention to Detail
A pin point eye for detail is critical not only in the legal field, but especially when working with claims, appeals and other time sensitive matters. From the logistics of managing a court docket to assisting in trial preparation and managing meetings.
Trustworthiness
In many cases, the personal and professional lives of your legal team and clients depend on your confidentiality and ability to keep sensitive information private.
Your Education and Certifications
Section 4: Educational Background and Certifications
The educational background of a resume is often overlooked by job seekers, but the educational background and certifications of legal assistants are often listed as one of the top priorities for employers. Certifications are official recognitions of competency in a certain area and can help legal assistant candidates stand out from the crowd: keep in mind that your credentials should be recent, as older certifications are likely to not make a good impact on hiring managers. For instance, show proof of keeping up with the rapidly changing landscape of the law by getting CLE, or continuing legal education, credit hours through groups such as the National Association of Legal Assistants. Also listed among the top priorities for employers when hiring legal assistants are a professional association membership, such as the National Federation of Paralegal Associations or the National Association for Legal Professionals, and basic computer knowledge.
Formatting and Layout Suggestions
The layout and formatting of a legal assistant resume ensures that the reader doesn’t lose interest. Resumes use a combination of spaces, fonts and/or alternating styles to break up information in the easiest way for the reader to absorb. As an applicant, you want the information on your resume to be as easy to digest as possible. Your current and previous work history is key on a resume, but you don’t want it dominating the page. Instead of relying on programming and a computer to break up the information into a readable form, it’s best just to change up the style of the text and space it out across the page, using bold fonts, double spacing, and sub-headings to help the reader follow your narrative.
In showing the timeline of your work history, the experience itself needs to be the focal point, and as such, should be written in paragraph form. But you can still break up the flow by changing the font size and/or style of the text—ie, bold headings in a different colored text—to show progress in the career center, market or company. It’s also important to keep paragraph lengths even to highlight the places you want the reader to notice. Lastly, try to avoid blocks of text. Long paragraphs are both visually off-putting to today’s busy reader, but also run the risk of losing the reader’s attention.
Common Errors
With assistance from AI, here’s a break down of common mistakes applicants make on legal assistant resumes and how to avoid them.
Grammatical Errors: One of the major turn-offs for recruiters reviewing resumes is grammatical and spelling errors. Applicants should thoroughly proofread their resumes and consider having a friend or mentor review them as well.
Generic Resumes: Tailoring your resume to the specific legal assistant position you are applying for will give you a better chance of standing out. Generic resumes suggest a lack of interest in the position.
Overselling Yourself: Be confident in your experience and capabilities, but don’t exaggerate or falsify your qualifications. This can lead to embarrassment in the interview and void your chances of getting the job.
A Complicated Format: Many recruiters use software to scan resumes and convert them into a format that’s easy for them to read. Complicated formatting can cause issues in this process. Applicants should use a traditional formatting style and be careful with graphics and boxes.
Too Much Information: Legal assistant managers are busy , so keep your resume simple, straightforward and to the point! Excessive information and long paragraphs will turn off managers.
Including Irrelevant Information: Only include information that is relevant to the position you are applying for. Focus on skills, experience and knowledge relevant to that particular position.
Lying or Exaggerating Your Skills and Experience: Honesty is the best policy when it comes to your resume, so no stretching the truth on your qualifications.
Overly Brief Resume: On the opposite side, overly brief is also an issue. Ensure that you have included all the required information in an easy-to-read fashion.
Being Wordy: Conversely, applicants need to ensure that their resume is not too wordy. A legal assistant resume should be clearly formatted and to the point.