How to Write a Resume for Legal Assistant

A resume resume works if you have more experience than Phil Beck. It proves that you can do this job because it shows that you have already done it. This position needs a legal assistant resume that stands out as a bespoke Brioni in a sea of T-shirts. Employment prospects for paralegals (and legal assistants defined as paralegals) are gangbusters, with projected growth of 14% between 2018 and 2028, which is much higher than the average for all occupations. One reason for this is that law firms looking to rationalize their costs are increasingly turning to paralegals/paralegals to create hybrid roles somewhere between what lawyers and subordinate support staff have already managed. If you`ve ever seen a TV commercial that says, “We don`t get paid unless YOU get paid,” you can guess that law firms have an interest in cutting their overhead. A law firm where highly paid lawyers do everything should pass on these high costs to clients, attracting fewer clients and negatively impacting the firm`s bottom line. But the less it costs law firms to handle disputes, the lower the costs they have to pass on to their clients, which increases both their client base and their profits. Enter the “Legal Assistant”. Legal assistants are an important part of the legal industry, helping lawyers keep track of their daily activities and schedule. When law firms hire a new legal assistant, they want to find someone who has the skills and independence to meet industry demands. Highly effective legal staff with over eight years of experience and in-depth knowledge of regulatory procedures and the support required in the legal environment.

Client-oriented and IT expert with a proven track record of exemplary performance in a high-pressure law firm. Skilled in creating or reviewing a range of legal documents, including court records and orders. Instead of saying you “participated” in a project, explain what you did. Examples of language for paralegals include saying that you “organize” cases, “support” lawyers, and “develop” procedures. Using these specific verbs instead of generic words gives hiring managers a better idea of your actual role and responsibilities with previous employers. Writing a professional profile that summarizes your experience and details your skills is a great way to introduce yourself to hiring managers and differentiate yourself from other candidates. When writing your professional profile, be sure to highlight and, if possible, quantify the qualities and skills that are most important for a legal assistant. Legal assistant with excellent communication and interpersonal skills and extensive experience in case preparation as well as knowledge of litigation.

The first thing you need to know about applying to become a legal assistant is that there are broad disagreements about what a legal assistant is. Both “paralegals” and “legal secretaries” are non-lawyers who help lawyers. The question is whether “paralegals” means paralegals or legal secretaries. Paralegals have legal training, directly help lawyers prepare cases, generate hours that can be billed to clients, and generally make more money. Legal secretaries typically perform administrative tasks in a law firm and need less specialized training. Pro tip: The summary of the first example for paralegals is “solution-oriented.” He adds “to advance Flagler`s mission.” These points came directly from the online job description for paralegals. Look for yours there too. Are you shocked that your resume as a legal administrative assistant has to give him that? Self-launched team-oriented legal assistant with 5+ years of experience supporting legal operations for high-volume, fast-paced corporate litigation practices.

Demonstrated success in performing complex legal tasks, including case preparation, with a high degree of independence. You are looking for a new and challenging opportunity to use exceptional interpersonal skills and in-depth knowledge of the process process. While the terms “paralegal” and “legal assistant” are often used interchangeably, the more prestigious term “paralegal” generally applies to those who have obtained certification in the field. For more information on paralegal certification, visit the National Association of Legal Assistants website. Legal secretaries (and paralegals defined as such) generally require no more than a high school diploma, supplemented by some level of job-specific training. Whatever your educational background, present it in reverse chronological order in this section of your resume. Add certifications or other job-specific credentials. His name is Kevin and he would give his lawyer the endorsement of a detail-oriented assistant. Is your experience still making its opening arguments? Write a resume goal. It transmits your passion to the Harvey Spectre level. And by the way, if you`re thinking about creating your resume in ClarisWorks on your 1998 iMac, think again! Unless an employer requests otherwise, resumes should never be submitted in a format other than PDF (the main exception being some very specific TTY systems that require Word files). No matter what computer you`re using, and no matter what version of any app is, it can look great on your screen and look terrible on someone else`s.

PDF is the gold standard for clean and elegant formatting. By the way, the ATS software mentioned above also filters resumes with defective formats. Get around these pitfalls by using resume.io`s proven resume builder and HR-tested templates, and you`ll get a professionally designed resume without the hassle. The industries that employed the most legal secretaries (excluding paralegals) were: Passionate and reliable legal assistant with over one year of experience who wants to serve underrepresented communities. Bilingual and proficient in legal terminology, research and writing. Very familiar with Michigan state codes regarding family law and civil matters. Strong administrative and customer service experience with a proven willingness to go above and beyond to ensure justice is served. The art of writing a resume for paralegals is to explain how you have these qualities.

You should showcase your technical and soft skills, highlight relevant certifications and contextualize your previous experiences. There`s a delicate balance between explaining your background and speaking your resume for yourself. For example: “Experienced legal assistant who wants to use secretarial and research skills at Brown LLP. 7+ years of secretarial experience include supporting an office with four lawyers, implementing a paperless file storage system, and reducing costs by 17%. This is for work that requires skills in (1) preparing legal documents, (2) AV systems, and (3) planning. Keep your resume clean, simple, straightforward, and free of playful design elements or splashy colors. And keep it short. One of the biggest oxymorons in the law is the term “legal memory,” as lawyers tend to write as if they were paid with the word. The 1998 Starr Report, which summarized the Special Counsel for impeaching President Bill Clinton, was 453 pages long, prompting a business owner to print it on a roll of toilet paper. You don`t get 453 pages. You get ONE.

Let him count. We`ve all flipped through a magazine (or scrolled through a website) and scanned the visuals, not so much by reading the words. When we see an attractive layout, we stop reading, but when we see large black blocks of text, we turn the page. Don`t forget to hire managers like magazine readers, flip through dozens of resumes, and give them a reason to stop and read.