Pro tip: Are you writing a resume for the first time? Use the combined resume format. It will make your case with all your best transferable benefits from previous jobs. The personal resume statement, also known as an resume, is a description of your professional character, history, accomplishments, and qualities in your own words, representing your first and best case as to why you would make a great job. The profile is the first part of your resume that employers will read, so make it important. You have to make an irresistible pitch and sell yourself exactly as the candidate your target is looking for. Do it personally, be creative, and do everything in your power (without artificial exaggerations). You may be used to working in a discreet supporting role and never blowing your own horn. But this is not the place to be humble. 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. Versatile professional with 20+ years of experience in complex legal issues, high-volume administrative functions and unique translation roles. Proven ability to manage office functions, provide executive-level support and facilitate smooth legal operations in a wide range of industries. Maintains strong business relationships and communicates effectively with people from different backgrounds. Most hiring managers will go through your resume in seven seconds, according to our HR statistics report. The best resume templates aren`t just about how fancy it looks. You need to be slim and professional.
Your layout should show your value. Here`s what will help you. Do you write a CV as a legal administrative assistant? Do you need a sample resume for legal secretaries? Are you applying for other positions? Check out our guides: We`ve analyzed countless CVs of paralegals. Our analysis revealed which resume components are absolutely crucial to grabbing hiring managers` attention and, more importantly, the most common mistakes you should avoid on your resume. Your big certification could be missing if you hide it on your legal assistant resume. What is the difference between a paralegal and a paralegal? Good question! Objective: Legal assistant, has worked with lawyers working in the areas of oil and gas, corporate law, real estate, estates and probate and litigation. Hardworking, reliable and enthusiastic professional looking for a job as a legal assistant or administrative assistant Professional, polite, positive and very reliable Motivated and efficient Prioritizing tasks Effective team player Excellent attention to detail. As a legal assistant, you serve the community by helping clients obtain justice through the legal system. Legal assistants are the backbone of any good law firm. Law firms have also begun to call legal assistants as legal secretaries. Highly organized and motivated legal assistant with 4+ years of experience in executive level support in government and private environments. Proven ability to excel under pressure to meet project deadlines in highly dynamic legal practices.
We seek to leverage exceptional interpersonal and problem-solving skills to assist lawyers and articling students while providing world-class service to clients. Many legal assistants are hired by busy lawyers who don`t have time to read each resume individually. Recruitment agencies often use tools that filter submitted resumes for them. These tools scan your resume for the skills your company needs, such as “accounting” or “training.” The more resume keywords you include on your resume, the more likely it is that it will be read by a hiring manager. Hiring managers typically consider dozens of candidates to find someone who fits their specific needs. To stand out from the crowd and grab the attention of a hiring manager, align your resume with the job description by including the job description details on your resume. The most important requirements for a position are usually mentioned early or more than once in the job description. After identifying these key qualifications, compare your resume with the job description. Make sure your resume includes the specific requirements and skills mentioned in the job description, but don`t lie about your qualifications. Few candidates meet all the qualifications sought in a job description.
Instead, create your resume to draw attention to the skills you have. Is it easy to add contact information to a resume as a legal assistant? To further complicate matters, NALA (National Association of Legal Assistants) has issued a “CLA” certification for paralegals. Is your experience still making its opening arguments? Write a resume goal. It transmits your passion to the Harvey Spectre level. While it`s important to showcase your knowledge of legal operations and your experience as a legal assistant or paralegal, it`s equally important to showcase your soft skills. Attention to detail, communication skills and interpersonal skills are highly sought after qualities by paralegals and paralegals. Be sure to highlight at least one general skill on your resume, especially one that appears in the job description. 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. Smith & Smith Law Firm is seeking a qualified legal assistant to assist lawyers and trainee lawyers by contributing to the preparation of litigation in litigation practice. Support duties include drafting legal documents such as briefs, complaints, contracts, notices of testimony, subpoenas, and applications. Legal assistants also conduct legal research on case law and precedents, process discoveries, organize and manage files, and respond to requests from opposing parties. Candidates should be well organized, detail-oriented, and have excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Title: Motivated and competent professional with many years of legal experience and paralegal qualifications. Recognized expert in facilitating and resolving complex legal issues, customer service capabilities, legal administrative practices and concepts.
Working knowledge of various legal computer applications/software. 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. Are you shocked that your resume as a legal administrative assistant has to give him that? Your soft skills are a bit vaguer, but often no less important, as they define your interpersonal interactions, customer and employee relationships, self-discipline, etc. You can highlight them as personal qualities in your summary/profile section, but don`t neglect to show your human side at least a little. To refine and prioritize, the method we often prefer is the main list. Brainstorm a list of ALL your skills in a separate document (go ahead) and choose the skills that best suit that particular job and employer. Always remember that inflating your resume is the cardinal sin, so choose wisely. What does this mean for you? If you are looking for a legal secretary job, now is the time to find one, as you can expect a small selection in the coming years. But in any job market, a great resume is essential at all times to successfully compete for a limited pool of jobs.
How does the payment work? The median annual salary for paralegals/paralegals in the U.S. was $50,940 in 2018, according to the BLS. Not bad for a profession that doesn`t usually require a college degree. Legal secretaries, as defined by the BLS, were not far behind, with an average annual salary of $48,600 in 2017. (By comparison, lawyers earned an average salary of $120,910, better for paying off an average student debt of nearly $150,000.) Employers usually pay attention to the following qualifications in CVs – proven work experience, knowledge of the law, legal procedures and protocols; Familiarity with court systems, mastery of day-to-day operations in a legal environment, working knowledge of case management software and ability to juggle multiple tasks.