How to gain employment as a legal assistant/paralegal? they want you to have experience but how?

Question

They want you to have experience but nobody is willing to give you that experience. I have taken several online classes but the job market doesn't care unless you have actual legal office experience. Again, how to gain that?

Answer 1

The same thing happened to me when I tried to break into accounting.

It can be done, but will require you to overcome any fear or hesitation you have and this path is not for those that take the path of least resistance.

Do you have any actual office experience? If not, you may have to be willing to start at the very bottom, like a receptionist.

Put your resume together emphasising your education/classes at the top, then make sure you only emphasize your office skils/legal info with each job listed. A lawyer won't care about your stint as a cashier at the local store.

Choose 20-30 law offices of all sizes near your home (or as many as you have, when I looked for accounting there were only 8 offices within 25 miles of my home), or in the location you want to work at. Call each of them and suck up to whomever answers the phone and try to get the managing partners correctly spelled name and title.

Write a killer intro letter expressing your love of the law and your willingness to do anything to get the job. Address it directly to the managing partner(s). Put the letter & the resume in a manilla letter sized envelope and make sure you type the name & address correctly.

Then put on your best conservative navy or gray business suit and take all of your correctly addressed letters & resumes and go and drop them off at each office. Ask for them personally and if they give you a minute hand them the envelope, smile, firmly shake their hand and then just tell that you are dropping off a copy of your resume and introduction letter in the hopes that if the firm has an opening they will call you.

Expect that all of the firms will say, we're not hiring. And that's ok.

Make sure you get the receptionist's name before you go, you will be amazed at how helpful they will be if they like you!

After a week or two, type up your references (make sure you call them all first and tell them you will be hunting!) and take those around to drop off. Again, dressed to the nines professionally.

After your second in person visit, you can just drop in every week or so (dressed nice but not in suit) and say you were "in the neighborhood" and are checking if they have ANYTHING.

Eventually they will either have you arrested, or help you find a job, or employ you.

I got my break when one CPA got sick of one of his clerks calling off every Saturday during tax season, I went from part-time copy girl to having 100 clients and 3 clerks reporting to me in 9 months.

Good luck!

Answer 2

go down to an attorneys office and ask them if they use INTERNS and volunteer to be one for them.
If you city has a free legal clinic is the best place to try.