Get a Job in the Legal Field

Law is a large and diverse field, with many kinds of jobs available. In addition to working as a lawyer, people find employment as paralegals, legal assistants, librarians, secretaries, and document clerks. To find employment, you’ll need to obtain the required education and then research job openings.

Steps

Becoming a Lawyer

1. Identify what lawyers do. Lawyers counsel their clients about their rights and advocate on their behalf. There are many kinds of lawyers. Some of the more common include the following:
   • Criminal defense lawyers represent clients accused of crimes. They negotiate plea bargains, try cases, and sometimes handle appeals.
   • Prosecutors represent the government and prosecute people accused of committing crimes.
   • Civil attorneys research arguments, draft motions, and gather evidence. They handle non-criminal matters like divorces, slip-and-fall cases, and medical malpractice suits. Civil attorneys don’t go to court as often as criminal attorneys, but they can handle trials.
   • Transactional attorneys help clients with business or personal transactions, such as starting a business, purchasing a house, or writing wills. They counsel clients and draft the necessary legal documents.
2. Obtain the necessary education. In the United States, you must have seven years of education to become a lawyer. This consists of a four-year undergraduate degree in any field and a three-year JD degree.
   • You can study anything as an undergraduate. However, future employers might look for certain experience. For example, if you want to be an intellectual property lawyer, then firms will look kindly on a hard science or computer science background.
   • You should attend a law school accredited by the American Bar Association. Some schools offer part-time programs, and a few offer accelerated two-year programs.
   • Also try to get into the highest-ranked law school that you can. At least initially, the quality of your law school will limit or increase your employment options. As time passes, the reputation of your law school will diminish in importance.
3. Pass the bar exam. Lawyers must be given a license by the state where they want to practice. Typically, you will have to pass a two-day bar exam. The exam will consist of a multiple-choice test and then essay questions.
   • You also must show that you have the necessary good character to work as a lawyer. Generally, you shouldn’t have any criminal record or financial problems such as bankruptcy. If you do have a problem, the character and fitness committee will want to talk to you to see if you have reformed.
   • It’s illegal to hold yourself out as a lawyer unless you have a license from the state. Accordingly, you can’t move around easily as a lawyer.
4. Identify the type of law you want to practice. At some point, you may need to specialize. For example, you might want to be a divorce lawyer or you may want to represent criminal defendants. Few attorneys are generalists anymore. Instead, they find a specialty and do most of their work in the field.
   • Your specialty might influence the classes you take in law school. For example, if you want to be a divorce lawyer, you can take a class in family law.
5. Apply for jobs while in law school. Begin looking immediately for jobs. In many schools, employers will visit your campus to hire summer associates. These people work in the summer before their 3L year. However, you will apply and interview in the summer or fall before the start of your 2L year.
   • Contact your school’s Career Center for a list of firms that come onto campus to interview. Typically, you supply a resume and copies of your law school transcript. If the firm likes you, they will invite you back to the firm to interview with other lawyers.
   • Generally, you need very high grades to get a summer associate position. You also probably have to attend a highly-ranked school.
6. Set up informational interviews. You can talk to other lawyers about the field. Choose alumni from your law school or undergraduate who practice the type of law you want to practice. Call the person or send an email and ask if they can meet with you to talk about their law practice.
   • Clarify that you are not seeking a job. The purpose of the interview is simply to learn information and hopefully make a good impression on the person.
   • Prepare a half dozen questions to ask. Open-ended questions are best. For example, “What’s a typical day in divorce litigation?” is open-ended. Asking “do you go to court often?” is not.
   • Show that you are engaged by writing down the answers.
   • Remember to dress professionally and act as if you are on a job interview. You want to make the best impression possible.
   • Before leaving, thank them for their time. Also ask if there is anyone they know who you should meet with.
7. Search for jobs once you graduate. Smaller firms can advertise at any time. They usually can’t plan their hiring needs in advance. If you find an opening, you should submit a resume, writing sample, and transcripts. Jobs are advertised in a variety of places:
   • Your law school’s Career Center. They may have a job bank you can search.
   • Indeed.com
   • Monster.com
   • Craigslist
   • Your state’s bar association website. You probably have to become a member before you can access it.

Getting a Job as a Paralegal

1. Learn what a paralegal does. Paralegals help lawyers deliver legal services to their clients. Though paralegals are not trained to handle complex legal issues, they can help the lawyer and handle routine tasks on their own. Paralegals will often do the following:
   • Check or gather facts.
   • Prepare correspondence and contact clients.
   • Draft basic legal documents, such as pleadings and discovery requests or answers.
   • Perform basic legal research for a lawyer.
   • Manage the case file so that the lawyer can meet their responsibilities in a timely fashion.
   • Prepare documents for trial and assist at trial.
2. Obtain the necessary education. There is generally no one course of study for paralegals. Each employer will be looking for different credentials. However, you should have a high school diploma or GED. Consider what other credentials to get:
   • Associate’s degree. Community colleges might offer paralegal degrees. These will take two years to obtain.
   • Bachelor’s degree. You can get a four-year degree in any subject. Some schools offer minors in paralegal or legal studies. Larger firms will want a bachelor’s degree.
   • Paralegal certificate. Some organizations provide paralegal certificates. You can earn the certificate instead of earning a degree or after earning a two- or four-year degree.
3. Create a resume. Employers will want to see your work experience, which you can summarize in a professional-looking resume. If you’ve never created one before, then you might want to show it to someone at your school’s career center or at a job center. A resume should contain the following information:
   • Summary of your qualifications.
   • Experience as a paralegal, including bullet points explaining specific job duties.
   • Education.
   • Any professional associations.
4. Obtain other experience, if necessary. Employers generally want to see at least a year of relevant work experience. Of course, it’s hard to get work as a paralegal if you need experience first. Nevertheless, you can work jobs that allow you to build necessary skills.
   • Find jobs that allow you to multi-task. Paralegals often work on many cases at the same time for multiple attorneys. Getting an office job will show that you can juggle competing and conflicting deadlines.
   • Get writing experience. Paralegals often have to draft basic legal documents, like answers to discovery requests. Take writing classes in college and freelance for the college newspaper.
   • Intern while in college for a legal aid office, government agency, or private law firm. This experience is helpful.
5. Search for jobs. Paralegal jobs are posted on different websites as well as in newspapers. You should visit the most popular job posting boards, such as Monster.com, Indeed.com, or another website.
   • Also ask people that you know. If you know any lawyers or paralegals, then check if their firm is hiring someone.
   • Government offices also hire paralegals. You can look at the agency’s website for job openings.
6. Conduct an informational interview. You can also increase your visibility by meeting with lawyers and paralegals to talk about the field. The purpose of an informational interview is not to get a job. However, it does allow you to get your name out there. If a job opens up in the future, the person you talked with might remember you and contact you.
   • Find lawyers in the area where you want to work. You should send them an email or call. Introduce yourself and ask if they have 20-30 minutes to meet with you to talk about the legal field. You should clarify upfront that you aren’t asking for a job.
   • Larger law firms often have head paralegals or a paralegal manager. You can meet with this person also.
   • Come up with a list of questions and write down the answers. You want to look engaged.
   • Dress professionally, as you would for a job interview.
   • You can bring a copy of your resume. However, you should only share it with the person if they ask for it. Don’t pull it out right away.
   • Remember to send a “thank you” note one or two days later.

Obtaining Other Legal Jobs

1. Become a legal secretary. The number of legal secretaries has shrunk since more lawyers now type their own legal documents. However, firms still need secretaries to perform a host of tasks, such as billing, scheduling, and arranging for legal documents to be filed. You can become a legal secretary by doing the following:
   • Earn a certificate or degree. Many secretaries have some form of education past high school. They might earn an associate’s degree at a community college or a four-year degree at a university.
   • Gain experience. You can intern in a legal office or work any kind of administrative assistant job to start.
   • Find jobs. Legal secretary jobs are advertised in newspapers and online. Visit job boards like Monster.com and type in “legal secretary.” Legal secretaries are hired by law firms, non-profits, and government agencies. You will need to prepare a quality resume and submit it to each place you apply.
2. Work as a law librarian. Law schools, courthouses, and law firms hire librarians to manage their legal materials. Although much legal material is online, librarians develop skills to help lawyers and other researchers find the information they are looking for. Becoming a law librarian generally requires the following:
   • A Master’s of Library Science (MLS) degree. This is a two-year degree, which you should get from a school accredited by the American Library Association. One third of all law librarians also have a law degree.
   • Familiarity with the online databases used by lawyers—Westlaw and LexisNexis.
   • An internship or other experience in a law library.
3. Obtain other jobs with law firms. The legal field employs many different professionals. For example, large law firms are the size of some multinational corporations and employ a host of professionals to keep the business running. People find employment with law firms in the following areas:
   • Accounting
   • Data entry
   • Marketing
   • Facilities Management
   • Human Resources

References

See also

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