A paralegal is a person who helps lawyers in a various ways. They draft documents and pleadings, organize files, analyze documents, draft correspondence, contact clients, validate facts, assist lawyers at trials and perform legal research. Often they are employed by lawyers who assign them with numerous duties. Paralegals also perform administrative and clerical duties in small offices. With an associate’s degree or a certification in paralegal studies, a person is eligible for jobs in this field.
As growing competition for paralegal jobs attracts many applicants, you must prepare yourself to beat the race and stand out of the crowd. For this you need to prepare your resumes and cover letters that will reflect your abilities in a crisp and organized way. What recruiters want from you and how you, armed with your knowledge and proficiencies can fulfil this, is the matter of concern. And your resume will exactly do this do in a short time span.
Points to Remember while Writing a Paralegal Resume
You need to write your resume in the perfect way that combines quality with crispness and originality of facts.
- Write a summary that shows how the job recruiter will benefit by hiring you; that is to say, the summary should be a brief statement of your skills and experiences, if any and what you want to achieve or what you want to become in the near future while working with the company, that has posted the job advertisement.
- Any grammatical or typographical mistake will lend a bad feel to the reader. So check and recheck to make your resume error-free.
- Include skills and core competences that are required for the position mentioned. Any hobby or special skill that is not related to the job requirement must be ignored.
- Read some resume samples before drafting your own resume. Have a look at the style of writing, fonts and margin used, how much white space is left etc.
- Lastly, do write a cover letter and send it along with the resume. Your cover letter should be short and crisp and to the point. Don’t keep on mentioning detailed experience and skill sets that you will anyway, include in your resume. The cover letter must encourage the reader to reach your resume and give his/her valuable time selecting you for an interview.
Paralegal Resume Sample
Karen Caprio
Bristo Lane, Cityland
California
900-7645-887
Email: karen.caprio@example.com
Summary
A pro-active and well qualified paralegal with 4+ years of diverse experience of working under different attorneys. Possessing strong analytical, research, investigative and technical skills and is able to work independently and as a team member, with equal spirit and completely able to manage multiple assignments in fast-paced environments.
Skills and Proficiencies
- Ability to explain complex situation in Layman’s language.
- Possessing sound knowledge of laws and legal terminology and industry best practices.
- Competent in liaising with clients in a courteous and objective style.
- Good ability to work independently and as a team member.
- Ability to keep client information strictly confidential.
- Excellent writing and oral communication skills.
- Decision-making, dispute-resolution, investigative and research skills.
- Good eye for details.
- Proficient in handling stressful situations.
Educational Qualifications
University of California
Bachelor of Arts in Justice Studies, 2011
California Laws and Legal Institute
CLP- Approved Paralegal Certificate, 2012
Technical Skills
- MS Office
- CaseMap
- Lexis/Nexis
- Westlaw
- Concordance
- Knowledge of interview techniques and procedure
- Outstanding knowledge of laws-federal, state and local laws.
Experience
Legal Associates and Company, California
Paralegal
2013 February- till present
Job Responsibilities:
- Assisting attorneys in drafting documents like court orders, petitions, memoranda and correspondence.
- Preparing legal documents under the supervision of different attorneys and proofreading those.
- Working closely with case reviewers and attorneys in order to resolve legal complaints.
- Researching documents, validating facts that would help establishing evidence.
- Entering correct and truthful data into a company-based software program.
- Liaising between judges, court administration, attorneys and public.
- Locating, interviewing and preparing witnesses.
- Assisting with e-discovery with the use of Concordance and CaseMap.
- Planning, scheduling and summarizing expert reports and depositions.
- Using WestLaw and Lexis/Nexis to perform legal research.
- Keeping the clients informed and keeping their matters and issues confidential.
- Maintaining the in-house library.
Remember the above-mentioned resume is only a sample. Don’t try to copy sentences and edit those as per your requirements. Write a fresh resume that depicts your proficiencies and knowledge and make way for a great job and a great career.
