By: Holly A. Sheriff, MSLS, MCC, CCC

For many aspiring paralegal students, the first “real view” of a paralegal’s job is at a law firm during an internship or externship. So how do you get a job or an internship in a law firm when you don’t have any experience? Many paralegal students have asked me this question in my capacity as their career coach or mentor. And while I do not have a magic answer or one answer that fits everyone, I do have some tips that may help you get your foot in the right door at the right time.

The good news is being a student in a paralegal program should help you. Once you have finished your first semester, you can use your gained knowledge to network with the legal community.

“Easier said than done,” you say. So, let’s break it down.

Find the Right Law Firm for You

How to find law firms to work for when you have no experience? There are several resources you can rely on that are already available to you:

• Visit your school’s career services office. It is their job to help you land your first job—take advantage of this invaluable resource. The success rate of the college’s career center depends upon how well the institution networks within the legal community. Ask for a list of employers where prior students and recent graduates have landed internships or have gone to work. This will help you learn which law firms may be interested in hiring talent from your school.
• Look up alumni from your school on LinkedIn. Try using the “people” and “all filters” search options to find alumni from your school in your desired city and state.
• Try using a reputable legal search engine, such as Martindale, to search for law firms by practice area or location. Your school’s career services might suggest other search engines. This is a great way to find law firms that practice areas of law you want to gain experience.
• Join a local or state paralegal association or other professional association. Paralegal associations are an excellent resource for networking with other people in the industry, finding job openings, and finding volunteer opportunities. Most paralegal associations will have a job bank. These job banks are usually a members-only perk.

Volunteer Your Services



When you have no real legal experience under your belt, it may be prudent to volunteer part-time with a nonprofit legal clinic. But, again, here’s where a paralegal association could help. Most paralegal associations have a pro bono committee, and they may have a list of organizations seeking legal professional volunteers. The American Bar Association (“ABA”) also has its own pro bono and volunteer opportunity list. It doesn’t hurt to contact the ABA to see if they have a list of opportunities. It would help if you approached volunteering as part of your practical legal training, like on-the-job training.

Conduct Targeted Outreach

Once you have a list of law firms you would like to work for, find someone at the law with hiring power. This would be someone who can make hiring decisions for the firm. Send the firm a well-written, tailored, and to-the-point letter in the mail, and don’t forget to include your resume. If you don’t hear back, don’t be afraid to send a respectful follow-up after a week. After that first follow-up, don’t contact them again.

This approach works well when targeting small law firms with less than 25 attorneys and or employees total. Often, the smaller law firms don’t have many paralegals or other legal professionals contacting them offering to intern. And they tend to appreciate a student that takes the initiative.

A word of caution about this approach: you should not email your resume to law firms you are not connected with. You would not want them to get the wrong impression and think you were spamming them. You want to adhere to proper email etiquette. If you want to learn more about Can-Spam Act, you read about it here.

Conclusion

Over the years, I have suggested this strategy to many paralegal students with no experience, and you may be surprised by how well it works! For example, I had a student land an internship at a law firm in London this way. She contacted seven law firms with international offices. Two responded to her, and one hired her!

I would love to hear how this strategy works for you. Or, if you need help with your career trajectory, please connect with me on LinkedIn. Good luck landing your first paralegal position!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
For over 30 years, Holly A. Sheriff, ASPS, BBA, MSLS, MCC, CCC, has been a noteworthy leader and pioneer in the freelance paralegal industry. Mrs. Sheriff’s services help attorneys, paralegals, and freelance paralegals succeed in balancing business ownership and meeting the legal profession’s demands. Contact Holly at (717) 747.3588 | Email