How to Get a Paralegal Job

Although a job as a paralegal will not come with a lot of high action and courtroom drama, it will still be very intriguing since it is a job that involves the law. The job of the paralegal is to assist the attorney in various tasks such as interviewing clients and witnesses and researching case laws. There will also be a lot of filing that will need to be done as well. It is a rewarding job and one that is highly paid as well.

The first thing that you might want to consider doing in order to break into the paralegal field is to obtain a certification. Although law does not require this, it is something that a lot of law firms like to see. Even though it is not something that is required by your state's law, if this is a type of employment that you would like to see yourself in for many years to come, you might want to consider the certification as an investment. The courses to become a paralegal do not last long and can be very beneficial to you in making sure that you know just about everything there is to know about the job. Of course, there are law firms out there that will take on paralegals that do not have a degree or any special certification.


Make sure that you are picking the school that you attend carefully. If you eventually want to go for a law school, you may want to avoid the online schools which offer paralegal classes. This is because none of the online schools are ABA, or American Bar Association, certified. It is also very important to make sure that you are thinking hard about the type of law firm that you would like to have employment with. You should look at jobs that are in law firms that take on cases that you are interested in. If you have a love for family law, for example, you will want to look for a job in a family law firm .

To get a good idea of all of the potential employers out there who may have jobs available, simply open your phone book and look for lawyers or attorneys. Make yourself a list of all of the attorneys in the area that you would like to get a job with. While a lot of people will only send resumes to attorney offices that are advertising for open jobs, there are others who decide to be a little more proactive. If you want to better your chances and stand out from the crowd, make sure that you are sending resumes to all of the law firms in your area that you would be interested in working with. This is a great idea because there are a lot of law firms and companies out there that do not publicly advertise their open jobs.

You will also need to make sure that you take the time to prepare yourself for the interview process. Keep in mind that attorneys do not like to waste time because time is money. If you waste their time by being unprepared for the job interview, you will most likely not be considered for employment within their law firm. Be polite, on time, and completely professional at all times. You should also make sure that you are showing that you are able and willing to do whatever is best for the law firm.

In the end, you will see that you will find employment with a great law firm and that you could not ask for a better job.