Researching Law Offices on the World Wide Web

The Internet provides easy, cost-free access to many helpful resources. Be warned, however, that the Internet is perhaps the least reliable of all media. Many Web sites contain out-of-date information. Some are "under construction" and therefore incomplete. Nevertheless, Web sites often provide helpful leads that shorten your research significantly. Here are several locations to try.

States' Home Pages

Many states' home pages will lead you to a wealth of information about each state's courts, government offices, regulatory agencies, cities and towns, chambers of commerce, and sometimes major businesses as well. Some even list employment opportunities. Check the "menus" that are provided for a variety of leads.

Each state's Internet address follows the same pattern: www.state. .us, with the postal abbreviation for each state typed into the space between "state." and "us." For example, the home page for Pennsylvania is www.state.pa.us and the one for Texas is www.state.tx.us.

United States Government Agencies

For information about United States federal government agencies, try http://www.lib.lsu.edu/index.html. For information about the United States Courts, try the United States Courts' home page at www.uscourts.gov.

State Bar Association Home Pages

Many state bar associations have home pages, sometimes with links to the home pages of major law firms. Try www. bar.org with an appropriate abbreviation for your state typed into the space indicated. For example, the home page for Massachusetts Bar Association is www.massbar.org. Alternatively, try those sites, which provide links to various bar associations and law firms.

Follow these guidelines in determining whom to contact first:
 

• With law offices (including the public defender and legal assistance offices), your best bet is to telephone the lawyer or experienced paralegal for whom you want to work. If the approval of a legal administrator or personnel director is also needed, you will be told. You may then comply with whatever procedures the office requires, knowing that at least you have the "go-ahead" from the professional with whom you will work.
• There is one exception to the law offices rule just stated. If you have targeted an office that offers an in-house internship program, ask to speak to the person who directs that program.
• When seeking a corporate internship, ask to speak to the head of the department in which you want to work (such as legal department, employee benefits, contracts administration). If you do not know the individual's name, ask for him or her by department job title. This strategy also works with banks, insurance companies, and other corporate entities.
• Do not discuss internship details with the switchboard operator or whoever takes incoming calls. At most, briefly explain the nature of your call to this person.
• Getting past the switchboard operator or secretary at governmental and court offices can be difficult. If asked about the reason for your call, explain that you are a student who wants to volunteer paralegal services. If the operator is not cooperative, just get the name of the person you need and call back later.
• When seeking military internships, begin by contacting the Office of Volunteer Services at the base near you.
• With nonprofit associations, almost anyone who answers the phone will be delighted that someone wants to volunteer time and service. Whoever has the authority to decide about interns will probably get back to you promptly.

Getting to talk to the person you want often takes persistence and a bit of ingenuity. Occasionally, an overworked secretary or switchboard operator may provide inaccurate or incomplete information just to move on to the next call. If this happens, ignore it and try again an hour or two later.

How to Make the First Contact

If your telephone inquiry is not successful, try paying the office a personal visit. Dress professionally and prepare for the visit as you would for an interview. Such a presentation will bring tremendous credibility to your inquiry. But be pre-pared to settle-graciously-for an appointment with the right person at a later time.

What Should I Say When I Reach Them?

The purpose of your initial telephone inquiry is to get two questions answered:
 

1. Would this office consider a paralegal internship at this time?
2. To whom do I address my letter and resume for consideration?

The first question is the most important of the entire conversation. Save it for the person who is in a position to answer it with some authority, such as the attorney, paralegal, or department head for whom you hope to intern. This is also a question that should be followed quickly with pertinent information, before the listener has a chance to say no.

Anticipate the concerns that your listener is likely to have and try to address them even before they are raised. Have in front of you a copy of your program's internship guidelines, policies, or brochure for easy reference. Or have within easy view your own written list of key points. Try to address the office's most likely concerns even before they are expressed, such as:
 

• Is this to be a paid or unpaid internship? If unpaid, this is a key selling point that you should mention early in the conversation.
• How long would the internship last?
• How much supervision and instruction will be required-an hour or two per week, or (gasp!) per day?
• What kind of training do you already have?

If you quickly put your listener's mind at ease on these issues, you bring yourself closer to a "yes"-or at least a "maybe"-on your first and most important question: would they consider an internship at this time. The rest is easy.

Doubtful questions can be cut short by offering to send your school's written guidelines or brochure along with your resume, so they can think about your proposal without feeling pressured. If they agree, you have already paved the way to step two: introducing your resume and cover letter.

Here are a few additional techniques you can use to help overcome the doubts you may detect at the other end of the phone:
 

• Speak in a calm and professional manner.
• If the office supervisor seems to misinterpret your intentions, briefly mention the fact that you are volunteering your services (if that is the case) for a temporary position.
• Mention the name of your school and any outstanding features for which it is known (such as "ABA-approved" or "the largest" or "the first" in your area). Your school's reputation adds credibility and clout to your inquiry.
• Name-dropping sometimes helps. If a former intern or someone in the legal community suggested this office, say so and mention that person by name. You can also provide the name and phone number of your program director.
• Early in the conversation, offer to send samples of your work. Or, as a test of your usefulness to the office, offer to research a legal issue of the super-visor's choosing for his or her review. (One paralegal program requires this of all internship candidates)
• If you are cut short or if your call is misdirected, try again the following workday.

Fielding Unusual Questions

Be well-acquainted with your program's internship policies and guidelines so you can respond competently to routine questions about scheduling, reporting, evaluations, and so on. (Always have these details handy as you call.) Having established clear learning objectives for yourself, you are also prepared to discuss internship tasks and assignments. But in spite of the best preparation, a question will sometimes be raised that you cannot-or should not-answer on your own.

CLICK HERE TO SEARCH JOBS IN OTHER STATES!