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Legal assistants play a crucial role in helping attorneys prepare for trials by gathering the facts of any given case, preparing litigation documents, and arranging evidence.
These activities directly impact their supervising lawyer's chances of winning in court, and therefore the profitability and overall success of their firm.
If you want to secure a legal assistant position, you'll not only need to persuade the hiring manager that you can fulfill these duties, but that you can do so better than dozens of other competing candidates.
In this article, we'll show you how to write a compelling legal assistant cover letter to help you do just that. We'll provide you with important tips and writing samples to show you how to highlight your skills and get that interview.
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No matter which legal firm you’re applying to, all compelling cover letters follow a similar core structure and include many of the same components.
These components are:
The header. This is where you want to list basic contact info such as your full name, email, and phone number. Also include the contact info of the hiring manager.
Follow up with a professional greeting such as “Dear [Hiring Manager’s Name].” If you don’t know who will be reading your cover letter, then address the reader as “Dear Hiring Committee.”
Opening paragraph. After briefly stating the intent of your letter, hook the reader’s attention by sharing your most impressive career achievement that relates to the job.
Body paragraph #1. Hammer in your credibility by providing more career achievement examples. Make sure to showcase a range of relevant key skills rather than just focus on one or two.
Body paragraph #2. Explain to the hiring manager how you’ll replicate your previous career successes at their firm.
Closing. Thank the reader for their time and make a results-based offer.
The opening paragraph is the most important section of your entire cover letter, as it determines whether the hiring manager actually pays attention to it or simply skims over it as just another application.
After briefly stating the intent of your cover letter, immediately jump into an impressive, relevant career achievement example that demonstrates what makes you perfect for the job.
As a legal assistant, your primary responsibilities are to support attorneys by preparing relevant litigation documents and communicating with clients and witnesses throughout a case, so try to show off an instance when you’ve excelled in one of these two tasks.
Try to show off an instance of when you’ve excelled in one of these two activities.
It’s also extremely important to focus on the value and results you generated rather than simply describe your actions. Make sure to quantify those results, if possible.
David Johnson
4421 Anchor St
Baltimore, IN 48363
111-333-2222
dJohnson651@gmail.comMay 12, 2021
Frank Davidson
5521 Madison Ave
Charleston, SC 44211
661-999-1122
fDavidson@gmail.comDear Frank Davidson,
I am excited to be applying for the Legal Assistant position at ClearLaw LLC.
In my previous role as a paralegal for Hoser Associates, my ability to communicate effectively with clients was instrumental in the firm's success.
Clients regularly praised my knowledge and professionalism, and the company saw a 17% increase in business as a direct result of positive recommendations and reviews made by my clients.
Use the first paragraph after your opening to strengthen your credibility and showcase more career achievements.
Make sure to cover a variety of skills rather than just focus on one or two.
When it comes to a legal assistant position, some of the most important skills to discuss include:
Technical. Knowing how to use popular case management software such as CASEpeer helps you do your job more efficiently and accurately.
Domain. You’ll need to possess job-specific skills such as knowing how to prepare case evidence and deposition notices.
Soft. Legal assistants work directly with clients and witnesses to prepare statements and other necessary documents, so you should discuss soft skills such as interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively.
Here’s a sample body paragraph to guide you along:
Other examples of when I’ve created substantial value for my employers include:
At Hodgkin Sons, used case management software such as CASEpeer to coordinate phone calls and process paperwork 23% more quickly than other paralegals at the firms.
Also at Hodgkin Sons, created clear litigation documents such as deposition notices and subpoenas that allowed the attorneys to win 11% more cases.
At an internship at Jenkins Jenkins, maintained positive relationships with district attorneys, judges, and court officials. This allowed the firm to receive discovery prior to its cases' first court dates 17% more often.
By this point, you’ve shown the hiring manager how you were able to generate value for your past employers and demonstrated various key skills. However, they’ll likely still be wondering if you’ll be able to replicate those results when it comes to the unique challenges that their company faces.
With your final body paragraph, you now want to address that concern. Do this by first identifying the main challenge that the company is seeking to solve when hiring for the position.
Many job listings will provide a brief overview of the project you’ll be working on, so read it clearly and see if you can learn such information.
If not, then simply focus on the main duties listed.
Next, think of the greatest achievement in your career that demonstrates your ability to solve those exact challenges and share them.
Here’s a sample final body paragraph that puts this method into practice:
I see in your job description that you highly value candidates who can process clerical tasks as efficiently as possible.
At Mason Thomas LLC, I handled all of the company's billing of clients. By using advanced tools in the case management software iManage, I created an automated invoice process that could handle up to 400 clients per week and reduced manual accounting costs by 23%.
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The closing is your last chance to make a positive impression on the hiring manager, so make sure to spend extra effort polishing it.
This section needs to accomplish the following:
Summarize your cover letter. Remind the hiring manager of the main skills you offer and reiterate your interest in the position.
Invite the recruiter to follow up. Let the hiring manager know that you’re available to meet them and speak further about your qualifications.
Thank the reader for their time. It’s a common professional practice to include a line to show your appreciation.
Here’s a sample closing that follows these three rules:
Working at ClearLaw LLC demands the excellent interpersonal and legal skills that I’ve proven throughout my career. I look forward to meeting with you so we can discuss all the ways I can add significant value to the firm.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Best Regards,
David Johnson
Here is a complete version of the legal assistant cover letter sample we’ve shown so far:
David Johnson
4421 Anchor St
Baltimore, IN 48363
111-333-2222
dJohnson651@gmail.comMay 12, 2021
Frank Davidson
5521 Madison Ave
Charleston, SC 44211
661-999-1122
fDavidson@gmail.comDear Frank Davidson,
I am excited to be applying for the Legal Assistant position at ClearLaw LLC.
In my previous role as a Paralegal for Hoser Associates, my ability to communicate effectively with clients was instrumental in the firm's success.
Clients regularly praised my knowledge and professionalism, and the company saw a 17% increase in business as a direct result of positive recommendations and reviews made by my clients.
Other examples of when I’ve created substantial value for my employers include:
At Hodgkin Sons, used case management software such as CASEpeer to coordinate phone calls and process paperwork 23% more quickly than other paralegals at the firms.
Also at Hodgkin Sons, created clear litigation documents such as deposition notices and subpoenas that allowed the attorneys to win 11% more cases.
At an internship at Jenkins Jenkins, maintained positive relationships with district attorneys, judges, and court officials. This allowed the firm to receive discovery prior to its cases' first court dates 17% more often.
I see in your job description that you highly value candidates who can process clerical tasks as efficiently as possible.
At Mason Thomas LLC, I handled all of the company's billing of clients. By using advanced tools in the case management software iManage, I created an automated invoice process that could handle up to 400 clients per week and reduced manual accounting costs by 23%.
Working at ClearLaw LLC demands the excellent interpersonal and legal skills that I’ve proven throughout my career. I look forward to meeting with you so we can discuss all the ways I can add significant value to the firm.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Best Regards,
David Johnson
Here are some additional important tips to follow when you’re writing a cover letter for a legal assistant position:
Quantify your achievements. As the position of the legal assistant is mainly a supporting role, it can be difficult to measure the direct value generated by your actions.
However, this doesn’t mean that you should simply settle for describing your day-to-day duties. Always try to quantify your achievements, even if it involves estimating and getting creative.
If an attorney you supported narrowly won a case, for example, you could argue that difference was due to your contribution and tie yourself to the success that the victory brought to the firm.
Try to convey soft skills. While it’s important to focus on demonstrating crucial job-specific skills such as your knowledge in preparing litigation documents, don’t completely ignore soft skills.
Soft skills such as being well-organized and effective at communication are often extremely difficult for companies to teach employees, so candidates who show a strong foundation in these skills are automatically desirable when it comes to recruitment and promotions.