Research Summary. We analyzed 38,341 legal assistant resumes to determine which ones land the most jobs. Below you'll find examples of resumes that can help you get an interview (and a job offer) from companies like Law Office and Robert Half. Here are the key facts about legal assistant resumes to help you get the job:

  • The average legal assistant resume is 378 words long
  • The average legal assistant resume is 0.8 pages long based on 450 words per page.
  • Litigation is the most common skill found on a legal assistant resume. It appears on 11.6% of resumes.
After learning about how to write a professional legal assistant resume, you can make sure your resume checks all the boxes with our resume builder.

Resume

Legal Assistant Resume Example

Choose From 10+ Customizable Legal Assistant Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Legal Assistant templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Legal Assistant resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Legal Assistant Resume

What Should Be Included In A Legal Assistant Resume

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1. Add Contact Information To Your Legal Assistant Resume

Your name should be the biggest text on the page and be at or near the top of the document.

Your address doesn't need to include your street name or house number - listing your city and state works just fine.

Your email address should be professional, but not your current work email address. It's not a good look to use your work email for personal projects (job-searching).

Your social media can be included if you have a fully-fledged LinkedIn page or another social media page that showcases your relevant skill set.

Legal Assistant Resume Contact Information Example #1

Dhruv Johnson

d.johnson@email.com | 333-111-2222 | www.linkedin.com/in/dhruv-johnson

Do you want to know more?
How To Write The Perfect Resume Header
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2. Add Your Relevant Education To The Resume

Your resume's education section should include:

  • The name of your school
  • The date you graduated (Month, Year or Year are both appropriate)
  • The name of your degree
If you graduated more than 15 years ago, you should consider dropping your graduation date to avoid age discrimination.

Optional subsections for your education section include:

  • Academic awards (Dean's List, Latin honors, etc. )
  • GPA (if you're a recent graduate and your GPA was 3.5+)
  • Extra certifications
  • Academic projects (thesis, dissertation, etc.)

Other tips to consider when writing your education section include:

  • If you're a recent graduate, you might opt to place your education section above your experience section
  • The more work experience you get, the shorter your education section should be
  • List your education in reverse chronological order, with your most recent and high-ranking degrees first
  • If you haven't graduated yet, you can include "Expected graduation date" to the entry for that school

Legal Assistant Resume Relevant Education Example #1

Bachelor's Degree In Legal Support Services 2014 - 2016

Boston University Boston, MA

Legal Assistant Resume Relevant Education Example #2

Bachelor's Degree In Criminal Justice 2014 - 2016

Colorado Technical University Colorado Springs, CO

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3. Next, Create A Legal Assistant Skills Section On Your Resume

Your resume's skills section should include the most important keywords from the job description, as long as you actually have those skills. If you haven't started your job search yet, you can look over resumes to get an idea of what skills are the most important.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when writing your resume's skills section:

  • Include 6-12 skills, in bullet point form
  • List mostly hard skills; soft skills are hard to test
  • Emphasize the skills that are most important for the job
Hard skills are generally more important to hiring managers because they relate to on-the-job knowledge and specific experience with a certain technology or process.

Soft skills are also valuable, as they're highly transferable and make you a great person to work alongside, but they're impossible to prove on a resume.

Example Of Legal Assistant Skills For Resume

  • Discovery Responses Skills

    Discovery response is the response made by a person on trial once discoveries are made against them. Certain motions are filed against a person on trial, which may include a request for interrogations, request for production, etc, and they have to file a response within some time. The official response is filed in court and its copies can be distributed to the other parties.

  • Subpoenas Skills

    Subpoenas are formal and legal documents issued mostly by a court or some other government agency that demands the presence of the person the document is addressed to, to show up at court. Subpoenas are issued to individuals whom the court wants to appear either as a witness in a particular case in order to testify or to provide any evidence such as an object or a document.

  • Trial Preparation Skills

    Trial preparation is the practice of gathering sufficient raw material for a court case. This preparation is done to make the bases of a case stronger by bringing the facts to light in a way that will give the concerned law bodies a better comprehension of the entire scenario. The method for preparing for a case may differ depending upon its nature.

  • Scheduling Appointments Skills

    Scheduling appointments is the practice of finding a free slot with the person(s) you want to meet. The process of scheduling appointments involves finding mutually free time, negotiating follow-ups, sending reminders, and creating new appointments. Scheduling appointments is important to ensure that the timings of consecutive meetings do not clash with each other.

  • Affidavits Skills

    An Affidavit is a type of written agreement or statement voluntarily created under an oath which can be led and confirmed by only those people that have been specified by the relevant laws. An affidavit is often used in such places and events as court trials, where a signed and written statement witnessed by other members or witnesses of the court is necessary in order to ensure that a witness or another person are telling the truth.

Top Skills for a Legal Assistant

Source: Zippia.com
  • Litigation, 11.6%
  • Legal Correspondence, 10.0%
  • Discovery Responses, 6.1%
  • Legal Research, 6.0%
  • Other Skills, 66.3%
Not sure which skills are really important?
3 Big Tips For Listing Skills On Your Resume
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4. List Your Legal Assistant Experience

The most important part of any resume is the experience section. Recruiters and hiring managers expect to see your experience listed in reverse chronological order, meaning that you should begin with your most recent experience and then work backwards.

Don't just list your job duties below each job entry. Instead, make sure most of your bullet points discuss impressive achievements from your past positions. Whenever you can, use numbers to contextualize your accomplishments for the hiring manager reading your resume.

It's okay if you can't include exact percentages or dollar figures. There's a big difference even between saying "Managed a team of engineers" and "Managed a team of 6 engineers over a 9-month project."

Most importantly, make sure that the experience you include is relevant to the job you're applying for. Use the job description to ensure that each bullet point on your resume is appropriate and helpful.

Don't have any experience?
How To Show Your Experience On a Resume... Even When You Don't Have Any
Work History Example # 1
Legal Assistant
Rywant Alvarez Jones Russo & Guyton
  • Filed pleadings in bankruptcy court.
  • Assisted a busy of counsel attorney and an associate attorney in all phases of patent prosecution and patent litigation.
  • Organized and stored large volumes of documents using the Filesite and Concordance databases.
  • Worked for Equity Partner and Of Counsel inthe Trust and Estates department.
  • Handled accounts for Verizon customers and added bankruptcy information according to company guidelines.
Work History Example # 2
Judicial Internship
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
  • Scanned litigation and bankruptcy documents into the firm's database.
  • Assisted in Bankruptcy and Class Action related litigation.
  • Counseled and provided clients with general litigation advice and safety strategies.
  • Provided advice and counsel to clients for probate, divorce, landlord/tenant, expungement, and other matters.
  • Provided general counsel to loan department staff.
Work History Example # 3
Legal File Clerk
Reminger Co., LPA
  • Worked closely with Paralegals and Attorneys.
  • Established knowledge of department procedures.
  • Conducted general legal and non-legal research through LexisNexis, Westlaw and the Internet.
  • Faxed company client;s information to their legal representatives, Copied insurance documents.
  • Deposited check & money order deposits utilizing RCD bank scan system.
Work History Example # 4
Legal Assistant
Social Security Administration
  • Selected to participate on a special work cadre to process non-disability hearing cases.
  • Monitored hearings, or assist as Spanish interpreter when needed.
  • Composed correspondence, requested consultative examinations, maintained follow up system, scheduled case hearings, prepared notices for hearings.
  • Assigned subpoenas to appropriate subsidiaries for processing.
  • Assisted Senior Litigation Counsel with management of the company's largest and most complex claims litigation.
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5. Highlight Your Legal Assistant Certifications On Resume

Certifications can be a powerful tool to show employers that you know your stuff. If you have any of these certifications, make sure to put them on your legal assistant resume:

  1. Certified Paralegal/Certified Legal Assistant (CP/CLA)
  2. Professional Legal Secretary (PLS)
  3. Medical Assistant
  4. Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA)
  5. Specialist Certificate: Legal (SC:L)
  6. Word 2010 Certification
  7. Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS)
  8. Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA)
  9. Certified Legal Secretary Specialist: Executive Legal Secretary
  10. Certified Medical Office Manager (CMOM)

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6. Finally, Add a Legal Assistant Resume Summary Or Objective Statement

A resume summary statement is a 1-3 sentence spiel at the top of your resume that quickly summarizes who you are and what you have to offer. In this section, include your job title, years of experience (if it's 3+), and an impressive accomplishment, if you have space for it.

Remember to address skills and experiences that are emphasized in the job description.

Are you a recent grad?
Read our guide on how to write a resume summary statement

Entry level Legal Assistant Resume example

And if you’re looking for a high-paying job, here are jobs in the top places hiring now:

  1. Legal Assistant Jobs In Washington, DC
  2. Legal Assistant Jobs In San Francisco, CA
  3. Legal Assistant Jobs In Denver, CO
  4. Legal Assistant Jobs In New York, NY
  5. Legal Assistant Jobs In Olympia, WA

Five Key Resume Tips For Writing A Legal Assistant Resume:

1.
Relevant Experience
Make sure that the jobs, experience, and accolades that you include are relevant to the position you’re applying for.
2.
The Right Skills
This is a great time to run wild with those keywords from the job description. For example, if they’re looking for someone with experience in Legal Documents, be sure to list it in your resume’s skills section.
3.
Quantifiable Achievements
Your workplace accomplishments tell the story of the unique value you bring to an organization. Stay away from dry descriptions of job duties. Use numbers to help contextualize your achievements..
4.
ATS-Friendly
An applicant tracking system (ATS) is a piece of software employers use to collect, scan, organize, and rank applications. The key to getting your resume past ATS and into the hands of hiring managers is smart keyword usage.
5.
Impeccable Formatting
Formatting a resume so that it looks professional and attractive is important. With Zippia’s resume builder, you can put together a modern-looking resume in less than 10 minutes. Just choose a resume template that suits your style, answer some questions about your background, and you’ll have a resume that’ll pass muster with both the ATS and the hiring manager.
Not sure how to make a resume that stands out?
See sample resumes for the job you want
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Legal Assistant Resumes FAQs

What Is A Legal Assistant's Job Description?

A legal assistant's job description is to support lawyers in conducting research, drafting documents, and preparing for cases. The responsibilities and duties section is the most important part of the job description.

What Should Be On A Legal Assistant's Resume?

What should be on a legal assistant's resume include skills and accomplishments related to your educational training and work experience. The entire resume (from the profile summary to work experience to skills section) should show the hiring manager why you would make an excellent legal assistant.

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