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Paralegal internship skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Shelly Grunsted,

Emily Allen-Hornblower

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical paralegal internship skills. We ranked the top skills for paralegal interns based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 20.7% of paralegal internship resumes contained legal research as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a paralegal internship needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 paralegal internship skills for your resume and career

1. Legal Research

Here's how paralegal interns use legal research:

Opened, organized and retired files Participated in client interview Performed legal research Assisted on probate cases Personal Injury Medical Malpractice
Performed electronic legal research for cases ranging from immigration to civil torts and international corporations.

2. Legal Correspondence

Here's how paralegal interns use legal correspondence:

Prepared and organized legal correspondence, declarations, contracts, agreements, discovery and litigation materials.
Drafted legal correspondence for attorneys regarding inmate legal questions and concerns.

3. Trial Preparation

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.

Here's how paralegal interns use trial preparation:

Prepared documents for creation/dissolution of corporate entities; prepared probate documents; legal research and documents for trial preparation.
Assisted staff counsel in all aspects of litigation management including document preparation, trial preparation and support.

4. Subpoenas

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.

Here's how paralegal interns use subpoenas:

Collaborated closely with paralegal and lead attorney on issues involving document production, and subpoenas.
Drafted legal documents including correspondence, pleadings, interrogatories, subpoenas and affidavits.

5. Real Estate

Real estate is land that has buildings on it. This kind of property consists of permanent improvements either natural or man-made, which include, houses, fences, bridges, water trees, and minerals. There are 4 types of real estate namely; residential real estate, commercial real estate, industrial real estate, and vacant land.

Here's how paralegal interns use real estate:

Prepared real estate documentation pertaining to lease agreement and eviction procedure;.
Organized and disbursed all necessary documents pertaining to real estate transactions.

6. Law Firm

Here's how paralegal interns use law firm:

Supported this personal injury law firm with daily administrative responsibilities such as filing and record keeping.
Support paralegals at the law firm by interviewing perspective clients and acquiring required medical information.

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7. Interrogatories

Here's how paralegal interns use interrogatories:

Worked collaboratively drafting affidavits and interrogatories.
Generated financial disclosure statements; balanced trust accounts; interviewed clients and prepared answers to interrogatories; provided general office support.

8. Affidavits

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.

Here's how paralegal interns use affidavits:

Collaborated with refugee attorneys, policymakers and other government officials, and wrote appeal affidavits for asylum seekers.
Translated documents and coordinated paperwork including affidavits, petitions, and applications.

9. Lexis Nexis

Here's how paralegal interns use lexis nexis:

Performed computerized and library research with Lexis Nexis to obtain and gather case-relevant and data materials.
Work Skills: I am skilled in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Power Point, and Lexis Nexis.

10. Legal Articles

Here's how paralegal interns use legal articles:

Researched legal databases, regulations, and legal articles providing findings to lawyers for use in litigation.
Collected and evaluated research data including statutes, decisions, legal articles, codes, and documents.

11. Scheduling Appointments

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.

Here's how paralegal interns use scheduling appointments:

Assisted paralegals and lawyers in scheduling appointments.
Provided secretarial support for two Attorneys which included receiving and directing all incoming calls, scheduling appointments, and organizing meetings.

12. Demand Letters

Here's how paralegal interns use demand letters:

Participated in drafting/preparing complaints, motions, engagement/disengagement letters, and demand letters.
Organized and Summarized Medical Records; Prepared Demand Letters.

13. Court Dates

Here's how paralegal interns use court dates:

Reached out to clients to facilitate their court dates and help made sure the clients knew when to be at court.
Located and referred clients to services, followed up with clients to remind about appointments, court dates, etc.

14. Probate

Here's how paralegal interns use probate:

Worked on itemizing and preparing specific inventory documents for probate files.
Reconcile Probate settlements and other client financial statements.

15. Legal Issues

Here's how paralegal interns use legal issues:

Identified and corrected files with missing documentation and requested additional information to adequately analyze and support legal issues.
Researched and analyzed enacted statutes and cited cases for legal issues on pending litigation requiring confidentiality.

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What skills help Paralegal Interns find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on paralegal internship resumes?

Shelly Grunsted

Executive Director - Center for Student Success, Director, First Fidelity Integrated Business Core Program (IBC), Associate Professor, The University of Oklahoma

Depending on the job, but some that stand out: experiential learning experience, leadership skills, communication skills, problem-solving/analytical, internship experience, and collaboration efforts/group-work

What paralegal internship skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Emily Allen-Hornblower

Associate Professor of Classics, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

No question our economy has been hit hard, and the job market will be very competitive, for students in all courses of study but those who have solid training in the Humanities, along with the strong writing and communication skills that come with it, should do well. Good writers and critical thinkers are essential across the board, and those who have studied history, philosophy, oratory, and literature at its source (that is, the Classics) are well equipped to be competitive in any market.

What type of skills will young paralegal internships need?

Deirdre Kelly

Assistant Dean for Career Development, Western State College of Law

Young graduates will need the same traditional legal skills that they have always needed. Additionally, they will need to be resilient and creative to weather a more challenging and ever-evolving work environment. They will need to be very disciplined and able to work independently if they are working more remotely and have enough technical skills to navigate the virtual world. New graduates will need to think about how they build relationships with their co-workers and develop mentors, as well as develop clients and networks if the future means working remotely more and not as many in-person meetings.

Do you want to know more?

List of paralegal internship skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a paralegal internship resume and required skills for a paralegal internship to have include:

Legal Research
Legal Correspondence
Trial Preparation
Subpoenas
Real Estate
Law Firm
Interrogatories
Affidavits
Lexis Nexis
Legal Articles
Scheduling Appointments
Demand Letters
Court Dates
Probate
Legal Issues
Legal Memoranda
Administrative Tasks

PowerPoint
Family Law Cases
Social Security
Court Proceedings
Law Library
Research Data
Criminal Law
Court Hearings
Police Reports
Criminal Cases
Client Intake Interviews
Client Correspondence
Legal Forms
Client Cases
Court Appearances
Civil Litigation
Pacer

Estate Planning
Telephone Calls
Factual Research
Attorney Review
Discovery Responses
Management System
Trial Notebooks
Criminal Defense
Arbitration
Court Cases
Client Letters
Legal Memorandum
Court Orders
Client Appointments
Domestic Violence
Deposition Summaries

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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