Legal Assistant Resume Examples—Job Description & Skills

Legal Assistant Resume Examples—Job Description & Skills

You make the lawyers in the expensive suits look superhuman while you research, write, and schedule like a champion. Prove it to partners with your legal assistant resume.

Tom Gerencer
Tom Gerencer
Career Expert

You’ve stumbled on the perfect legal assistant resume sample. But they won’t hire the best legal assistant for the job. They’ll hire whoever has the best resume.

Not a resume writing expert? Don’t worry. We are. And we’ll guide you through the steps to knock those partners on their Gucci mohair pants.

In this guide:

  • A legal assistant resume sample better than most.
  • How to write a legal assistant resume that proves your case.
  • Examples of a resume for a legal assistant with no experience.
  • How to fine-tune your legal assistant job description to the opening.
  • Why you can’t just list legal assistant skills (and what to do instead).

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Legal Assistant Resume Example You Can Copy and Use

Nola Breguet

Legal Assistant 

Personal Info

Phone: 651-403-4329

Email: nolabreguet@gmail.com

linkedin.com/in/nolabreguet

twitter.com/nolabreguet

Summary

Efficient legal assistant with 3+ years of experience saving time for partners. Seeking to provide fast, excellent support at Dobbins & Eisengart. Wrote 150+ legal documents at Walsh, Harrison & Montana with no errors. Saved 5+ hours a week with new file system.

Certifications

2019 — Certified Paralegal, NALA

2018 — Certified Notary

Experience

Legal Assistant

Walsh, Harrison & Montana, Minneapolis, MN

2016–2019

  • Answered 50+ calls per week on attorney direct lines. Answered customer inquiries and solved minor problems, saving attorney time.
  • Maintained office records. Implemented new storage system that saved 5+ clerical hours per week for the firm.
  • Prepared billing statements for attorneys, ensuring 7% more billable hours than predecessor. Facilitated a 10% revenue increase.
  • Managed documents for 500+ clients with Clio and MS Excel.

Key Achievement

  • Wrote and proofread 150+ legal documents with zero errors.

Front Desk Clerk 

Walsh, Harrison & Montana, Minneapolis, MN

2014–2016

  • Answered 20+ partner phone calls per day.
  • Proofread 30+ legal documents per week with 99% accuracy.
  • Performed 20 trademark searches.
  • Scheduled 1,500+ client meetings and appointments.

Education

Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Paralegal Studies

Kent State University, OH

2012–2014

  • Pursued a passion for legal document writing.
  • Commended by professor for legal research skills.

BA in Liberal Arts

Carleton College, MN

2008–2012

  • Excelled in writing and research.
  • Conducted senior project in legal research.

Skills: 

  • Billing
  • Legal research
  • Legal document writing
  • Scheduling
  • Docketing
  • Interpersonal skills
  • Detail oriented
  • Time management
  • Communication

Additional Activities

  • Active member, NALA.
  • Walk shelter dogs 2x per month at Hubbard County Animal Shelter.

Legal Assistants are responsible for aiding lawyers with a variety of tasks. These can include taking notes during meetings, scheduling travels and appointments, and answering phone calls and emails. They also often help with creating legal documentation and conducting legal research.

Here’s how to write a legal assistant resume that works:

1. Start With the Best Legal Assistant Resume Format

The format of your resume can't be sloppy or the partners think you’re lazy. At this moment, they’re picturing you dropping horseradish on a case file.

Let’s file an injunction against that. To write a professional legal assistant resume use these tips:

Legal Assistant Resume Format

Expert Hint: Glassdoor data shows legal assistants make from $42,000 to $79,000 per year. That’s a massive spread. To find your way to the upper end of the range, target your resume for legal assistant jobs like Jack McCoy. I’ll show how next.

2. Make a Legal Assistant Resume Objective or Summary

Most hiring managers and partners spend 6 seconds reading each resume. But what if you could make them spend ten times that on yours?

You can. You just need a powerful career objective statement or career summary statement.

Include:

  1. An adjective (efficient, enthusiastic)
  2. “Legal assistant ” (or title from the job ad)
  3. Years of experience (1+, 8+)
  4. How & who you’ll help (provide fast, excellent support at Dobbins & Eisengart)
  5. Best resume accomplishments (Wrote 150+ legal documents...)

See these legal assistant resume examples:

Legal Assistant Resume Summary—Example

Good Example
Efficient legal assistant with 3+ years of experience saving time for partners. Seeking to provide fast, excellent support at Dobbins & Eisengart. Wrote 150+ legal documents at Walsh, Harrison & Montana with no errors. Saved 5+ hours a week with new file system.
Bad Example
Experienced legal assistant, skilled in writing legal documents. An expert at filing and document storage. Excels in saving time for partners and associates. A great communicator and researcher with strong writing skills.

The second of those legal assistant resume samples promises writing and filing. But the first adds 150+ documents and 5+ hours saved per week. Saying you’re skilled is nice. Giving proof is hirable.

“But I’m just getting started in the legal assistant field!” You can still have a great resume. See these entry-level resume samples for legal assistant jobs:

Entry-Level Legal Assistant Resume Objective

Good Example
Enthusiastic entry-level legal assistant skilled in clerical tasks. Seeking to provide efficiency at Dobbins & Eisengart. As front desk clerk at Walsh, Harrison & Montana, scheduled 1,500+ appointments, answered 20+ phone calls per day and proofread 30+ legal documents per week.
Bad Example
Entry-level legal assistant, very skilled in scheduling appointments and answering phone calls. Have not yet worked as a legal assistant, but am good at research and proofreading. Can start soon and will work hard.

The second of those entry-level legal assistant resume examples with no experience makes empty promises. Wouldn’t you rather hire the first? You can believe she’ll do the job. But here’s the kicker. It’s the same applicant. She just used more details in exhibit A.

3. Target Your Legal Assistant Job Description and Skills Section to the Job

What legal assistant skills do you need in a resume? See this list of skills to put on a resume:

Legal Assistant Resume Skills

Hard Skills

Soft Skills

Legal Research

Interpersonal Skills

Writing

Collaboration

Billing

Communication

Scheduling

Time Management

Docketing

Efficiency

Transcription

Problem Solving

Pleadings

Perception

Family Law

Attention to Detail

Contracts

Accountability

Filing

Analytical Skills

Don’t pin them all on a resume for legal assistant jobs. That’s shifty. Instead, write the job description and tailor your resume with resume keywords from the online job posting. These legal assistant resume samples show how:

Say the job ad wants skills in answering calls, maintaining office records, billing, and proofreading.

Legal Assistant Job Description for a Resume [Sample]

Good Example

Experience

Legal Assistant

Walsh, Harrison & Montana, Minneapolis, MN

2016–2019

  • Answered 50+ calls per week on attorney direct lines. Answered customer inquiries and solved minor problems, saving attorney time.
  • Maintained office records. Implemented new storage system that saved 5+ clerical hours per week for the firm.
  • Prepared billing statements for attorneys, ensuring 7% more billable hours than predecessor. Facilitated a 10% revenue increase.
  • Wrote and proofread 150+ legal documents with zero errors.
Bad Example
  • Solved minor customer problems and complaints, escalating larger issues to partners and associates.
  • Managed client documents and account information.
  • Performed daily legal research for partners.
  • Assisted with trademark searches and title searches.

The first of those legal assistant resume examples has evidence of billing, proofreading, and other desired skills. It’s also got 5+, 10%, and 150+ for scale.

But what if your legal assistant experience is preliminary? A resume with no experience can use law office achievements from other jobs. See these junior legal assistant resume examples with no experience:

This job wants answering phones, scheduling, and research.

Entry-Level Legal Assistant Resume Job Description [Sample]

Good Example

Front Desk Clerk

Walsh, Harrison & Montana, Minneapolis, MN

2014–2016

  • Answered 20+ phone calls per day.
  • Proofread 30+ documents per week with 99% accuracy.
  • Commended 3x by supervisor for research skills.
  • Scheduled 1,500+ client meetings and appointments.
Bad Example
  • Greeted walk-in clients as they entered the premises.
  • Proofread documents per week with high accuracy levels.
  • Commended by supervisor for communication skills.
  • Facilitated regular client meetings and appointments.

Always add numbers when you can to measure your success. The second of those entry-level legal assistant resume samples misses out on numbers and resume keywords.

Expert Hint: NALA research shows most legal assistants and paralegals work in litigation or family law practices. If you’ve got experience in those areas, show it on your resume for legal assistant jobs. That’s especially powerful if you’re applying to a litigation or family law firm!

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4. Write a Skills-Packed Education Section

Can your resume education section get you hired? Yes! But not the way you think.

You don’t need a Harvard Law School degree to be a great legal assistant. You just need to show you built law skills in school. Follow this legal assistant resume sample:

Legal Assistant Resume Example—Education

Good Example

Education

Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Paralegal Studies

Kent State University, OH

2012–2014

  • Pursued a passion for legal document writing.
  • Commended by professor for legal research skills.

BA in Liberal Arts

Carleton College, MN

2008–2012

  • Excelled in writing and research.
  • Conducted senior project in legal research..

5. Add “Special” Sections to Your Legal Assistant Resume

Who will the partners hire? A legal assistant who punched a clock? Or someone passionate?

If you show legal achievements outside work, they’ll know you love your career. You can add:

See these legal assistant resume examples:

Legal Assistant Resume—Other Sections

Good Example

Certifications

2019 — Certified Paralegal, NALA

2018 — Certified Notary

Additional Activities

  • Active member, NALA.
  • Mentor 4 other paralegal assistants in best practices.
  • Walk shelter dogs 2x per month at Hubbard County Animal Shelter.
Bad Example

Additional Activities

  • Tennis
  • Hiking

Only the first of those legal assistant resume samples makes you more hirable. 

Expert Hint: Learn how to write a cover letter for a job as a legal assistant. Focus on the firm’s needs so they know you understand them. Then show you’ve handled similar legal assistant duties before.

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Key Points

Here’s how to write a legal assistant resume:

  • Start with a professional legal assistant resume template. Fill it with your best legal assistant high points.
  • Include legal assistant skills like research and writing. Use numbers to show the impact of your skills.
  • Write a legal assistant resume objective that gives your best attributes in brief.
  • Show you can handle any task with a well-crafted legal assistant job description for resume.
  • Add “special” resume sections like a NALS membership or CP certification as proof you live and breathe your legal work.

Got questions on how to write good resumes for legal assistant jobs? Not sure how to put legal assistant on a resume? Leave a comment. We’ll be happy to reply! 

About ResumeLab’s Editorial Process

At ResumeLab, quality is at the crux of our values, supporting our commitment to delivering top-notch career resources. The editorial team of career experts carefully reviews every article in accordance with editorial guidelines, ensuring the high quality and reliability of our content. We actively conduct original research, shedding light on the job market's intricacies and earning recognition from numerous influential news outlets. Our dedication to delivering expert career advice attracts millions of readers to our blog each year.

Tom Gerencer

Having published over 200 career-advice articles, Tom Gerencer is a career expert who covers the whole array of job-seeking topics for people at all career stages, from interns to C-suite members. His insights, commentary, and articles reach over a million readers every month. With inside knowledge of key industry players and in-depth research, Tom helps job seekers with advice across all professions and career stages.

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