When you leave law school, you may be worried about how you’re going to find work. Some law firms will only hire you based on the experience you have. If you’re looking for a way to become a working lawyer without experience, then today’s article is for you. We’ll give you tips on how to create a professional resume and how you can build up your experience after law school to optimize your chances of getting hired.
Create a Professional Resume
Before you start looking for work you must have a professional resume. Even if you don’t have any experience on your resume, you still need one to present to potential employers. There are specific rules you have to follow to create a professional attorney resume. Include the following on your document:
- List of skills such as communication and your ability to obtain and process work
- Frame your non-legal working experience
- State your law education
- Include copies of your certificates
- State your accomplishments
- Provide a summary about who you are and your aspirations as a lawyer so they know whether you fit with their vision
Search for the Right Law Firm
Whether you studied to become a mass tort lawyer or you’re in criminal law, there will be a firm for you; you simply have to look in the correct places. Thanks to social media and marketing, it’s easy to find a law firm online.
LinkedIn is a corporate social media site that allows you to search for companies in different industries. There are hundreds of law firms signed up to LinkedIn, and you can use the site’s internal search engine to find them.
Additionally, there is another legal search engine you can use called Martindale to search for law firms according to practice area. It’s the ideal search engine to find firms in the specific field of law you studied.
Making Contact: Try This Strategy
Once you find the law firm you want to work for, contact the person in charge or someone you think has all the hiring power. This person decides which interns to hire based on their resumes. It could be a CEO or manager.
Send the person who has hiring power a concise email highlighting your services and educational accomplishments. Give a brief explanation of why you would be an asset to the firm. Perhaps target smaller law firms that have less than 20 attorneys. This may increase your chances of getting hired with no experience.
Final Thoughts
If you’re not confident with sending your resume that has no law experience then perhaps you can volunteer your services to law firms. Some firms will hire students to work for them part-time which will look excellent on your resume.
On the other hand, if you need to start working immediately with no working experience then use the tips above. You may find a small law firm that might require your assistance. You can learn from experienced attorneys at the firm which will help you progress faster so you can become a top attorney in your field.
