The process of landing a role as a solicitor or paralegal role at a law firm is, for most, clouded in mystery. Putting together an application is a time consuming and stressful process. It can be particularly disappointing when you don’t hear back from a firm after you have spent time putting together an application. The purpose of this post is to help those applying for roles understand what firms are looking for and how you can stand out.
Law firms hire when they have more work than can be managed by their existing staff. They may have won a tender, be growing, picked up a chunky litigation matter, or they may have lost existing staff.
You should think carefully about the firms you want to work with. Not all firms are created equal and all that glitters is not gold. A good application will take you time to put together, so make sure you would want to work at the firm you are applying for.
Not sure if the culture of a firm is right for you? There is nothing wrong with contacting existing employees at the firm, asking if they will meet you for a coffee. You will be surprised by how many people will say yes to such a request. Lawyers love coffee. Such meetings can be very valuable if you want to learn about the work of lawyers and about law firms.
So, on to the main point of this article. Having hired many (many) people over the last 20 years, as the owner of a law firm, here are my suggestions :
Customise your cover letter: First of all, customise your cover letter to the individual firm. Far too many candidates send generic cover letters or cover letters addressed to other firms.
Customise and narrow down: Customise as much as possible. Before submitting an application look at reported decisions in matters run by that firm (on jade.io, austlii or caselaw.nsw.gov.au). Consider including a section in your cover letter called ‘Why I want to work with your firm’ and then explain why that is- avoiding generic feel good statements. Do not use ChatGPT- other than for proof reading.
Consider other documents you could add to your application. Found a case that the firm run recently? Why not put together a case note for the firm to read along with your cover letter and CV. If the firm specialises in an area, why not write a short sample client update in that area. Lawyers who can both market themselves (and their firms) and do legal work are highly sought after. If law firms were car dealerships, the lawyers would be making the car and trying to sell it.
Spelling and formatting matter: Make sure you have a friend or family member proofread your cover letter and CV. Make sure you spend the time on the format of your cover letter and CV. Lawyers make mistakes, as does everyone, but they are also obsessive about errors and formatting as these are what makes the difference in many areas of legal work.
Consider alternative ways of applying: No, I don’t mean that you should lean on your family connections. Not everyone has those connections, nor should they be expected. What I mean is that you should consider other ways to stand out from the crowd. For example, consider actually rocking up to reception and handing in your cover letter and CV- in person. We have hired 100 percent of the people who did that.
Get to know the area of law they practice in: The best prepared candidates we have seen researched current issues in energy law and were able to engage in a discussion with us during the interview. Most law firms publish articles, so start by reading those articles and then look for other updates.
All of us have had to apply for jobs and we appreciate the effort you put into your application, the sense of dread of rejection, and how hard it can seem to land a role. I hope that these tips come in handy for you.