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Samantha
Student
Hopewell, Virginia
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What types of skills are employers looking for when applying for a part-time job in law?
I'm in 9th grade and finding a job to soon work at to give me experience in law
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1 answer
Amber Lee
Tax Associate
32
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Amber’s Answer
Hi again!
Employers for law-related positions (e.g., legal assistants, paralegals, etc.) often look for folks with great communication skills, attention to detail, and organization skills. These positions are also typically client-facing roles, so a candidate would often need to be able to foster good client relations and be able to handle situations involving difficult clients. A good candidate would probably also need to have good drafting skills, since legal assistants are often tasked with writing letters and other correspondences.
Part-time positions for high school students may be challenging to come by since firms typically hire people who are working towards an undergraduate degree or a law degree, but it doesn't hurt to look around and see if any local law firms might be open to hosting a high school intern. You may end up doing less substantive work and more administrative-type work (e.g., scanning, organizing documents, data entry, etc.), but that's not a terrible thing either since you get to learn the ins and outs of how law firms work.
Since you're only in 9th grade, I would encourage you to not worry too much if you aren't able to find any legal opportunities at the moment. Instead, take this time to develop your reading and writing skills and learn about the area(s) of law you're interested in. Participate in extracurricular activities and take on leadership roles. You will have plenty of opportunities to gain actual legal experience once you're a little more advance in your studies. Good luck!
Employers for law-related positions (e.g., legal assistants, paralegals, etc.) often look for folks with great communication skills, attention to detail, and organization skills. These positions are also typically client-facing roles, so a candidate would often need to be able to foster good client relations and be able to handle situations involving difficult clients. A good candidate would probably also need to have good drafting skills, since legal assistants are often tasked with writing letters and other correspondences.
Part-time positions for high school students may be challenging to come by since firms typically hire people who are working towards an undergraduate degree or a law degree, but it doesn't hurt to look around and see if any local law firms might be open to hosting a high school intern. You may end up doing less substantive work and more administrative-type work (e.g., scanning, organizing documents, data entry, etc.), but that's not a terrible thing either since you get to learn the ins and outs of how law firms work.
Since you're only in 9th grade, I would encourage you to not worry too much if you aren't able to find any legal opportunities at the moment. Instead, take this time to develop your reading and writing skills and learn about the area(s) of law you're interested in. Participate in extracurricular activities and take on leadership roles. You will have plenty of opportunities to gain actual legal experience once you're a little more advance in your studies. Good luck!