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Paralegal cover letter examples. Experienced, entry-level and short.

The experienced letter is written from our paralegal example resume, the entry-level one is for a first paralegal job, and the short one fits an email. Copy the closest, then swap in your own results.

Three paralegal cover letters. Pick the one closest to you.

Paralegal cover letter example

A senior litigation paralegal. Deadlines met, discovery handled, trials prepared.

Dear Hiring Attorney,

I'm applying for the Litigation Paralegal position at Calder & Webb. At Peachtree Harlan, I support three partners and four associates on about 45 active employment and commercial cases in state and federal court.

I manage discovery in Relativity for cases of up to 380,000 documents, building privilege logs and productions that have met every court deadline. I draft first versions of pleadings, motions, subpoenas and discovery responses for attorney review, and I prepared exhibits and trial binders for four jury trials, including a nine-day trial that ended in a defense verdict.

At Morrow & Pike, I docketed about 600 court deadlines a year in Clio and missed none in three years.

I'd welcome the chance to talk.

Sincerely, Hannah Brooks

Entry-level paralegal cover letter example

A paralegal certificate and a first legal job. Accuracy and deadlines.

Dear Hiring Attorney,

I'm applying for the Paralegal position at Calder & Webb. I completed my paralegal certificate in May and have worked since then as a legal assistant at a two-attorney family law firm.

I keep the firm's calendar of court dates and filing deadlines, prepare and e-file routine documents, and organise client files for discovery. In my certificate program, I drafted a motion and a set of interrogatories that my instructor used as class examples.

I'd like to move into litigation. My resume is attached.

Sincerely, Alicia Ramos

Short paralegal cover letter

For an email body or an application form's text box. One paragraph of proof.

Dear Hiring Attorney,

I'm applying for the Litigation Paralegal position at Calder & Webb. I support seven attorneys on about 45 active cases at Peachtree Harlan, manage discovery of up to 380,000 documents in Relativity and have met every court deadline.

My resume is attached.

Sincerely, Hannah Brooks

Have your own results? The builder writes the letter around them as you type and saves it as Word.

Write yours in the builder

How to write a paralegal cover letter. Three rules the examples follow.

  1. Open with a result, not an adjective.

    A paralegal hiring manager decides in the first lines whether to keep reading. Put your strongest result there, with its number, as the example does: “At Peachtree Harlan, I support three partners and four associates on about 45 active employment and commercial cases in state and federal court.”

  2. Name the skills the posting names.

    Use the job ad's own words for your tools and methods, such as litigation, discovery and pleadings, and put each in a sentence with what came of it. A list of skills belongs on the resume.

  3. End on this employer, not on you.

    One line on why this employer, then a plain close. The example ends: “I'd welcome the chance to talk.” Change it for every application.

What paralegal screeners look for. Your letter should back it up.

  • Practice area and caseload

    Litigation, corporate, real estate, immigration and family law need different paralegals. Name the area, the number of active matters and the attorneys you supported.

  • Discovery and review platforms

    Relativity, Everlaw, document review, privilege logs and productions are hard skills in litigation postings. Say how many documents or custodians you handled.

  • Courts, filing and deadlines

    E-filing in PACER and CM/ECF or a state system, docketing and calendaring deadlines show you protect the firm from a missed date. Missed deadlines are what partners fear most.

  • Research, drafting and credentials

    Westlaw or LexisNexis research, Bluebook citations and first drafts of pleadings and discovery responses. A NALA CP, NFPA or ABA-approved certificate, or CILEx in the UK, is often screened.

Skills to name. Only the ones you can back up.

  • litigation
  • discovery
  • pleadings
  • trial preparation
  • depositions
  • subpoenas
  • exhibits
  • legal research
  • Westlaw
  • LexisNexis

Pick the two or three the job posting asks for first and put each in a sentence with a result. The full paralegal skills list has the rest.

Paralegal cover letter questions

What should a paralegal cover letter include?

The job title and employer in the first sentence, then your strongest result with its number. A paralegal letter should show practice area and caseload, discovery and review platforms and courts, filing and deadlines. Close with one line on why this employer and a plain sign-off.

How long should a paralegal cover letter be?

One page at most. The experienced letter above is 124 words, the entry-level one 90 and the short version 48. Use the short one when you're pasting into an email or an application form.

How do I write a paralegal cover letter with no experience?

Lead with the closest work you have done, such as placements, internships, part-time jobs or a course project, and give each one a result. The entry-level example above shows how: a paralegal certificate and a first legal job. Accuracy and deadlines.

Can I write a paralegal cover letter for a career change?

Yes. Open with the paralegal job you want, then pick two results from your current work that the new job needs, and say in one sentence what you're learning to fill the gap. The builder's Career change template is set up for this.

What skills should a paralegal cover letter mention?

Two or three the job posting asks for, each in a sentence with a result, such as litigation, discovery and pleadings. Leave out any you couldn't talk through in an interview.

More cover letter examples. By job.

Send the resume that backs the letter up.

The Studio opens the paralegal example resume behind this letter. Swap in your own work and every bullet is checked as you type.

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