Legal Assistant Cover Letter Examples (Free Templates)

A legal assistant cover letter is a document you send to law firms or companies that need a legal assistant.

It explains why they should hire you and what experience, qualifications, and skills you have to offer. Being your first introduction to the hiring manager/employer, you need to create a good impression by showing how you’re the most suitable contender for the position rather than simply stating it. Your cover letter should align with the functions of a legal assistant, including compiling legal documents and managing general filing tasks of an office.

Additionally, it fills the gaps in your resume and creates an opportunity to expound on your qualifications through your experiences. Therefore, you should aim to market yourself through the document. It just might be your ticket to securing an interview. This article will highlight how to write a captivating cover letter for a beginner or significantly experienced candidate.

Free Samples

Cover Letter Sample 01

Cover Letter Sample 02

Cover Letter Sample 03

Cover Letter Sample 04

Cover Letter Sample 05

Cover Letter Sample 06

Format

A legal assistant cover letter is a formal document accompanying a resume and should thus be formatted as follows:

• First, the legal assistant’s cover letter should have a professional font style. This can be any conventional style, such as Times New Roman, Arial, or Helvetica. The font size should range between 10.5 and 12 points (11 or 12 being most preferred).
• Also, the letter’s contents should have a half or one-inch (preferred) margin on all sides. Additionally, the document should have a 1.15 spacing.
• You should leave spaces (one blank line) between the following sections of the cover letter – the date, employer’s details, salutation, each body paragraph, sign-off, your signature, and name.
• The total word count of the letter should be between 240-400 words and consequently no more than 1 page.
• While saving the document, you should name it appropriately – [job title, i.e., legal assistant] cover letter. [file format]. Cover letters can be saved as PDF or Word documents (.docx).

This type of formatting ensures your cover letter is professional and increases the visibility of your letter to applicant tracking systems, thus increasing the chances of your letter being reviewed. 

Essential Skills of a Legal Assistant

Legal assistants help with administrative tasks in law firms, so they must be able to perform a wide range of general administrative tasks. These include creating, editing, and distributing documents. Legal assistants also create documents such as court notices, summonses, subpoenas, and court orders. You can demonstrate your capability to perform these functions by highlighting your skills (technical and soft) in the cover letter. Examples of such skills are discussed below. 

The technical skills include:

• Legal terminology
• Litigation support, such as creating presentations
• Skills in creating and editing documents, for example, through Microsoft Office
• Document management software
• Digital contract software
• Customer relationship management (CRM) software
• Knowledge of legal software
• Project management software such as Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft Project
• Accounting software, such as tax software
• Information retrieval, for example, skills in law management

Soft skills required for a legal assistant position include:

• Communication skills (written and verbal)
• Time management skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Detail-oriented
• Problem-solving skills
• Organizational skills
• Critical thinking
• Multitasking
• People skills
• Teamwork
• Collaboration
• Critical thinking

Writing a Legal Assistant Cover Letter 

It should be written with a high level of professionalism. The information you present in the cover letter should demonstrate your competency, experience, and qualifications.

You can follow the guide below to complete the writing process:

Header

The letter’s header should include your name, address, city, zip code, and the address of the employer, recipient’s name, and designation. A date should also be provided as a matter of record. The legal assistant cover letter should then be addressed to a person in charge of hiring or contact if you are unsure to avoid confusion on which employer you are referring to. This can be done by supplying a salutation or greeting. Formal greetings will be formatted as “Mr/Mrs/Ms [employer’s name]. However, writing “Dear Hiring Manager” or “Dear Sir/Madam” is acceptable if you don’t know their name.

Introduction

The introductory statement will introduce you and state why you wrote the letter. The following aspects of the introduction to the cover letter should be covered:

Introduce yourself and the job you are applying for

Start the paragraph by introducing who you are and which rank you are applying for. HR and hiring managers come across multiple cover letters, and thus, providing such information makes their work less stressful. It also lowers the chances of your cover letter being thrown away due to ambiguity.

Express enthusiasm

Show your interest in the position by stating that you are thrilled to have been hired. Explain why you would like to work at their law firm or corporation.

State most significant accomplishment

You should also include your most significant achievements or accomplishments that match the position you are seeking.

Main body

The letter’s main body should give a more detailed overview of your qualifications and suitability for the legal assistant position. It should justify why you are a suitable person for the job.

The main body discusses the following:

Explain why you are a perfect candidate

It would be best to start by explaining why you are most qualified to take on the job. You can do so by discussing the benefits you bring to the organization, referring to your experience and academic qualification, highlighting any relevant accomplishments, etc. There are no boundaries for how you can portray yourself as the best candidate. Also, provide tangible evidence, such as numbers, to show your contribution to the position. Again, the goal is to stand out from your peers.

Highlight your skills

The second paragraph of the main body talks about your education, skills, and ability to perform the tasks listed on the job posting. Avoid listing the skills but rather attach examples and experiences where you utilized the skills to perform your duties as a legal assistant or in any other situation. You should select the most relevant skills for the position and the law firm or organization.

Express why you want this job

Once again, it would be best if you let them know why it is that you want to work for this organization. This should be a short paragraph as it can be overwhelming. You can also present your goals, plans, and interest in the company and your career.

Call to action

The last part of the main body is the call to action. It is meant to let the employer know that you want to work with them after sending the cover letter. You should also explain what you will be doing next to follow up or move forward. You can do it by asking for an interview or asking what you have to do next in your process of being hired as a legal assistant, and this will give the prospective employer an idea of what to expect and when.

Closing/ Sign Off

This is the last section of the cover letter. It closes off your letter and can be considered a reminder of who you are. You should sign off with an appreciation message, complimentary close, and name, followed by a signature (for physical letters).

Analysis

This cover letter effectively showcases the candidate’s enthusiasm for the Legal Assistant position at Black & Associates Law Firm. It demonstrates a strong alignment between the candidate’s skills and experiences and the firm’s needs. Highlighting specific experiences, such as managing complex case files and contributing to a high-profile merger case, provides concrete evidence of the candidate’s ability to handle the responsibilities of the role. The mention of proficiency in legal software and dedication to maintaining confidentiality underscores their readiness to contribute immediately.

The candidate’s expression of admiration for the firm’s litigation excellence and supportive work environment shows they have researched the firm and are genuinely interested in contributing to its success. This personalized approach indicates a strong fit with the firm’s culture and values. By clearly articulating how their background in legal support services would benefit the firm, the candidate effectively positions themselves as a valuable asset. The letter’s structured presentation of the candidate’s achievements and skills, coupled with a clear expression of interest in the firm’s specific attributes, makes a compelling case for their candidacy.

Do’s and Don’ts

Your objective should be to craft a document that markets you to an employer. Here are some valuable points to consider when writing your cover letter:

Do’s

Emphasize attention to detail

The main point of a legal assistant is to take care of the legal documents, which require attention to detail. This quality should thus be demonstrated through your letter. Therefore, show efficiency, reliability, and attention to detail by writing a well-structured, comprehensive, and precise cover letter.

Cater your letter to the position you are applying for

This letter does not have to be written in the same manner as all the others. Instead, tailor it for your target job vacancy, i.e., if you are applying for a corporate law firm, write a corporate cover letter; if you are applying for private practice, then write an individual employment law assistant cover letter.

Research the company

Research the company and find out what the law firm or corporation is like, its reputation, and the issues it deals with. You must pay special attention to how the organization is run, its decisions, and what kinds of employees are employed there. This will help you write a cover letter for the legal assistant position that mentions these points effectively. Employers will always be impressed by your investigation skills if this is demonstrated in your letter, and it also displays your interest in the position.

Proofread

You should proofread your legal assistant’s cover letter word by word and ensure that there are no grammatical errors, as they can lead to confusion and could lead you to be dismissed right away. Thus, make sure your letter has no errors or mistakes.

Don’ts

Don’t restate the resume

A cover letter informs the employer of your value other than what is already mentioned in the resume for the legal assistant position. Therefore, you are not required to reiterate all the paragraphs or information provided in your resume. You can, however, use it as a reference as part of your cover letter.

Don’t be generic

Your cover letter should be unique to the position you are applying for. If you are already sending the same cover letter to several different employers, it is time to change.

Do not focus on what the job can do for you

Focus on what you will add to the organization’s culture and growth. Don’t just state that the organization can provide you with a job. Employers are looking for assets, not liabilities, and you can only demonstrate your value by showing what you can offer.

Highlighting your red flags

While you should be highlighting your strengths, you should never highlight any weakness or flaw in your cover letter for the legal assistant position. Think twice before putting anything negative down in writing.

Wrapping Up

The legal assistant cover letter should be your main point of contact with your potential employer. It should clearly explain why you would be a good fit for the position and how you believe you can contribute to the growth of the business. Therefore, make sure that it is comprehensive and well-written. You should always follow the job application guidelines.

If the employer has requested that cover letters not be sent, you don’t have to send one. However, suppose the employer hasn’t started anything about it. In that case, it’s always advisable to send a cover letter; it might be the document that sets you apart from your competitors.

About This Article

Authored by:

Haley S.

Resume Writing, Cover Letter Writing, Content Writing, Curriculum Vitae, Biographies

Haley Sawyer has transformed the professional narratives of thousands, meticulously crafting resumes and cover letters that unlock the doors to their dream jobs. Whether it is sales, healthcare, or any other domain, Haley's expertise in creating ATS-compatible resumes always stand out in the crowd. Haley's portfolio spans a diverse range of industries: from Healthcare and Business to IT, Sales Leadership, and Engineering. She caters to professionals at all stages, from entry-level aspirants to seasoned C-suite executives. Beyond resumes, her services extend to cover letter writing, crafting compelling biographies, and content writing.