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Free Resume Critique and Free Market Evaluation
Just fill out our Sign Up Form and we will contact you to set up an appointment to talk to you about your job search. We will interview you in depth over the phone to understand what type of legal employment you are seeking. If you would like, ask us for a resume critique, and we will provide you with suggestions to improve the impact and effectiveness of your resume. In addition, we will provide a market evaluation and give you an assessment of your overall marketability. This critique and market evaluation are absolutely free, and there is no obligation to continue. We are committed to helping you find a job, whether you decide to use our full services or not.
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At Legal Authority, we're so sure that our service is the right way to get attorneys jobs, we make the following promise: if you don't get a job within 90 days of using our service, we will give you up to 200 additional free contacts.
This applies to everyone. It doesn't matter what part of the country you're in or what level of experience you have. Legal Authority is simply the best way to move forward in your legal career.
Here's how it works: We put together a personalized search, print your custom resumes and cover letters, and deliver them to you for signing and mailing. If you don't get a job as a result of sending them out to employers within 90 days, simply contact us, and we will give you the same amount of contacts you purchased (up to 200... a value of up to $500) totally free of charge!*
It's that simple. Don't wait though: this offer expires 120 days after the day your letters are dated.
The risk is ours!
So why not try Legal Authority? We're so confident that our service will work for you, that we'll give you up to $500 worth of contacts for free if it does not. Become a member today, and experience the benefits.
*Applies to clients who signed up after September 1, 2005. The offer is valid only for clients who are U.S. licensed attorneys with no disciplinary record, or who are second- or third-year students at a law school in the United States of America. The Legal Authority 200 Free Contact Offer does not cover shipping fees. |
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Don't let your school control the recruiting process
Every law student in this country is familiar with Career Services. You have probably used them to look for either a summer associate position, or a law clerk position while you attended school, or even a post-graduation position after you had taken the bar exam but before your results arrived. Some students have achieved varying degrees of success, but most students have been left dissatisfied, frustrated, and, most important, jobless! If this describes your situation, Legal Authority exists to help students like you.
This article is not designed to bash Career Services or the job that they do. Rather, this article is meant to highlight the fact that while Career Services serves a function, that function is rather limited. One thing that law students are not aware of is the fact that Career Services Departments can only be effective for the top 10% of the class! Unfortunately, the other 90% of the class is left struggling to find positions. Legal Authority will assist that other 90% in finding the best jobs for them.
The primary purpose of this article is to make sure that you, the job seeker, are equipped with all the information you need to take control of your job search. We will look at Career Services in terms of what do they do and whom they help the most. Next, we will look at why it does not make sense for you to place your future in the hands of Career Services. And finally, we will lay out your plan of action and determine how you can take control of your job search!
Career Services: Who are they, and what do they do?
As noted above, every law student in this country will at one time or another visit his/her Career Services office for assistance with a job search. In the fall, most if not all Career Services offices organize some sort of on-campus-interviewing process. Many schools refer to it as fall OCI (on-campus interviewing). During this process, many large law firms go to various law schools and recruit law students up to one year in advance to begin their positions with these firms the following summer. Career Services will help law students draft resumes and cover letters for the available positions. In addition, they will help law students get their resumes to the hiring coordinators of the large firms.
Unfortunately, your decision to work for a firm that recruits on campus is not always in your control. First, firms are usually looking for the top students with the best grades, as well as journal/moot court participation. Second, you might be a student who is looking to move to a different geographic region for the summer, and firms from that region do not recruit on your campus. For the lucky few students who land their positions through this process, the hunt is over. However, for the majority of students, the job search is only beginning, and these students can no longer rely on their school's Career Services office.
Your Future in the Hands of Career Services???
Most students need to be proactive in their job searches and take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that they find the best jobs for them. If you are one of those students, Legal Authority can help you apply directly to almost any legal employer anywhere, including law firms, corporations, judges, public interest organizations, public defender's offices, prosecutor's offices, state and federal governmental agencies, law schools-you name it. With the largest database of legal employers anywhere, Legal Authority has contacts for more than two million legal employers in all 50 states and more than 150 countries. It is not unusual for our clients to get 10 or more offers. The limited resources of your law school's Career Services office simply are not designed to help you get such results.
When looking for a job as a 2L, 3L, or recent grad, it is important to note that the job that you take is critical and will set up the first stage of your legal career. Because your first job as a law clerk or a first-year associate is so important, the wisest job seekers do not leave their job searches in the hands of Career Services. They are great for helping students with the best grades land great positions. And you must remember that your Career Services office has every incentive to promote their best students in landing jobs with firms. This is primarily because it helps to increase the school's ranking and prestige in the legal community. Nevertheless, if you are not one of those select few, Career Services can leave you feeling hopeless.
Take Control of Your Job Search: Your Plan of Action
As you might have experienced, it is very difficult to land a summer associate position if you have not been recruited. It is not, however, impossible. To maximize your chances of getting a great position, you need to first maximize both the quality and quantity of the interviews and then maximize your interview efficiency. This is where Legal Authority makes all the difference. We will help you get your resume and cover letters out to great firms that are looking for someone just like you.
This opportunity is being utilized constantly by students and attorneys alike. Many 2Ls and 3Ls use targeted mailing as a way of getting around the nightmare of fall OCI, where only the top 10% of the class is offered job opportunities. The savviest students know that they can use Legal Authority to create their own fall OCI that is tailored to their needs and targeted to those employers that are not going to dismiss them simply because they are not first or second in their class. The service has helped numerous students from all over the United States bypass Career Services and take control of their job searches!
Remember, when you conduct a job search using Legal Authority, the purpose is not to find just any job. If you sit around long enough, you will find any job. The point of this search is to find the best job for you. You will sample all of the opportunities out there and find the job that is the best fit for you and your needs. No other job search allows that. If you find a job through an advertisement, then you are at the mercy of that employer, including whatever salary and workload it dictates. There is no opportunity to weigh several offers and negotiate the best deal. Targeted mailing affords you that opportunity. You future does not have to be governed by the lack of success during the on-campus-interviewing process. You can determine your career path and land a great position when you take the initiative with Legal Authority and take control of your job search.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE!
CLICK HERE TO SEE HOW LEGAL AUTHORITY WORKS
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Bob Gerberg is one of the country's top job-hunting authorities. His books, seminars, and programs have been used by millions of people worldwide for one simple reason: Bob knows what he's talking about.
His works include The Professional Job Hunter's Guide, An Easier Way to Change Jobs, Sixty Great Letters Which Won New Jobs, and many others. He has also written dozens of articles, and he created The Career Advancement Series and other programs, both in print and on cassettes. His programs have helped professionals in many law firms, the U.S. government and military, major universities, and a multitude of Fortune 1000 companies.
Indeed, Bob knows what he's talking about. And he's been at it for more than 20 years; his concepts have clearly withstood the test of time.
So when Bob Gerberg says that 70% of your job search lies in marketing yourself, you can believe it.
Bob's quotation on our homepage says it all: Your success in finding the job of your dreams is 70% marketing. You can be a great attorney, but until you market yourself correctly, you'll be waiting behind your competition. And that's where Legal Authority comes in...to take care of that 70% for you!
Legal Authority does not wait for employers to post want ads in the newspaper or online. Instead, Legal Authority aggressively finds hiring contacts at some 2 million legal employers and puts you in direct contact with them. So that you can market yourself to them immediately...without waiting for their information to appear in a want ad.
Legal Authority is the natural extension of everything that experts like Bob Gerberg preach. You must market yourself, and Legal Authority is the industry's leading way to do so.
CLICK HERE TO SEE HOW LEGAL AUTHORITY WORKS
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Legal Authority: Is Every Client Happy?
Legal Authority has helped thousands of attorneys and law students find new opportunities and new careers throughout the country. While we can’t speak for each and every one of our clients, the growing list of customer testimonials is a proven track record of our success!
The reason is simple. Legal Authority is a convenient, inexpensive and reliable way to help jobseekers apply directly to almost any legal employer in the country. With a database that can not be offered by any other job boards, classified sections of legal newspapers, legal recruiters, on-campus interviewing programs, or job fairs, Legal Authority is able to give its clients the exposure they need to get hired. And it requires very little effort. Legal Authority does all the grunt work for you, from customized cover letters and envelopes to professionally crafted resumes. All you do is sign, seal and deliver. We’ve been told by our clients that the hardest part of the process was deciding between job offers!
It’s hard to guarantee the level of success that you will have in your job search, however, if it’s any indication of how people have felt about our service, our growth has come almost entirely from word of mouth in the legal profession. Legal Authority’s satisfied and happily employed clients have continuously referred us to their colleagues, friends and family. We hope you let Legal Authority work for you in your career journey.
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Our Writers
Legal Authority's writers are required to undergo an extensive examination and certification process, including a two-hour exam that tests their grammar, proofreading, and problem-solving skills, and a critical resume and cover letter re-writing session which puts their knowledge of resume and cover letter strategy, design, and creative wordplay to the test. Every client can rest assured that his or her resume is in the best hands when our writers are in control.
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Our Quality Guarantee
We guarantee that we will provide you with the most effective, comprehensive job search possible. If we haven't done our best to supply you with the ability to reach every potential employer in any given market, we will refund 100% of your money, less the membership fee. This is how confident we are that our services provide the best job search for attorneys, anywhere.
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"The most common means of obtaining a job was a letter or other "self-initiated contact" with the employer..."
- National Association of Law Placement
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Legal Authority Outplacement Program
Give your attorneys the most opportunities.
Making economic or strategic adjustments in personnel can be a tough decision for any firm...
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Free RESUME CRITIQUE
FREE MARKET EVALUATION
We provide a free resume critique and a free market evaluation. There is no charge and no obligation!
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What Our Clients Are Saying
I sent out my Legal Authority mailing on Friday and by Saturday afternoon I already had two calls in response! Thanks, Legal Authority.
- Beth H.
Two years into my career, I wanted to switch tracks entirely and get into a firm doing "mainstream" litigation or transaction. I had gone to a school that was suffering from some image problems and, because of an illness in the family, did not take the bar exam until February. I then skipped around in various non-traditional jobs for two years. So in the rigid world of legal recruiters, I had the cards stacked against me. Even though I had done all kinds of interesting things both in and after law school, I wasn't considered "marketable" because I had taken the path less traveled.
I found it very difficult to attract the attention of hiring partners for positions posted on-line. I was convinced that Legal Authority was the way to go, so despite my tight budget, I signed up. My coordinator Caroline was incredibly supportive and thoughtful. She made great suggestions. The production staff was also very responsive and professional.
It's hard looking for a job, but Legal Authority helped me to find my "market". While I hope I don't have to repeat a job search anytime soon, I would use Legal Authority again in a heartbeat!
- C.N.
I have great news. I just accepted an offer with [firm] in Dallas. I'll be doing insurance coverage work. They are one of the firms I sent a resume to back in June! I guess they just recently decided they were going to take on new attorneys. Anyways, I wanted to let you know. You can add one more to your success rate in Texas! I'm also recommending your service to a friend of mine who is studying for the bar exam. He's indicated that most likely he'll be using Legal Authority. Thank you so much for your time and assistance.
- Matt
I sent out 1000 letters and it was well worth it. I don't even have my bar results yet.
- V. Charles
I sent out my letters right before Thanksgiving and didn't really think I'd get anything until after Christmas. However, one small Manhattan firm called me the day after Thanksgiving, and I interviewed the next week and got the job less than two weeks after I sent the letters. I was really surprised - they're a great firm doing the securities work that I really wanted. Thank you!
- D.F.
Whoever said it's impossible to find a job fresh out of law school and without a bar license obviously has never met Legal Authority. I didn't have any problem at all! During my last year of law school, I approached my career services for help in finding a job back in my home state. While they were great with me, they just didn't have the resources to help.
Then, someone suggested the targeted mailing scheme. Since I didn't know much about it, I didn't really care to follow up on it. It wasn't until after the bar that the reality of the real world finally kicked in, and I decided to contact Legal Authority. It was the BEST decision I ever made! AND the BEST investment ever!
Caroline Lee was absolutely wonderful!! She listened to my goals and suggested an attack plan that proved to be quite effective. The legal staff was great, too. They helped me write a very impressive cover letter and resume that my employer still raves about! I was really lucky to have found Legal Authority, and especially, Caroline.
Two weeks after I mailed out my cover letter and resume, I secured five interviews and had offers on the table that I simply couldn't resist. I am now with a very prestigious mid-sized west-coast law firm, practicing in the corporate/commercial litigation and estate planning sections. Exactly what I wanted and wished for! I could not have asked for a better gift this year. Thank you, Legal Authority!
- B.C.
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Your cover letter
Employers do read the cover letter, don't they? Well, yes, but briefly. Since employers only spend about a minute looking over all application materials and most of that time is spent on the resume, an employer will probably only spend 10 to 20 seconds reading your letter. Make it succinct. This is your chance to quickly inject some of your personality into your application package. After reading your cover letter, an employer should feel that he or she knows you a little better. This is also your chance to demonstrate the writing ability you honed in law school or through years of writing briefs. Just keep one thing in mind: The cover letter is a brief supplement to your resume. It is not the main attraction. Also, when employers spend so little time reading the cover letter, it is not worth it to customize a letter to each firm or company. Instead, make sure your cover letter focuses on your best assets. Essentially, your letter should serve as a short introduction that lets the employer know who you are, what you can do, and how to reach you.
First Paragraph
Identify yourself without sounding trite. Try to lead with your strengths. If you are about to graduate at the top of your law school class, say so. If you have had successes in your current job, but are looking for new challenges, let the potential employer know. Remember, an employer is only going to spend a few seconds reading your letter. Make sure your opening paragraph is an attention-grabber. Show some enthusiasm!
Middle Paragraph(s)
Here, you can go into more detail about your relevant experiences. You don't want to simply rehash what is on your resume, but you should not bring up anything that isn't listed on your resume. Flesh out your background with anecdotes that demonstrate your accomplishments. This is the time to show potential employers why you can be of value to them. Highlight your unique skills and experiences in a concise fashion, and let them draw conclusions about where to place you. You don't want to focus your search too narrowly. Avoid statements like, "My past experience in taxation can make me a valuable asset to your tax department." What if the tax department doesn't have an opening, but the hiring partner thinks you would be perfect for the finance department? If you seem closed-minded, you could miss out on a great opportunity.
There are always exceptions to the "detail" rule, of course. Remember, your cover letter needs to get to the point quickly. If you are a senior associate, or if you have an impressive string of accomplishments, you may find it most effective to use a bulleted list to highlight your achievements. Make it easy for a potential employer to get the main idea before flipping to your resume. The more experience you have, generally, the less explanation you need in a cover letter.
The middle paragraphs also give you an opportunity to explain any inconsistencies or gaps in your resume. Don't dwell on periods during which you were out of work, but do consider giving a brief explanation. That will prevent the employer from assuming the worst. Also, if you have worked for a firm for many years, but are now seeking an in-house position, explain why. If you have specialized in a particular area of law, but now want to switch your focus, demonstrate how the skills you have learned can be transferable to this new area. Always keep your tone positive, and show the employer how he or she could benefit by hiring you.
Final Paragraph
This is your opportunity to close the deal. Your middle paragraphs should make a persuasive case. The final paragraph should sum up your abilities and stress your interest in working for this potential employer. Say that you hope to meet in person or that you look forward to an interview. However, we do not recommend that you indicate that you will follow up with them. Many employers do not wish to receive calls. Besides, you may be applying to hundreds of firms, making it impossible for you to follow up with all of them in a timely manner. If your cover letter and resume have presented you in the best possible light, employers should be eager to contact you.
Close the letter with a cordial tone. According to Miss Manners, "Yours truly" is the proper way to close a business letter. "Sincerely yours" is used for more personal letters. You may consider other closings, such as "Kind regards," but closings like "In anticipation" or "Eagerly" can sound silly. Sometimes it's best to stick with the classics.
Legal Authority has years of experience in crafting dynamic cover letters. We can revise your current letter or create a new one from scratch. Remember, the cover letter is a reflection of you as a potential employee. We use a standardized style sheet for consistent spelling, grammar, capitalization, and formatting. We also ensure that your letter sets a professional tone. Let our expertise work for you.
More Cover Letter Resources
Basics About Cover Letters
An introductory look at cover letters.
Cover Letter Do's and Don'ts
A relatively comprehensive list of what to do and, perhaps more important, what not to do when composing your cover letter, by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D., and Katharine Hansen.
Cover Letter Resource Guide
A comprehensive guide to writing cover letters, discussing who needs a cover letter, what makes a good cover letter, a sample cover letter and including links to other resources on the web.
Dynamic Cover Letters That Generate Higher Salaries and More Interviews
It is extremely important to create a cover letter that will "sell" your skills and abilities to potential employers. ProvenResumes.com shows you how.
How to Write a GREAT Letter
A collection of links to articles describing effective letter-writing strategies, including tips on how to organize your thoughts and ideas, common letter-writing mistakes, and how to follow up.
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