Ideas for a writing sample? Especially attorneys?

[ADDled]

I interviewed today for a paralegal position. No, I'm not a paralegal. But I was sought out for this position anyway because of my advanced education.

I have to provide a writing sample. They did not give me a length (how long are these samples, usually?) or a topic - I asked.

I suppose the topic should be about something to do with attorney ethics, since that's the department where I'd be working. Any ideas?

And if you have any tips for me in providing the sample, please lay them on me.

Should I cite? I don't really have any access to WestLaw here, though I suppose I could go visit the law library tomorrow and I'm sure it'd be open to the public (I've never had to before, I've always worked in law firms that just had subscriptions).

Help?

[~PQ]

Did they specify if they want a sample legal memo? I imagine they want something to show technical writing ability and that constructing a legal memo would be the best way to show this- with correct citation. You don't need (or really want) Westlaw for correct citation, what you need is an up to date blue book. It's all spelled out that way. In a fictional memo, you can also use fictional case law to cite, yk?

When I took legal writing there was a pretty standard 4 section formal format we were taught. The issue (in question format), the brief answer (and it can be affirmative or it can even amount to "there isn't any clear position I can see here" type answer), how you came to this opinion, and a brief conclusion. This was a class taught by an attorney and was built upon ABA specified curriculum so I think this must be pretty standard.

Good luck!

[ADDled]

Did they specify if they want a sample legal memo? I imagine they want something to show technical writing ability and that constructing a legal memo would be the best way to show this- with correct citation. You don't need (or really want) Westlaw for correct citation, what you need is an up to date blue book. It's all spelled out that way. In a fictional memo, you can also use fictional case law to cite, yk?

When I took legal writing there was a pretty standard 4 section formal format we were taught. The issue (in question format), the brief answer (and it can be affirmative or it can even amount to "there isn't any clear position I can see here" type answer), how you came to this opinion, and a brief conclusion. This was a class taught by an attorney and was built upon ABA specified curriculum so I think this must be pretty standard.

Good luck!
I've probably seen hundreds of these legal memos when I worked at large firms (from paralegals to attorneys, or from jr. associates to partners), but your post helps me clarify and remember what the structure was. Thanks for that.

I've been out of law firms for a couple years now, and am feeling a little out of my league! Yikes!

[collier]

Did they specify if they want a sample legal memo? I imagine they want something to show technical writing ability and that constructing a legal memo would be the best way to show this- with correct citation. You don't need (or really want) Westlaw for correct citation, what you need is an up to date blue book. It's all spelled out that way. In a fictional memo, you can also use fictional case law to cite, yk?


Good luck!

I disagree with this, only because I don't think you could put together something of quality if it were your first go at it. It took me years to be able to write a legal memo well.

I think they want to see that you can write, period. I would submit your best piece of writing, probably from graduate school. When I applied to Education school I submitted a piece of writing from law school, rather than a piece on education. IMO, it needs to be something that you have spent some time crafting and went through an editing process of some length too.

Of course, calling an specifically asking may be the best bet.

Best!

[collier]

Oh, and if they are willing to hire you as a paralegal, they are interested in training you to do that sort of writing. Some paralegals went to paralegal school, but many did not. It is something that can be apprenticed.

Best!

[Cat]

Any way for you to get clarification on this? I'm thinking that they probably mean something that you have written for a previous job or class. So, if you have something save that you have written, I'd use that rather than writing something new. But I've never been asked for a writing sample - so I actually have absolutely no reason to even be offering my opinion!!

-Cat

ETA: or I could have just agreed with Margaret. Yeah, what she said!

[~PQ]

Oh, and if they are willing to hire you as a paralegal, they are interested in training you to do that sort of writing. Some paralegals went to paralegal school, but many did not. It is something that can be apprenticed.

Best!

Oh this is true, I guess I assumed since she'd worked in law offices before she was already familiar with them to some degree. That's a great point about them probably wanting to see just good ole writing skills.

I admit I cringed a little when I read the end of your post only because our class despaired of ever being compared to those at Miller-Mott the nearby paralegal school :D I attended an actual degree program, approved by the American Bar Association. LOL semantics, semantics, semantics ( :p but isn't that half the practice of law??) they actually changed the name of the program my second yr there to the Legal Assistant degree program to distinguish it from paralegal certificate programs (previously it had been the Paralegal Degree Program)

ITA about it being an apprentice field. NALA makes it difficult though for apprentice paralegals to receive their CLA credential, so it's worth taking supplimental classes even when employed as a paralegal (we had quite a few current paralegals in my class!) to be able to take the exam and do well on it.

[ADDled]

OK, I'm really stressing about this.

Here's the thing...I'm sure they just want to see that I can write. I asked if it needed to be on any specific topic, and he said only that he wanted something that wasn't boilerplate.

I'm cruising the web and it's looking like a typical writing sample for job consideration is 5-10 pages long. It would take me a while to craft something that long that was polished enough for consideration.

Add to it this complication - this job doesn't take much legal writing or research. This department handles ethics complaints made about attorneys and investigates them, and the vast majority go into arbitration. Probably 50% of my job would be handling the phone calls - incoming from the complainants about how their complaint is proceeding, and outgoing as I try to schedule these arbitrations. Another 40% of my job would be to manage the volumes and volumes of paperwork these complaints generate. The other 10% would be administrative work (none of the lawyers or paralegals have admins, they do their own stuff) and other misc. things, maybe including research/writing.

So his request for a writing sample took me by surprise.

As far as using something from when I was in grad school - well, that was twelve years ago and I'm a MUCH better writer now. I think I could take the weekend to write and polish something short, and run it by an attorney I used to work for who is greatly respected for his legal writing ability, and also by my husband who was an English major and great at revisions. If I wrote tomorrow morning, walked away for the afternoon, revised tomorrow evening and emailed it to my attorney friend, had my dh look, revised Saturday and walked away, revised again Sunday, I could conceivably have a short piece looking pretty polished. But I'm not sure I could manage 5-10...maybe I could.

Stress, stress, stress. I really want this job, so I feel I need to make a right choice here. I am not opposed to hard work, but I want to do the RIGHT hard work, you know, to make me the perfect candidate for the job, in their minds.

[mirage1]

OK, I'm really stressing about this.

... I'm cruising the web and it's looking like a typical writing sample for job consideration is 5-10 pages long. It would take me a while to craft something that long that was polished enough for consideration.

...

As far as using something from when I was in grad school - well, that was twelve years ago and I'm a MUCH better writer now. Do you have anything from 'back then' that you could polish up? As some others pointed out, I don't believe they're looking for you to write something now, they just want to know that you can string written words together.

[collier]

Do you have anything from 'back then' that you could polish up? As some others pointed out, I don't believe they're looking for you to write something now, they just want to know that you can string written words together.

I agree with this. I would rather not start with something totally fresh. I also edited my writing sample a lot when I sent it in a few years ago. Even though I had a gotten an A on the paper, no work of writing is ever really "done."

Best!

Oh, and also, I would suggest that you choose a piece that is more technical than policy. So, a research paper over an opinion piece. Even if you have to cut something down.

[azul99]

I disagree with this, only because I don't think you could put together something of quality if it were your first go at it. It took me years to be able to write a legal memo well.

I think they want to see that you can write, period. I would submit your best piece of writing, probably from graduate school. When I applied to Education school I submitted a piece of writing from law school, rather than a piece on education. IMO, it needs to be something that you have spent some time crafting and went through an editing process of some length too.

Of course, calling an specifically asking may be the best bet.

Best!

I agree with this. Many people, including educated people, can't write well, and they are not assuming that you can write based on your degree. In reviewing a writing sample, they'll evaluate whether you know how to write.

[ADDled]

Crap, now I'm in a bigger hole!

I called and asked the recruiter at the Bar if I could use a writing sample I've already done since I'd never actually done any legal writing (I'd already started polishing it up) and she asked what it would be. I told her probably a long-ish article I wrote for a local parenting group about toddler discipline.

She said I should go ahead and submit the article, but also draft up something short like a legal memo to show them I can do that. OK, so now I'm not only spending the weekend polishing up that article, I'm also trying to draft something new! Argh!

Mike's taking all three boys to the soccer games by himself tomorrow so I can have three or so hours to write. I'm so stressed!