How to Reenter the Workforce in Law

If you have taken time away from a career in law to care for a spouse or child, or simply to pursue personal goals, you may wonder if you will have difficulty reentering the legal profession. Like in all career fields competition can be fierce and jobs can be difficult to find, but you can use several strategies to maximize your chances of successfully reentering the workforce in law.

Things You'll Need

• Resume

Instructions

1. Review and update your resume. Make sure that your resume contains your relevant work experience from before your break from the legal field, as well as relevant education and degree information.

2. Get in touch with contacts from your previous job. Former coworkers and managers may be able to provide you with job leads to help shorten the time it takes to find a new job in law. Ask your contacts if you can use them as professional references when you apply for jobs.

3. Contact former classmates and professors from law or paralegal school. Professors may have information about companies and firms looking for legal professionals. Your former classmates may work for firms or companies that employ legal professionals, and may be willing to recommend you for interviews.

4. Sign up for accounts on social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Google Plus. Use these sites to build profiles highlighting your legal experience and education, and to connect with other professionals and hiring managers in your career field.

5. Post a profile and monitor job listings on legal career sites such as FindLaw.com, LawCrossing.com and LawJobs.com. Legal career sites allow you to post your resume and apply for jobs online, allowing you to find employment opportunities without leaving your home.

6. Contact a job recruiter in your city who specializes in placements with law firms and company legal divisions. A recruiter can help market your talents to potential employers, which may help you land interviews and secure a law job more quickly.

7. Research a potential legal employer before you arrive for an interview. Having information about a company's background, management and mission can show a hiring manager that you are interested in becoming an asset to the company, and may increase your chances of getting hired.

Tips & Warnings

• Prepare a short, honest explanation regarding your reason for taking a break from the legal field. Potential employers will likely want to know why you left the field and why you want to return.

References

• Guerilla Tactics for Getting the Legal Job of Your Dreams; Kimm Alayne Walton
• Syracuse.com: Five Tips for Reentering the Workforce, Regardless of How Long You've Been Gone