mikec81

This is a bit of a last resort, so any help would be appreciated.
I am looking for a legal job in Sacramento, CA. We moved here in January this year and I got my employment authorization in April. I have been working in a university since then and am now looking for something a bit more challenging. I am qualified solicitor in the UK (albeit relatively newly qualified - about 1 year) and am looking for a paralegal position or something along those lines. I am not looking to take the Bar at the moment, and just wanted to get into the market as soon as possible.
I have made all the usual inquiries with local employment agencies, although most people I have met with have turned out to provide a pretty shoddy service.
I have posted my resume on the usual sites and have got a few responses but nothing concrete (along with 10 spam emails a day!).
I realize that this is a bit of a long shot, but if anyone has had a similar experience, I would be grateful of any advice.
Thanks

Bob

linkedin.com might be a good option if you've got contacts that are on it, they might have contacts you could find etc...

craigslist might not be a bad idea as well...

mikec81

Been giving Craigslist a go for a while now. Seems to be a bit more productive than Monster, CareerBuilder etc. but still not really too successful.
I suppose it is just a matter of persevering and seeing what comes of it. It seems that developing contacts is the way to go and just hope for a bit of luck further down the line

Rete

My question would be what US knowledge of law are you bringing to the paralegal table? Do you know about filing briefs, the court systems, filing jurisdictions for the perfection of security interests, etc.? In today's legal world you need a paralegal certificate in order to be taken seriously for the position. And the competition is fierce. Our firm is currently interviewing for corporate/commercial finance paras and there are five applicants screened out by the agency for each of the two positions opened.

Why not contact a reputable agency and ask what qualifications you need to be successful in obtaining employment? Also check positions for court clerk or clerk to a justice. You can find reputable agencies by looking at the employment section of the Sunday papers, i.e. major publications from Chicago, New York, LA, etc.

fatbrit

Look for bar-approved paralegal certification courses at your local community colleges. Should be easily able to polish it off in a couple of semesters and, as Rete said, it will make you much more employable.

mikec81

I have discussed the certificate problem with a number of recruiting agencies and all seem to be of the opinion that it does not present a major problem given my experience. However, I do see your point and looked it to it for a time. There are a number of courses available, and I am considering that at the moment. I get the impression that the recruitment agencies I have spoken to do not really fully appreciate the situation.
I understand that my qualifications from the UK do not translate here. However, I have a great deal of experience in drafting, witness interviewing etc. that I feel would be relevant to a paralegal position.
I appreciate the advice about the clerking positions you mentioned, and I will look into it.

fatbrit

One problem you'll run into is that your resume will be in the trash before it even reaches the desk of anyone important. If the position says it requires paralegal certification and you don't write that you've got it, they'll just trash it immediately. From what you've written, I know you could do the job. But you need to convince them. And not having an American qualification to your name it won't be easy.

penguinsix

http://www.lawjobs.com

You can also look at getting on board with a temp legal agency, through probably in SFO. There are often situations when a firm has a major case and we go to the temps to get 100s of lawyers and paralegals just to help with the doc reviews.

mikec81

I think you are dead right, but it is difficult to get to the stage where anyone of importance will read the resume! There are a number of jobs I have applied for that did not specifically require the certificate although I do not doubt that had I had it, I would have had a better chance.
As I did not intend on taking the Bar, I naively thought that a paralegal position would be easier to come across, although it seems to be the opposite. It looks like I will just have to keep plugging away, although I hope to get started on the certificate as soon as possible.
Thanks for the advice

fatbrit

Your other hope is networking. This doesn't need to be very deep you'll be glad to know in America. Find out where the legal profession hang out in your area-- bars, restaurants, gyms, golf courses -- and get you ass down there. Smile, shake hands and agree with whatever crazy crap comes out of their mouths, while telling them you're looking for a job.

penguinsix

You're not exactly located in the center of the legal world...

Paralegal jobs are pretty abundant in larger cities, though surviving on a paralegal's budget is not.

Doesn't California allow you to take the bar if you do a 1 year LLM program at a US school? I know NY does.

meauxna

That's what I was thinking.. any hope through the University alums?

mikec81

I know, the legal world does not seem to revolve around Sacramento unfortunately. There are a lot of firms in the city, although the majority are not operating large civil practices, which is the area I was looking at.

mikec81

I have contacted the University law faculty in the hope that the could assist in some way. The only thing they were able to offer was to apply for the one year LLM, although this is not something that I am able to do at the moment as we both need to be bringing in an income (my wife is a post doctoral researcher so the salary is not great!).

meauxna

What about some pro-bono clinic work as a way to meet people from other firms? Does that apply to the kind of work you want to do?