Letter of Application

JUDGE SMITH RE: APPLICATION FOR LEGAL ASSISTANT POSITION Dear Judge Smith: This letter represents my application to your honor for the position of legal assistant which you have stated through the State and County publications is open and needs to be filled. I come with excellent qualifications as per my educational attainment and my educational achievement and commitment. I have attended Cumberland School of Law and while I have not yet graduated, I am in my final year of law school.

I have genuine love and interest for the law and the legal sector of our society because the law is ever-changing and this makes it very interesting as I follow the changes and shifts in the laws of our country and this state. Indeed it is these changes that initially attracted me to this field of study as I have always been interested in the legal process and since a child have followed closely the various changes in the law.

Constitutional law is one of my favorite areas of the law as it serves to impact and color all laws and specifically the Bill of Rights as it pertains to the rights of the individual. The position of legal assistant which you have announced as open is of particular interest to me since your office is one of Circuit Criminal Court and the cases that you hear and make adjudication on are highly impacted by Constitutional law, the Bill of Rights, and particularly related to search and seizure laws.

My research skills are excellent having taken the required classes and having made the Dean's list each quarter of my attending Cumberland School of law.

My education while attending Cumberland School of Law includes the first year and second year curriculum of Torts, Contracts I, Criminal Law, Civil Procedure, Lawyering and Legal Reasoning I, Contracts II, Real Property, Civil Procedure II, Evidence, Lawyering and Legal Reasoning II, Constitutional Law I and II, Business Organizations, Wills, Trusts & Estates, Payment Systems/Secured Transactions and Professional Responsibilities totaling 67 hours for the first year and second year.

In addition I have completed the Advanced Appellate Advocacy Class, Advanced Evidence, Advanced Skills in Trial Advocacy, Advanced Writing Skills for Lawyers, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Antitrust Law, Alabama Civil Litigation Practice and Procedures, Complex Litigation, Conflicts of Laws, Consumer Protection, Criminal Procedure I and II, Directed Research I and II, and Judicial Externship I and II which included externship with a federal judge. I have additionally taken several Criminal Law, Evidence, and Forensic electives due to my high level of interest in all aspect of the Criminal Justice System.

I am the best person for the job of legal assistant to your honor because of my experience, my skills, and the benefit received from acquiring my legal education and my work with the Federal Judge.

The position of legal assistant to your honor will naturally require top-notch research and writing skills and my skills in both of these will of great assistance to you as I am able to not only do the research on cases that may be appealed or on cases that will be heard by your honor but as well I will be able to draft briefs and decisions for your honor which will remove some of the caseload from you allowing you more time to spend in court in adjudication proceedings.

This internship will enable me to gain new skills and knowledge that I can utilize in my future endeavors and will support my overall efficiency and effectiveness as I go on to practice in the area of law. In addition, my computer skills will enable me to assist you with keeping case material in your office computer system allowing for better tracking of cases and more effective dissolution of cases as you hear and make adjudication on these cases.

Because this position is with a Circuit Court Criminal Judge, my future goals will be supported as I intend to practice in the area of Criminal Law whether I work in the capacity of a Criminal Defense Lawyer or alternately decide to take a position with the District Attorney in some county in this state as a prosecutor. Regardless of which of these roles I ultimately decide to step into, the experience I gain working as your legal assistant will support my future goals and plans and.