PRACTICE EXPERIENCE TOPS WISH LIST WHEN RECRUITING FOR PARALEGAL ROLES,
ROBERT HALF LEGAL SURVEY REVEALS

TORONTO, Oct. 27 /CNW/ - When it comes to hiring for paralegal positions, knowledge of a specific practice area is the most desirable attribute, according to 60 per cent of lawyers interviewed recently by staffing firm Robert Half Legal. Paralegal certification or bar association accreditation ranked second with 13 per cent of the survey response.

The survey was developed by Robert Half Legal, a premier legal staffing firm specializing in lawyers, paralegals and other highly skilled legal professionals. It was conducted by an independent research firm and includes responses from 100 lawyers at the largest law firms and corporations in Canada.

Lawyers were asked, "In a competitive job market, which one of the following attributes makes paralegals the most marketable?" Their responses:

    
        Practice area expertise....................................   60%
        Paralegal certification or bar association accreditation...   13%
        Length of employment/tenure................................   10%
        Technological proficiency..................................    9%
        No answer/other/don't know.................................    8%
                                                                     ----
                                                                     100%
    

"Firms seek job candidates who can immediately apply their expertise to help them operate more efficiently, and enhance service offerings in high-demand practice areas such as corporate law or litigation," said John Ohnjec, division director of Robert Half Legal Canada. "Our competitive job market definitely prefers specialists over generalists - applicants should emphasize how their specific skills make them the perfect fit for the job opening, so that employers know they will be able to make instantaneous contributions if hired."

Ohnjec offers the following five tips for job seekers to improve their marketability:

    
    -  Conduct a career assessment. List your actual accomplishments and
       current skills. Determine what may be holding you back from advancing
       professionally.
    -  Fill in the gaps. What skills do you need to develop? Are your
       technical skills rusty? Is project management a weakness? Take classes
       or online courses to address these shortcomings.
    -  Stay on the cutting edge. Enhance your potential value to prospective
       employers by regularly attending legal association conferences,
       networking events or seminars to stay abreast of developments in the
       field and also make new contacts.
    -  Consider project or pro bono work. Gain exposure to a variety of law
       firms, corporations and practice areas by taking temporary
       assignments. Likewise, volunteering with nonprofit or legal aid
       organisations also can help you gain experience and expand your skill
       set.
    -  Tap others' expertise. Mentors and other professional colleagues can
       help you identify any gaps in your skills or experience, make
       professional introductions, and may be able to provide job leads.
    

About Robert Half Legal

Robert Half Legal is the legal staffing division of Robert Half International. The company provides law firms and corporate legal departments with highly skilled professionals, including lawyers, paralegals and legal support personnel, on a project and full-time basis. Robert Half Legal offers online job search services at www.roberthalflegal.com.

For further information: TO SPEAK WITH A LOCAL EXPERT, CONTACT: Robert Half Legal, Nadia Santoli, [phone], [email protected]