Paragraph by paragraph
I am writing about the Senior Paralegal post in the commercial disputes team at Mishcon de Reya. I have worked as a paralegal since 2019, first in employment at Pinsent Masons and since March 2022 in commercial litigation at DLA Piper, where I run my own caseload of more than 40 matters worth between £50,000 and £5m. Commercial disputes is the area I want to qualify into.
Her caseload in the first paragraph
The post and firm, then her two employers and her caseload with its value range. A litigation partner gets the level of the applicant in two sentences.
Day to day I draft witness statements, Part 36 offers and case management orders for partner review, and I research procedural points before hearings. I also coordinate disclosure, and the largest review I have run covered more than 10,000 documents on Relativity.
The documents she drafts
The document names are precise, which a partner will notice. The Relativity figure covers disclosure, which often takes up a large share of paralegal time in big disputes.
At Pinsent Masons I worked on more than 100 Employment Tribunal claims, mostly unfair dismissal and discrimination, drafting ET3 responses, chronologies and hearing bundles.
Tribunal work, in one sentence
Employment claims are a different jurisdiction, but the drafting and bundles carry over. One sentence is enough.
I completed the CILEX Level 3 Professional Diploma while working full time, and I am now preparing for SQE1. I would like a role where my work can count towards qualifying work experience, with a solicitor in the team who can confirm it.
Qualification plans, stated plainly
Many paralegals are working towards the SQE, and firms know it. Saying so openly, with what she needs from the role, avoids an awkward conversation later.
Court deadlines are the part of the job I watch most closely, and I keep my own list of every one alongside the firm's system. I use iManage every day, and I can start after four weeks' notice.
Deadlines and a start date
Missing a court deadline is one of the most serious mistakes in litigation, so this is the reliability point that matters. The notice period answers the last practical question.
The SQE and qualifying work experience for paralegals
Since 1 September 2021, new entrants have qualified as solicitors in England and Wales through the Solicitors Qualifying Examination, though some are still finishing the older route. Alongside the exams you need qualifying work experience, and paralegal work can count.
- How much: at least two years full time or equivalent, in no more than four organisations.
- Who confirms it: a solicitor or the firm's compliance officer for legal practice (COLP). They confirm how long it lasted, that you provided legal services and that you had the chance to develop the competences, not how good your work was.
- In the letter: a sentence on your plans is enough. Asking for confirmation in the first paragraph can read as if the training matters more than the job.
For a legal recruiter
Many paralegal posts at larger firms go through legal recruiters, who send a summary to the firm before the CV. This version is written to be forwarded.
CILEX qualifications in 2026
CILEX, the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives, introduced the CILEX Professional Qualification in 2021. It has three stages, Foundation, Advanced and Professional, and replaces the older Level 3 and Level 6 route to becoming a Chartered Legal Executive.
If you hold a legacy qualification such as the Level 3 Professional Diploma, give its full name and the year. If you are on the CPQ, give the stage you have reached. Both are understood by firms, but the exact name tells the reader where you are in qualifying.
Openings for other paralegal roles
Law graduate, first paralegal job
Give your degree, any legal work experience and the area of law you want.
I graduated in law from the University of Kent in July, and I spent the summer on a pro bono housing project at a law centre in Medway.
Conveyancing or property
Give the number of files and the stages you handle.
I manage around 60 residential sale and purchase files at a time, from instruction to completion, under the supervision of two solicitors.
Personal injury or clinical negligence
Show volume, the stages you handle and how you work with clients.
For three years I have handled road traffic claims from first contact to settlement, with a caseload of about 120 at any time.
In house legal team
Show the commercial work you support and the business teams you work with.
I support the legal team at a retail group on contracts, data protection requests and trademark renewals across 14 countries.
Moving into a training contract or SQE route
Show your experience and your exam plans, and ask what the firm offers.
I passed SQE1 in July after three years as a litigation paralegal, and I am applying for your SQE route trainee scheme starting in September.
Describing a caseload without breaching confidentiality
Everything a paralegal works on is confidential and often privileged. A letter can still describe the work in detail if it describes the work and not the matters.
| Instead of | Write |
|---|---|
| A client name or a reported case you worked on | The type of dispute and the value range. |
| "Lots of drafting" | The documents by name: witness statements, Part 36 offers, ET3 responses. |
| "Large disclosure exercises" | The number of documents and the review platform. |
| "Supported partners on high value matters" | Your own caseload, its size and what you do without supervision. |
Five mistakes in paralegal cover letters
Names of clients or cases
Even a reported case can be the wrong one to mention, and confidentiality is the first thing a firm judges.
Describe the type of dispute and its value range.
Wrong or vague document names
A partner will notice vague terms such as "court papers" where you mean a hearing bundle.
Name each document the way the rules do.
Overstating your role
Saying you ran matters you supported is easy to check in interview.
Say what you draft and what is reviewed by a solicitor.
Hiding qualification plans
Firms know many paralegals are working towards qualifying, so there is nothing to hide.
Add one sentence on the SQE or CILEX route you are on.
Typos
In a legal letter a typo reads as a lack of care with documents.
Proofread twice, including names and dates.
Length, tone and the reader
- Length: one page. Emma's letter is about 220 words.
- Who reads it: the supervising partner or the firm's graduate and paralegal recruitment team.
- Tone: precise and plain, as careful as an attendance note.
- Names: check the firm's name, the team and the person you are writing to. Law firms notice.
The main points from this page
- 1Give your caseload with its size and value range.
- 2Name documents exactly as the procedure rules do.
- 3Describe matters by type, never by client.
- 4Mention SQE or CILEX plans in one plain sentence.
- 5Proofread names, dates and document titles.
Frequently asked questions
What should a paralegal cover letter include?
The post and firm, your area of law, your caseload or the matters you support, the documents you draft, any disclosure work, your qualifications and plans, and your notice period.
Does paralegal work count as qualifying work experience for the SQE?
It can. QWE must total at least two years full time or equivalent in no more than four organisations, and be confirmed by a solicitor or the firm’s COLP.
Should I mention that I want to qualify as a solicitor?
Yes, in one plain sentence, with what you need from the role, such as a solicitor who can confirm your qualifying work experience.
What replaced the CILEX Level 3 and Level 6 qualifications?
The CILEX Professional Qualification, introduced in 2021, with Foundation, Advanced and Professional stages.
How long should a paralegal cover letter be?
One page, around 250 words. Keep the detail of individual matters for the interview, in general terms.